Treason in the United Kingdom
Tuesday, March 11th, 2008There are plans afoot to change the laws on treason in the UK, with a commission on citizenship led by Lord Goldsmith recommending reform, but what is the law ?
There is an awful lot of statute law in the UK that deals with treason.
But the most important part is from 1351. And it is perhaps one of the few pieces of 14th Century legislation to be regularly discussed in the 21st Century.
The original law said: “When a Man doth compass or imagine the Death of our Lord the King, or of our Lady his Queen or of their eldest Son and Heir; or if a Man do violate the King’s Companion, or the King’s eldest Daughter unmarried, or the Wife the King’s eldest Son and Heir; or if a Man do levy War against our Lord the King in his Realm, or be adherent to the King’s Enemies in his Realm, giving to them Aid and Comfort in the Realm.”
Or rather what the law actually said was in Norman French, but put succinctly in English, you can’t kill, conspire against or wage war against the king and his family. You also can’t have sex with his wife, heir’s wife or his unmarried eldest daughter. And the act goes on to rule out actions against the chancellor, treasurer and various categories of senior judge.