Treason : medieval and early modern adultery, betrayal, and shame / edited by Larissa Tracy.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Front Matter -- Copyright Page -- Dedication -- Acknowledgments -- Illustrations -- Abbreviations -- Notes on Contributors -- Introduction: The Shameful Business of Betrayal and Treason 1 / Larissa Tracy -- 1 Wiglaf's Sword: The Coming of the State 25 / Frank Battaglia -- 2 In Sickness and in Health: The Boethian Narrative of the Two Geralds of Brecon 56 / Sarah J. Sprouse -- 3 Treasonous and Dishonorable Conduct: The Private Dimension of Treason and Chivalric Reform in Late Medieval Florence 78 / Peter Sposato -- 4 Royal Punishment and Reconciliation in Trastámara Castile 100 / Samuel A. Claussen -- 5 "A somewhat too cruel vengeance was taken for the blood of the slain": Royal Punishment of Rebels, Traitors, and Political Enemies in Medieval Scotland, c. 1100-c. 1250 119 / Iain A. MacInnes -- 6 Revolt in Heaven: Lucifer's Treason in Genesis B  147 / Daniel Thomas -- 7 Blessed Betrayal: The Opportunity of Treachery in Anglo-Latin Ecclesiastical Texts 170 / Sally Shockro -- 8 Legal Ramifications of Ordeals and Treason in Morant und Galie  199 / Tina Marie Boyer -- 9 Religious Identity, Loyalty, and Treason in the Cycle du roi  223 / Ana Grinberg -- 10 Traitors Respond: English Catholic Polemical Strategies against Accusations of Treason at the End of the Sixteenth Century 250 -- 11 Treason and Deception in Late Medieval German Romances and Novels Königin Sibille, Melusine, and Malagis  269 / Albrecht Classen -- 12 Treacherous Women at King Arthur's Court: Punishment and Shame 288 / Inna Matyushina -- 13 Treason and the Feast in Sir Thomas Malory's Morte Darthur  320 / Melissa Ridley Elmes -- 14 'Tis Fearful Sleeping in a Serpent's Bed': Arden of Faversham and the Threat of the Petty Traitor 340 / Dianne Berg -- 15 The Spatial Configuration of Shame in La Princesse de Clèves  356 / Susan Small -- Conclusion: The Shame Game, from Guinevere to Cersei: Adultery, Treason, and Betrayal 371 / Larissa Tracy -- Back Matter -- Select Bibliography -- Index.

The willingness to betray one's country, one's people, one's family-to commit treason and foreswear loyalty to one entity by giving it to another-is a difficult concept for many people to comprehend. Yet, societies have grappled with treason for centuries; the motivations, implications, and consequences are rarely clear cut and are often subjective. Set against the framework of modern political concerns, Treason: Medieval and Early Modern Adultery, Betrayal, and Shame considers the various forms of treachery in a variety of sources, including literature, historical chronicles, and material culture creating a complex portrait of the development of this high crime. Larissa Tracy artfully brings together younger critics as well as seasoned scholars in a compelling and topical conversation on treason. Contributors are Frank Battaglia, Dianne Berg, Tina Marie Boyer, Albrecht Classen, Sam Claussen, Freddy C. Domínguez, Melissa Ridley Elmes, Ana Grinberg, Iain A. MacInnes, Inna Matyushina, Sally Shockro, Susan Small, Peter Sposato, Sarah J. Sprouse, Daniel Thomas, and Larissa Tracy.