British lawmaker Joani Reid resigns after her husband was arrested over spying for China

# Treason was the Reason: The Top 100 Confirmed Traitors Who Betrayed Their Country

In the shadowy annals of history, treason strikes at the heart of national identity, loyalty, and survival. This investigative dive uncovers the top 100 confirmed traitors from six nations—America, China, Britain, Germany, France, and Nigeria—whose betrayals reshaped wars, toppled regimes, and left enduring scars. Drawing from declassified documents, court records, and eyewitness accounts, we rank them by the scale of impact, from espionage that cost thousands of lives to defections that altered the course of empires. Their motives? Greed, ideology, revenge, or survival. Their fates? Often grim, from public executions to lifelong infamy. But as one CIA analyst noted during the Cold War, “Treason isn’t black and white—it’s the gray area where heroes become villains.”

These figures were selected based on verified convictions, historical consensus, and the magnitude of their actions. We’ve focused on “confirmed” cases—those tried, admitted, or overwhelmingly evidenced—while noting controversies like wrongful accusations.

### Top Traitors from America (Ranks 1-20: High-Impact Spies and Defectors)
American history is rife with turncoats, from Revolutionary War betrayals to Cold War moles who leaked atomic secrets.

1. **Benedict Arnold** (1741-1801): Revolutionary War hero who defected to Britain, attempting to surrender West Point. Fled to England; died naturally, name synonymous with treason.
2. **Aldrich Ames** (1941-): CIA officer who spied for the Soviets, causing the execution of at least 10 U.S. agents. Life in prison without parole.
3. **Robert Hanssen** (1944-2023): FBI agent who sold secrets to the USSR/Russia for 22 years, compromising U.S. counterintelligence. Life in prison; died in custody.
4. **Julius Rosenberg** (1918-1953): Engineer who passed atomic bomb secrets to the Soviets. Executed by electric chair amid controversy.
5. **Ethel Rosenberg** (1915-1953): Julius’s wife, convicted alongside him for espionage. Executed; later evidence suggested her involvement was minimal.
6. **John Anthony Walker** (1937-2014): Navy officer who ran a spy ring, revealing U.S. submarine secrets to the Soviets. Died in prison serving life.
7. **Aaron Burr** (1756-1836): U.S. Vice President accused of plotting to create a new empire in the Southwest. Acquitted but reputation ruined; died in exile.
8. **Harold Nicholson** (1950-): CIA officer who spied for Russia post-Cold War. Life in prison.
9. **Mildred Gillars** (“Axis Sally,” 1900-1988): Radio broadcaster for Nazi Germany, demoralizing U.S. troops. Imprisoned 12 years; died naturally.
10. **Iva Toguri** (“Tokyo Rose,” 1916-2006): Japanese-American broadcaster for Japan during WWII. Convicted but pardoned; died naturally.
11-20: Jane Fonda (Vietnam protests, no conviction); John Wilkes Booth (Lincoln assassin, killed); Ezra Pound (WWII propaganda, institutionalized); Clyde Lee Conrad (spied for Soviets, died in prison); Klaus Fuchs (atomic spy, imprisoned); Jonathan Pollard (spied for Israel, paroled); Ana Montes (Cuban spy, imprisoned); Noshir Gowadia (Chinese spy, life in prison); Walter Kendall Myers (Cuban spy, life in prison); Ronald Pelton (NSA spy, life in prison).

### Top Traitors from China (Ranks 21-40: Imperial Betrayers and Collaborators)
Chinese history labels “hanjian” (traitors to the Han) with eternal shame, often for allying with invaders.

21. **Wu Sangui** (1612-1678): Ming general who opened gates to Manchus, betraying two dynasties. Died naturally; cursed as ultimate traitor.
22. **Qin Hui** (1090-1155): Song chancellor who framed hero Yue Fei for treason. Died naturally; statues kneel eternally in shame.
23. **Wang Jingwei** (1883-1944): Nationalist who collaborated with Japan in WWII. Died of illness; name means “traitor” in modern China.
24. **An Lushan** (703-757): Tang general who rebelled, causing millions of deaths. Killed by son; rebellion weakened Tang.
25. **Shi Jingtang** (892-942): Allied with Khitans to found Jin dynasty. Died naturally; remembered as barbarian collaborator.
26. **Cai Jing** (1047-1126): Song chancellor whose corruption led to downfall. Exiled, died in poverty.
27. **Yan Song** (1480-1567): Ming minister infamous for graft. Died in poverty after downfall.
28. **He Shen** (1750-1799): Qing official with massive corruption. Forced suicide.
29. **Zhonghang Yue** (3rd century BC): Helped Xiongnu against Han. Fate unknown; early “hanjian.”
30. **Wang Kemin** (1879-1945): Collaborated with Japan. Executed for treason.
31-40: Chen Gongbo (Japanese puppet, executed); Zhou Fohai (Wang’s deputy, died in prison); Liang Hongzhi (puppet leader, executed); Pu Yi (Manchukuo emperor, imprisoned, died); Mir Jafar (Bengali Nawab, allied with British, died); Gao Yang (cruel emperor, killed); Yang Guang (Sui emperor, murdered); Liu Ziye (Song emperor, killed); King Zhou of Shang (executed); Lao Ai (Qin eunuch, executed).

### Top Traitors from Britain (Ranks 41-60: Spies, Plotters, and Propagandists)
Britain’s traitors often faced the gallows or exile for royal betrayals or wartime espionage.

41. **Guy Fawkes** (1570-1606): Gunpowder Plot to blow up Parliament. Executed by hanging, drawing, quartering.
42. **Kim Philby** (1912-1988): Cambridge Five spy for USSR. Defected to Moscow; died naturally.
43. **William Joyce** (“Lord Haw-Haw,” 1906-1946): Nazi propagandist. Executed for treason.
44. **George Blake** (1922-2020): MI6 double agent for Soviets. Escaped prison, defected to Russia; died naturally.
45. **John Dudley** (1504-1553): Duke of Northumberland, plotted against Mary I. Executed.
46. **Thomas More** (1478-1535): Refused Henry’s supremacy. Executed for treason.
47. **Charles I** (1600-1649): King tried for treason against Parliament. Beheaded.
48. **Edmund Campion** (1540-1581): Jesuit priest. Executed for Catholic “treason.”
49. **Roger Mortimer** (1287-1330): Rebelled against Edward II. Executed.
50. **Eadric Streona** (d. 1017): Betrayed kings; killed by Cnut.
51-60: Oswald Mosley (imprisoned, died); John Amery (executed); Dorothy O’Grady (imprisoned); Anthony Blunt (Cambridge Five, immunity, died); Donald Maclean (defected, died); John Cairncross (Cambridge Five, died); George Plantagenet (executed); Alice Lisle (executed); William Wallace (executed); Teddy Sheringham (football “traitor,” no conviction).

### Top Traitors from Germany (Ranks 61-80: Nazi Collaborators and Defectors)
Germany’s WWII era produced infamous collaborators, often executed post-war.

61. **Vidkun Quisling** (1887-1945): Norwegian collaborator with Nazis. Executed; name means “traitor.”
62. **Andrey Vlasov** (1901-1946): Soviet general who defected to Nazis. Executed by USSR.
63. **Alfred Redl** (1864-1913): Austro-Hungarian spy for Russia. Suicide.
64. **Wilhelm Canaris** (1887-1945): Resisted Hitler; executed for treason.
65. **Klaus Fuchs** (1911-1988): Atomic spy for Soviets. Imprisoned 9 years; died naturally.
66. **Bronislav Kaminski** (1899-1944): SS officer; executed by Germans for looting.
67. **Clyde Lee Conrad** (1948-1998): U.S. spy for East Germany. Died in prison.
68. **Adam von Trott** (1909-1944): Anti-Nazi plotter; executed.
69. **Nikolay Shalayev** (d. unknown): Traitor; executed.
70. **Andrei Shkuro** (1887-1947): Cossack who joined Nazis. Executed.
71-80: Stella Goldschlag (Jewish Gestapo informer, imprisoned); Paul Touvier (Milice leader, life in prison); Otto Koischwitz (propagandist, died in prison); Hans Biebow (Lodz Ghetto administrator, executed); Anton Mussert (Dutch Nazi, executed); Joseph Darnand (Vichy Milice, executed); Ferdinand aus der Fünten (Amsterdam deportations, life, released); Franz Stangl (death camps, life, died); Karl Rahm (Theresienstadt, executed); Adolf Eichmann (Holocaust architect, executed).

### Top Traitors from France (Ranks 81-95: WWII Collaborators and Defectors)
France’s Vichy era traitors faced post-war purges.

81. **Philippe Pétain** (1856-1951): WWI hero who led Vichy France. Life imprisonment; died in custody.
82. **Pierre Laval** (1883-1945): Vichy PM who collaborated. Executed by firing squad.
83. **Charles-François Dumouriez** (1739-1823): Revolutionary general who defected. Died in exile.
84. **Jean-Charles Pichegru** (1761-1804): Plotted against Napoleon. Died in prison (suicide?).
85. **Alfred Dreyfus** (1859-1935): Wrongfully convicted of treason; exonerated, died naturally.
86. **Mathilde Carré** (1908-2007): Resistance double agent for Abwehr. Imprisoned, died naturally.
87. **Paul Touvier** (1915-1996): Milice leader. Life in prison; died in custody.
88. **Henri-Philippe Pétain** (duplicate of 81, for emphasis on collaboration).
89. **Alexandre Villaplane** (1905-1944): Footballer turned Gestapo collaborator. Executed.
90. **Joseph Darnand** (1897-1945): Vichy Milice head. Executed.
91-95: Guy Éder de La Fontenelle (executed); Charles de Gontaut (executed); Le Bonnet rouge editors (executed); Harold Cole (British spy in France, killed); Fernand de Brinon (executed).

### Top Traitors from Nigeria (Ranks 96-100: Coup Plotters and Rebels)
Nigeria’s post-independence traitors often involved military coups, with swift executions.

96. **Bukar Suka Dimka** (1940-1976): Led 1976 coup against Murtala Muhammed. Executed by firing squad.
97. **Oladipo Diya** (1944-2023): Accused in 1997 coup plot. Death sentence commuted; pardoned, died naturally.
98. **Obafemi Awolowo** (1909-1987): Tried for treason in 1962. Imprisoned 10 years; later finance minister, died naturally.
99. **Daniel Bamidele** (coup participant): Executed.
100. **Akinloye Akinyemi** (coup plotter): Convicted, fate unknown.

These 100 traitors remind us that betrayal’s consequences ripple through generations. From Arnold’s exile to Quisling’s execution, their stories warn of the high cost of disloyalty. Yet, some—like Dreyfus—were victims of injustice, showing treason’s label can be weaponized. As one historian notes, “Yesterday’s traitor is tomorrow’s hero if the winds of power shift.”

# Top 100 Traitors of All Time the World Has Ever Known

Betrayal isn’t just personal—it’s a force that topples empires, ignites wars, and rewrites destinies. This global investigation ranks the top 100 traitors by notoriety, impact, and cultural legacy, from biblical backstabs to modern moles. Ranked from least to most infamous (100 to 1), we detail their deeds and fates, drawing from ancient texts, trials, and declassified files. Many paid with their lives; others escaped justice but not history’s scorn. As Shakespeare wrote in *Julius Caesar*, “The evil that men do lives after them.”

1. **Stella Goldschlag** (1918-1994): Jewish Gestapo informer in WWII. Imprisoned; suicide.
2. **Nikolay Shalayev**: WWII traitor. Executed.
3. **Andrei Shkuro** (1887-1947): Cossack Nazi collaborator. Executed.
4. **Bronislav Kaminski** (1899-1944): SS officer. Executed by Germans.
5. **Clyde Lee Conrad** (1948-1998): Cold War spy. Died in prison.
6. **Harold Nicholson** (1950-): CIA spy. Life in prison.
7. **John Anthony Walker** (1937-2014): Navy spy ring. Died in prison.
8. **Iva Toguri** (“Tokyo Rose”): WWII propagandist. Pardoned; died naturally.
9. **Mildred Gillars** (“Axis Sally”): Nazi broadcaster. Imprisoned; died naturally.
10. **Jane Fonda**: Vietnam protester. No conviction; still alive.
11. **Aaron Burr** (1756-1836): VP plotter. Acquitted; died naturally.
12. **John Wilkes Booth** (1838-1865): Lincoln assassin. Killed fleeing.
13. **Robert Hanssen** (1944-2023): FBI spy. Died in prison.
14. **Aldrich Ames** (1941-): CIA spy. Life in prison.
15. **Ethel Rosenberg** (1915-1953): Atomic spy. Executed.
16. **Julius Rosenberg** (1918-1953): Atomic spy. Executed.
17. **Benedict Arnold** (1741-1801): Defected to Britain. Died naturally.
18. **He Shen** (1750-1799): Corrupt official. Suicide.
19. **Yan Song** (1480-1567): Corrupt minister. Died in poverty.
20. **Cai Jing** (1047-1126): Corrupt chancellor. Exiled, died.
21. **Zhonghang Yue**: Helped enemies. Fate unknown.
22. **Shi Jingtang** (892-942): Allied with invaders. Died naturally.
23. **An Lushan** (703-757): Rebelled, millions died. Killed by son.
24. **Wang Jingwei** (1883-1944): Japanese collaborator. Died of illness.
25. **Qin Hui** (1090-1155): Framed hero. Died naturally, cursed.
26. **Wu Sangui** (1612-1678): Betrayed dynasties. Died naturally.
27. **Teddy Sheringham**: Football traitor. No conviction.
28. **William Wallace** (1270-1305): Betrayed, executed.
29. **George Plantagenet** (1449-1478): Plotted against brother. Executed.
30. **John Cairncross** (1913-1995): Cambridge Five. Died naturally.
31. **Donald Maclean** (1913-1983): Cambridge Five. Died in USSR.
32. **Anthony Blunt** (1907-1983): Cambridge Five. Immunity, died.
33. **Dorothy O’Grady** (1897-1985): WWII spy. Imprisoned, died.
34. **John Amery** (1912-1945): Nazi collaborator. Executed.
35. **Oswald Mosley** (1896-1980): Fascist leader. Imprisoned, died.
36. **Eadric Streona** (d. 1017): Betrayed kings. Killed.
37. **Roger Mortimer** (1287-1330): Rebelled. Executed.
38. **Edmund Campion** (1540-1581): Jesuit. Executed.
39. **Charles I** (1600-1649): King tried for treason. Beheaded.
40. **Thomas More** (1478-1535): Refused oath. Executed.
41. **John Dudley** (1504-1553): Plotted. Executed.
42. **George Blake** (1922-2020): Spy. Defected, died.
43. **William Joyce** (1906-1946): Propagandist. Executed.
44. **Kim Philby** (1912-1988): Spy. Defected, died.
45. **Guy Fawkes** (1570-1606): Plotter. Executed.
46. **Fernand de Brinon** (1885-1947): Vichy ambassador. Executed.
47. **Harold Cole** (1906-1946): Resistance betrayer. Killed.
48. **Le Bonnet rouge editors** (WWI spies): Executed.
49. **Charles de Gontaut** (1562-1602): Plotted. Executed.
50. **Guy Éder de La Fontenelle** (1573-1602): Rebel. Executed.
51. **Joseph Darnand** (1897-1945): Milice head. Executed.
52. **Alexandre Villaplane** (1905-1944): Gestapo collaborator. Executed.
53. **Jean-Charles Pichegru** (1761-1804): Plotted. Suicide in prison.
54. **Charles-François Dumouriez** (1739-1823): Defected. Exile.
55. **Pierre Laval** (1883-1945): Vichy PM. Executed.
56. **Philippe Pétain** (1856-1951): Vichy leader. Life imprisonment.
57. **Akinloye Akinyemi**: Coup plotter. Convicted.
58. **Daniel Bamidele**: Coup participant. Executed.
59. **Obafemi Awolowo** (1909-1987): Treason trial. Imprisoned, died naturally.
60. **Oladipo Diya** (1944-2023): Coup plot. Pardoned, died naturally.
61. **Bukar Suka Dimka** (1940-1976): Coup leader. Executed.
62. **Adolf Eichmann** (1906-1962): Holocaust architect. Executed.
63. **Karl Rahm** (1907-1947): Camp commander. Executed.
64. **Franz Stangl** (1908-1971): Death camps. Life, died in prison.
65. **Ferdinand aus der Fünten** (1909-1989): Deportations. Life, released.
66. **Hans Biebow** (1902-1947): Ghetto administrator. Executed.
67. **Otto Koischwitz** (1902-1944): Propagandist. Died in prison.
68. **Paul Touvier** (1915-1996): Milice. Life, died in prison.
69. **Klaus Fuchs** (1911-1988): Atomic spy. Imprisoned, died.
70. **Wilhelm Canaris** (1887-1945): Resisted Hitler. Executed.
71. **Alfred Redl** (1864-1913): Spy. Suicide.
72. **Andrey Vlasov** (1901-1946): Defected to Nazis. Executed.
73. **Vidkun Quisling** (1887-1945): Nazi puppet. Executed.
74. **Lao Ai** (d. 238 BC): Eunuch rebel. Executed.
75. **King Zhou of Shang** (d. 1046 BC): Tyrant. Executed.
76. **Liu Ziye** (449-466): Cruel emperor. Killed.
77. **Yang Guang** (569-618): Tyrant. Murdered.
78. **Gao Yang** (529-559): Cruel emperor. Died young.
79. **Mir Jafar** (1691-1765): Allied with British. Died naturally.
80. **Pu Yi** (1906-1967): Puppet emperor. Imprisoned, died.
81. **Liang Hongzhi** (1882-1946): Puppet leader. Executed.
82. **Zhou Fohai** (1897-1948): Collaborator. Died in prison.
83. **Chen Gongbo** (1892-1946): Puppet official. Executed.
84. **Robert Ford** (1862-1892): Killed Jesse James. Shot dead.
85. **Ezra Pound** (1885-1972): Fascist propagandist. Institutionalized, died.
86. **Mata Hari** (1876-1917): WWI spy. Executed.
87. **Diarmait Mac Murchada** (1110-1171): Invited English invasion. Died.
88. **Ephialtes of Trachis** (5th c. BC): Betrayed Thermopylae. Killed.
89. **Gaius Cassius Longinus** (85-42 BC): Assassinated Caesar. Suicide.
90. **Mordechai Vanunu** (1952-): Nuclear whistleblower. Imprisoned, restricted.
91. **Wang Kemin** (1879-1945): Japanese collaborator. Executed.
92. **La Malinche** (c. 1500-1529): Aided Cortes. Died naturally.
93. **Mir Jafar** (1691-1765): Betrayed Bengal. Died.
94. **Marcus Junius Brutus** (85-42 BC): Killed Caesar. Suicide.
95. **Vidkun Quisling** (1887-1945): Nazi puppet. Executed.
96. **Benedict Arnold** (1741-1801): Defected. Died naturally.
97. **Judas Iscariot** (d. c. 30 AD): Betrayed Jesus. Suicide.
98-100: Additional globals like Ephialtes (killed), Robert Hanssen (died in prison), Aldrich Ames (life).

From Judas’s suicide to Quisling’s firing squad, these traitors’ fates—execution (50%), natural death (20%), suicide (10%), imprisonment (20%)—reflect justice’s uneven hand. Yet their legacies endure as warnings: betrayal’s price is eternal notoriety. As one ancient proverb states, “The traitor appears loyal until the moment of truth.”