Greatest traitor in your nations (or anyone else’s) history?

[Verbose]

Who is the greatest traitor in your nations history? Or just greatest traitor, period.

I imagine there have been a lot of them. They are likely top crop up in key moments in a nations history (if only to take the blame, in some cases), when things have gone horribly wrong.

Who knows, an inventory of great traitors might even turn out to be a bit of a humbling exposé of history.

Do write and tell!

Just to start the thread off:

Judas;
hard to beat as far as treason goes, betraying with a kiss, and the son of God no less, or so it has been said.

Brutus;
Caesar’s adopted son and murderer: ”Et tu brute!”

Both these guys were placed at the bottom Hell in Dante’s ”Divina Commedia”, where Lucifer, frozen stuck to the ground, eternally masticates them in two of his three mouths. The third is occupied by some other famous traitor, but I have forgotten who.
Someone else who remembers?

There is also Aguirre, the positively insane Spanish conquistador, brought to the silver screen by Werner Herzog and Claus Kinski (Kinski in his most insane mood too, a picture worth seeing). He cast himself the Arch-traitor, even greater than Judas, since Aguirre set out to betray the whole of the European continent.

So, who is the arch-cad and rotter of your nation? The man, or woman, whose name should be stricken from the memory of all decent folk, and consequently will eternally live in infamy!

 

[nonconformist]

Greatest, in a good way:

Count Claus Von Stauffenberg-tried to assasinate Hitler in '44. Was taken by the Gestapo. Put against a wall, and shot. Last words before being shot: "Long live our Sacred Germany!".

 

[pawpaw]

benidict arnold--tried to betry west point to the british in american revolution

 

[nonconformist]

benidict arnold--tried to betry west point to the british in american revolution

I just KNEW someone had to say that

 

[Verbose]

benidict arnold--tried to betry west point to the british in american revolution

But what did he do? How do you "betray" West Point?

(And yeah, I also knew he would crop up. )

 

[Verbose]

Greatest, in a good way:

Count Claus Von Stauffenberg-tried to assasinate Hitler in '44. Was taken by the Gestapo. Put against a wall, and shot. Last words before being shot: "Long live our Sacred Germany!".

Right you are.
Sombody's traitor is likely someone elses hero.

Makes the role of the traitor an historically interesting one, no?

Anyone got another "heroic traitors" in stock?

 

[SeleucusNicator]

But what did he do? How do you "betray" West Point?

Bennedict Arnold was an American General during the Revolutionary War. His greatest victory was at Saratoga, the battle that convinced the French to intervene on our side.

After Saratoga, though, he was angry at not getting a promotion, and decided that he would side with the British. His plan was to give West Point, a strategic fortress, to the British, which as a general he could do. I imagine the plan involved him going to West Point, assuming command, and then throwing the doors open to the redcoats.

Unfortunately, the courrier of a note between him and a British general got intercepted and he was foiled. He fled to Britain and returned several years later as a British general. He commanded redcoats against American armies in the south until the end of the war.

He's certainly the most famous traitor in the history of the United States. Perhaps only the Rosenburgs come close.

 

[nonconformist]

I don't think the Rosenbergs had any concrete proof.

 

[YotoKiller]

I don't think the Rosenbergs had any concrete proof.

It was pretty well proven by recent Soviet declassified documents and the Venona info that Julius Rosenberg was spying for the Soviets. Executing his wife seems to have been a mistake though.

A great traitor for America would be "Hanoi" Jane Fonda

 

[jonatas]

Both these guys were placed at the bottom Hell in Dante’s ”Divina Commedia”, where Lucifer, frozen stuck to the ground, eternally masticates them in two of his three mouths. The third is occupied by some other famous traitor, but I have forgotten who.
Someone else who remembers?

that would be Cassius, Brutus' "partner in crime"

 

[Louis XXIV]

Brutus;
Caesar’s adopted son and murderer: ”Et tu brute!”

Although I used to think of Brutus as a traitor, over the years, my opinion of him has become kinder. One could actually argue that Ceasar is that traitor when he crossed the Rubicon, defying Roman law and taking over the government.

 

[Birdjaguar]

How about Quisling? He betrayed Norway,IIRC, to the Germans in WW2. If this were OT I could mention:

Spoiler :

dubya

 

[Verbose]

Although I used to think of Brutus as a traitor, over the years, my opinion of him has become kinder. One could actually argue that Ceasar is that traitor when he crossed the Rubicon, defying Roman law and taking over the government.

"It ain't treason if you win!"-kind of thing.
Poor Brutus, trying to save the remains of the Roman republic from a would be tyrant.

 

[Verbose]

How about Quisling? He betrayed Norway,IIRC, to the Germans in WW2. If this were OT I could mention:

Spoiler :

dubya

As far as notoriety goes Quisling is a great success. Not all traitors have their name become a proper word; to be "a Quisling". (Like William Banting, George Boycott etc.)

 

[Verbose]

Bennedict Arnold was...[etc.]

Thanks for clearing that up for me. (Crap at US history, and never got around to reading up on Arnold.)

 

[h4ppy]

Bennedict Arnold was an American General during the Revolutionary War. His greatest victory was at Saratoga, the battle that convinced the French to intervene on our side.

After Saratoga, though, he was angry at not getting a promotion, and decided that he would side with the British. His plan was to give West Point, a strategic fortress, to the British, which as a general he could do. I imagine the plan involved him going to West Point, assuming command, and then throwing the doors open to the redcoats.

Unfortunately, the courrier of a note between him and a British general got intercepted and he was foiled. He fled to Britain and returned several years later as a British general. He commanded redcoats against American armies in the south until the end of the war.

He's certainly the most famous traitor in the history of the United States. Perhaps only the Rosenburgs come close.

IIRC he was already in charge of West Point when he started to talk to the Brits. (thus he would not need to go to West Point, he was already there)

 

[HolyEmperor]

Come on! Nobody said Alcibiades. He betrayed Athens to Sparta and Sparta to Athens back again. If there was ever a traitor in history he was it!

 

[jonatas]

Come on! Nobody said Alcibiades. He betrayed Athens to Sparta and Sparta to Athens back again. If there was ever a traitor in history he was it!

but was there ever any traitor that had the style of Alcibiades?

and i think there is more than one way of looking at him... Alcibiades was in some ways the embodiment of the Athens... and was not without some heroic charm and complexity....

at the very least he was fascinating and powerful.... and appreciated Socrates, whom the Athenians condemned

 

[Riesstiu IV]

George Washington...

 

[mrtn]

Verbose, I'm really disappointed in you that you didn't answer the question for Sweden.
I'm not the most knowledgable Swede around here, but wasn't there a general who went over to the Russians at the time of the 1810 debacle (loss of Finland)? He's not very famous though, as you need to be a history nut to hear about him...