Treason Act or Treasons Act (and variations thereon) or Statute of Treasons is a stock

short title In certain jurisdictions, including the United Kingdom and other Westminster system, Westminster-influenced jurisdictions (such as Canada or Australia), as well as the United States and the Philippines, primary legislation has both a short title an ...

used for

legislation Legislation is the process or result of enrolling, enacting, or promulgating laws by a legislature, parliament, or analogous governing body. Before an item of legislation becomes law it may be known as a bill, and may be broadly referred ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and in

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

on the subject of

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state (polity), state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to Coup d'état, overthrow its government, spy ...

and related offences. Several Acts on the subject of treason may also have different short titles, such as the Sedition Act. The Treason Acts may refer to all statutes with this short title or to all statutes on the subject of treason and related offences.

Main acts in force

United Kingdom

* The

Treason Act 1351 The Treason Act 1351 ( 25 Edw. 3 Stat. 5. c. 2) is an act of the Parliament of England where, according to William Blackstone, common law treason offences were enumerated and no new offences were created. It is one of the earliest English stat ...

( 25 Edw. 3. Stat. 5 c. 2) first provided a statutory definition of treason, which is mostly still in force. The

Succession to the Crown Act 2013 The Succession to the Crown Act 2013 (c. 20) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that altered the laws of succession to the British throne in accordance with the 2011 Perth Agreement. The Act replaced male-preference primogenitur ...

amended two of the treasons to reduce gender inequality. * The Treason Act 1495 excludes acts done in support of a defeated claimant to the throne in a civil war from the scope of treason. * The Treason Act (Ireland) 1537, in force in Northern Ireland, expands the definition of treason. * The Treason Act 1695 establishes a time limit for prosecutions for treason of three years, except in the case of assassinating or attempting to assassinate the monarch. The Treason (Ireland) Act 1821 extends these provisions to Northern Ireland. * The

Treason Act 1702 The Treason Act 1702 ( 1 Ann. St. 2. c. 21) is an act of the Parliament of England, passed to enforce the line of succession to the English throne (today the British throne), previously established by the Bill of Rights 1689 and the Act of S ...

further extends the definition of treason. * The

Treason Act 1708 The Treason Act 1708 ( 7 Ann. c. 21) is an act of the Parliament of Great Britain which harmonised the law of high treason between the former kingdoms of England and Scotland following their union as Great Britain in 1707. This act is partl ...

abolished the Scots law of treason and substituted the English law, and also made it treason to kill certain Scottish judges or counterfeit the Great Seal of Scotland (the latter is no longer treason except in Scotland). * The Treason Act 1814 specifies the penalty for treason; following abolition of the death penalty by the

Crime and Disorder Act 1998 The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 (c. 37) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The Act was published on 2 December 1997 and received royal assent in July 1998. Its key areas were the introduction of Anti-Social Behaviour Orders, Se ...

, this is life imprisonment. * The Treason Act 1842 creates an offence short of treason (originally a misdemeanour) of using weapons with intent to injure or alarm the monarch. * The

Treason Felony Act 1848 The Treason Felony Act 1848 ( 11 & 12 Vict. c. 12) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Parts of the act are still in force. It is a law which protects the King and the Crown. The offences in the act ...

reduced certain treasons to the offence of 'treason felony'. ''Obiter dicta'' in a case related to treason felony suggests that the

Human Rights Act 1998 The Human Rights Act 1998 (c. 42) is an Act of Parliament (United Kingdom), Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom which received royal assent on 9 November 1998, and came into force on 2 October 2000. Its aim was to incorporate into UK law the ...

has altered the proper interpretation of this offence. * The

Criminal Law Act 1967 The Criminal Law Act 1967 (c. 58) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that made some major changes to English criminal law, as part of wider liberal reforms by the Labour government elected in 1966. Most of it is still in force. ...

specifies that the same trial procedure is to be used for treason as for murder. Before 1945, treason was subject to a different criminal procedure. * Treason is an excepted matter in Northern Ireland under the

Northern Ireland Act 1998 __NOTOC__ The Northern Ireland Act 1998 (c. 47) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which allowed Westminster to devolve power to Northern Ireland, after decades of direct rule. It renamed the New Northern Ireland Assembly, establi ...

, a reserved matter in Scotland under the

Scotland Act 1998 The Scotland Act 1998 (c. 46) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which legislated for the establishment of the devolved Scottish Parliament with tax varying powers and the Scottish Government (then Scottish Executive). It was o ...

, and a listed category of offence under the

Government of Wales Act 2006 The Government of Wales Act 2006 (c. 32) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed the then-National Assembly for Wales (now the Senedd) and allows further powers to be granted to it more easily. The Act creates a system ...

. The respective devolved legislatures have no power to legislate on these subjects.

List

England

; 62 acts (1351–1705) :The

( 25 Edw. 3. Stat. 5 c. 2) :The Forfeitures Act 1361 ( 34 Edw. 3. c. 12) :The Treason Act 1381 ( 5 Ric. 2 Stat. 1. c. 6) :The Treason Act 1397 ( 21 Ric. 2. c. 12) ::''See also'' cc. 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 and 20 :The Treason Act 1399 ( 1 Hen. 4. c. 10) (repealed the Treason Acts 1381 and 1397) :The

Safe Conducts Act 1414 __NOTOC__ The Safe Conducts Act 1414 ( 2 Hen. 5. Stat. 1. c. 6) was an act of the Parliament of England. It made it high treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts ...

( 2 Hen. 5. Stat. 1. c. 6) :The

Treason Act 1415 The Treason Act 1415 ( 4 Hen. 5. Stat. 1. c. 6) was an act of the Parliament of England which made clipping coins high treason, punishable by death. (The Treason Act 1351 ( 25 Edw. 3 Stat. 5. c. 2) had already made it treason to counterfe ...

( 3 Hen. 5. c. 6) ::''See also'' 3 Hen. 5. St. 2. c. 7 :The Treason Act 1423 ( 2 Hen. 6. c. 21) :The Treason Act 1429 ( 8 Hen. 6. c. 6) :The Treason Act 1442 ( 20 Hen. 6. c. 3) ::'' See also'' 20 Hen. 6. c. 11 :The Treason Act 1448 ( 27 Hen. 6. c. 4) :The

Act of Accord The Act of Accord (39 Hen. 6) was an Act of Parliament, act of the Parliament of England. It was passed on 25 October 1460 during a period of intense political division and partisanship at the top of government. Three weeks earlier, Richard of ...

(1460) ( 39 Hen. 6. c. 1) :The Treason Act 1488 ( 4 Hen. 7. c. 18) :The Treason Act 1495 ( 11 Hen. 7. c. 1) :The Benefit of Clergy Act 1496 ( 12 Hen. 7. c. 7) (abolished benefit of clergy for petit treason) :The

Poisoning Act 1530 The Poisoning Act 1530 ( 22 Hen. 8. c. 9) was an act of the Parliament of England. Its long title was "An Act for Poisoning." It made it high treason to murder someone with poison, and instead of the usual punishment for treason (hanging, draw ...

( 22 Hen. 8. c. 9) :The

Treasons Act 1534 The Treasons Act 1534 or High Treason Act 1534 ( 26 Hen. 8. c. 13) was an act of the Parliament of England passed in 1534, during the reign of King Henry VIII. Background This act was passed after the Act of Supremacy 1534 ( 26 Hen. 8. c. 1 ...

( 26 Hen. 8. c. 13) :The Treason Act 1535 ( 27 Hen. 8. c. 2) :The Act of Succession 1536 ( 28 Hen. 8. c. 7) :The See of Rome Act 1536 ( 28 Hen. 8. c. 10) :The Treason Act 1536 ( 28 Hen. 8. c. 18) :The Treason Act (Ireland) 1537 ( 28 Hen. 8. c. 7 (I.)) :The Treasons in Wales Act 1540 ( 32 Hen. 8. c. 4) :The Treason Act 1540 ( 32 Hen. 8. c. 25) :The Treason Act 1541 ( 33 Hen. 8. c. 20) :The

Royal Assent by Commission Act 1541 The Royal Assent by Commission Act 1541 ( 33 Hen. 8. c. 21) was an act of the Parliament of England, passed in 1542, which attainted Queen Catherine Howard for adultery, thereby authorising her execution. It also provided that all of Queen Cat ...

( 33 Hen. 8. c. 21) ::''See also'' Criminal Law Act 1541 ( 33 Hen. 8. c. 23) :The

Crown of Ireland Act 1542 The Crown of Ireland Act 1542 (33 Hen. 8. c. 1 (I)) is an Act that was passed by the Parliament of Ireland on 18 June 1542, which created the title of "King of Ireland" for monarchs of England and their successors; previous monarchs had rul ...

(33 Hen. 8 c. 1 (I.)) :The Treason Act 1543 ( 35 Hen. 8. c. 2) ::''See also'' Succession to the Crown Act 1543 and King's Style Act 1543 :The

Treason Act 1547 The Treason Act 1547 ( 1 Edw. 6. c. 12) was an act of the Parliament of England. It is mainly notable for being the first instance of the rule that two witnesses are needed to prove a charge of treason, a rule which still exists today in the U ...

( 1 Edw. 6. c. 12) :The Riot Act 1549 ( 3 & 4 Edw. 6. c. 5) :The Treason Act 1551 ( 5 & 6 Edw. 6. c. 11) :The Treason Act 1553 ( 1 Mar. Sess. 1. c. 1) :The Treason (No. 2) Act 1553 ( 1 Mar. Sess. 2. c. 6) :The

Treason Act 1554 The Treason Act 1554 ( 1 & 2 Ph. & M. c. 10) was an act of the Parliament of England. It is not to be confused with two other acts about treason passed in the same year, the Traitorous Words Act 1554 ( 1 & 2 Ph. & M. c. 9) and Counterfeit Coin ...

( 1 & 2 Ph. & M. c. 10) ::''See also'' Traitorous Words Act 1554 and Counterfeit Coin Act 1554 :The

Act of Supremacy 1558 The Act of Supremacy 1558 ( 1 Eliz. 1. c. 1), sometimes referred to as the Act of Supremacy 1559, is an act of the Parliament of England, which replaced the original Act of Supremacy 1534 ( 26 Hen. 8. c. 1), and passed under the auspices of E ...

( 1 Eliz. 1. c. 1) :The Treason Act 1558 ( 1 Eliz. 1. c. 5) :The Supremacy of the Crown Act 1562 ( 5 Eliz. 1. c. 1) :The Clipping Coin Act 1562 ( 5 Eliz. 1. c. 11) :The

Treasons Act 1571 The Treasons Act 1571 ( 13 Eliz. 1. c. 1) was an act of the Parliament of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. It restored the provisions of the Treasons Act 1534, which had been passed by Parliament during the reign of her father, ...

( 13 Eliz. 1. c. 1) :The Bulls, etc., from Rome Act 1571 ( 13 Eliz. 1. c. 2) :The Rebellion Act 1572 (14 Eliz. 1 c. 1) :The Escape of Traitors Act 1572 (14 Eliz. 1 c. 2) :The Coin Act 1572 ( 14 Eliz. 1. c. 3) :The Coin Act 1575 ( 18 Eliz. 1. c. 1) :The Religion Act 1580 ( 23 Eliz. 1. c. 1) :The Safety of the Queen, etc. Act 1584 ( 27 Eliz. 1. c. 1) :The Jesuits, etc. Act 1584 ( 27 Eliz. 1. c. 2) :The Treason Act 1586 ( 29 Eliz. 1. c. 2) :The

Popish Recusants Act 1605 The Popish Recusants Act 1605 ( 3 Jas. 1. c. 4) was an act of the Parliament of England which quickly followed the Gunpowder Plot of the same year, an attempt by English Roman Catholics to assassinate King James I and many of the Parliament. ...

( 3 Jas. 1. c. 4) :''The

Treasons Act 1649 The Treasons Act 1649 or Act declaring what offences shall be adjudged Treason was an act passed on 17 July 1649 by the Rump Parliament during the Commonwealth of England. It superseded the ''Act declaring what offences shall be adjudged Treaso ...

'' (Act of the Parliament of the

Commonwealth of England The Commonwealth of England was the political structure during the period from 1649 to 1660 when Kingdom of England, England and Wales, later along with Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland and Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, were governed as a republi ...

) :The Sedition Act 1661 ( 13 Cha. 2 St. 1. c. 1) :The Correspondence with Enemies Act 1691 ( 3 Will. & Mar. c. 13) :The Treason Act 1695 (7 & 8 Will. 3. c. 3) :The Security of King and Government Act 1695 ( 7 & 8 Will. 3. c. 27) :The Coin Act 1696 ( 8 & 9 Will. 3. c. 26) :The Correspondence with the Pretender Act 1697 ( 9 Will. 3. c. 1) :The Correspondence with James the Pretender (High Treason) Act 1701 ( 13 & 14 Will. 3. c. 3) :The Security of the Succession, etc. Act 1701 ( 13 & 14 Will. 3. c. 6) ::''See also'' Coin Act 1696 ( 1 Ann. c. 9) :The

( 1 Ann. St. 2. c. 21Ruffhead cites it as c. 17) (and the Treason Act (Ireland) 1703 (2 Ann. c. 5), which makes equivalent provision) :The Mutiny Act 1703 ( 2 & 3 Ann. c. 20) :The Correspondence with Enemies Act 1704 ( 3 & 4 Ann. c. 14) :The

Regency Act 1705 The Regency Act 1705 ( 4 & 5 Ann. c. 20) was an act of the Parliament of England. The act was passed at a time when Parliament was anxious to ensure that a Protestant succeeded to the throne on the death of Queen Anne. The act was conceived ...

( 4 & 5 Ann. c. 20)

Great Britain

; 20 acts (1707–1799) :The Succession to the Crown Act 1707 ( 6 Ann. c. 41) :The

( 7 Ann. c. 21) ::''See also'' 7 Ann. c. 25 :The Treason Act 1714 ( 1 Geo. 1. St. 2. c. 33) ::''See also'' Treason in Scotland Act 1714 and Crown Lands (Forfeited Estates) Act 1715 :The Coin Act 1732 ( 6 Geo. 2. c. 26) :The

Counterfeiting Coin Act 1741 The Counterfeiting Coin Act 1741 (15 Geo. 2 c. 28) was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain which made it high treason to counterfeit silver, copper or brass coins, where previously the crime of counterfeiting such coins had been a misdeme ...

( 15 Geo. 2. c. 28) :The Treason Act 1743 ( 17 Geo. 2. c. 39) : The Habeas Corpus Suspension Act 1745 ( 19 Geo. 2. c. 1) :The Jurors (Scotland) Act 1745 ( 19 Geo. 2. c. 9) ::''see also'' 19 Geo. 2. c. 26 :The Treason Act 1746 ( 20 Geo. 2. c. 30) ::''see also'' Vesting Act 1747 and Traitors Transported Act 1746 :The

Sheriffs (Scotland) Act 1747 The Sheriffs (Scotland) Act 1747 ( 21 Geo. 2. c. 19) was an act of the Parliament of Great Britain which applied only to Scotland. Section 1 of the act provided that anyone who was prosecuted on or after 1 April 1748 for treason or misprisi ...

( 21 Geo. 2. c. 19) :The Treason Outlawries (Scotland) Act 1748 ( 22 Geo. 2. c. 48) :The Treason Act 1760 ( 33 Geo. 2. c. 26) (revived the expired

) :The Treason Act 1766 ( 6 Geo. 3. c. 53) :The Treason Act 1777 ( 17 Geo. 3. c. 9) :The Treason Act 1790 ( 30 Geo. 3. c. 48) :The Correspondence with Enemies Act 1793 ( 33 Geo. 3. c. 27) :The

Treason Act 1795 The Treason Act 1795 (sometimes also known as the Treasonable and Seditious Practices Act) () was one of the Two Acts introduced by the British government in the wake of the stoning of King George III on his way to open Parliament in 1795, the ...

( 36 Geo. 3. c. 7) :The Counterfeiting Coin Act 1797 ( 37 Geo. 3. c. 126) :The Correspondence with Enemies Act 1798 ( 38 Geo. 3. c. 28) :The Forfeiture upon Attainder of Treason Act 1799 ( 39 Geo. 3. c. 93)

United Kingdom

; 16 acts (1800–2013) :The Treason Act 1800 ( 39 & 40 Geo. 3. c. 93) :The Treason Act 1814 ( 54 Geo. 3. c. 146) :The

Treason Act 1817 The Treason Act 1817 ( 57 Geo. 3. c. 6) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It made it high treason to assassinate the Prince Regent. It also made permanent the Treason Act 1795, which had been du ...

( 57 Geo. 3. c. 6) :The Treason (Ireland) Act 1821 (1 & 2 Geo. 4 c. 24) :The Forgery Act 1830 ( 11 Geo. 4. & 1 Will. 4. c. 66) :The Regency Act 1830 ( 1 Will. 4. c. 2) :The

Coinage Offences Act 1832 The Coinage Offences Act 1832 ( 2 & 3 Will. 4. c. 34) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that consolidated for the United Kingdom all legislation concerning the counterfeiting and clipping of coins into one act. Such conduct w ...

( 2 & 3 Will. 4. c. 34) :The Regency Act 1840 ( 3 & 4 Vict. c. 52) :The Treason Act 1842 ( 5 & 6 Vict. c. 51) :The

( 11 & 12 Vict. c. 12) :The Treason (Ireland) Act 1854 ( 17 & 18 Vict. c. 26) :The

Forgery Act 1861 The Forgery Act 1861 ( 24 & 25 Vict. c. 98) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (as it then was) that consolidated provisions related to forgery from a number of earlier statutes into a single act. For ...

( 24 & 25 Vict. c. 98) :The Treachery Act 1940 ( 3 & 4 Geo. 6. c. 40) :The Treason Act 1945 ( 8 & 9 Geo. 6. c. 44) :The

(c. 20) (amends the Treason Act 1351)

Ireland

Kingdom of Ireland

:The Treason Act (Ireland) 1537 (28 Hen. 8 c. 7) :The

(33 Hen. 8 c. 1 (I. Sect. II) :The Act of Supremacy (Ireland) 1560 (2 Eliz. 1 c. 1) :The

Treason Act (Ireland) 1703 The Treason Act 1702 ( 1 Ann. St. 2. c. 21) is an act of the Parliament of England, passed to enforce the line of succession to the English throne (today the British throne), previously established by the Bill of Rights 1689 and the Act of S ...

(2 Ann. c. 5 (I.)) :The Treason Act (Ireland) 1765 (5 Geo. 3 c. 21 (I.)) :The Treason by Women Act (Ireland) 1796 (36 Geo. 3 c. 31)

United Kingdom

:The Treason (Ireland) Act 1821 (1 & 2 Geo. 4 c. 24) :The Treason (Ireland) Act 1854 (17 & 18 Vict. c. 26)

Republic of Ireland

:The Treasonable Offences Act 1925 (repealed in 1939) :The Treason Act 1939

Notes

{{UK legislation Treason in Ireland Treason in the United Kingdom Laws in the United Kingdom