Top 10 Traitors in History

Hailing from Stamford, Connecticut, this Yale graduate served as state Attorney General from 1983-89 and as a Senator for almost a quarter century. In 2000, he even ran as the nominee for Vice President on the 2000 Democratic ticket with Al Gore. So when the staunchly Democratic Lieberman publicly supported Republican John McCain in the 2008 presidential election, heads snapped in amazement. Lieberman angered many in his party with his criticism of Democratic candidate Obama’s experience and leadership, and his support of McCain’s view of the War on Terror. Lieberman even went so far as to raise questions about Obama’s loyalty to the country, leading some to call him a traitor to his party.

Prior to 1914, this Italian political journalist was one of the most prominent members of the Italian Socialist Party. However, in 1914 at the outset of World War I, he publicly denounced socialism, turned his back on the working class and introduced the Fascist movement in Italy. In 1922, in the midst of protests in his country, King Victor Emmanuel III handed power over to Mussolini in an effort to avoid civil war. Now Prime Minister, it wasn’t long before Mussolini transformed the government into a dictatorship. Il Duce, or “The Leader” as he was called, became known for his tyranny and support of the Nazi Regime in Germany.

Until the mid-1980s, heavy drinking, extramarital affairs, and usually mediocre performance at work were the most serious transgressions of this former counterintelligence officer and analyst. But between 1985 and his arrest in 1994, he earned over $4.5 million by releasing sensitive counterintelligence information to Russia and the Soviet Union. Ames’ information exchange included the names of practically every American spy in operation against them. His treasonous actions compromised more than 100 intelligence operations and contributed to the deaths of at least 10 Americans agents. He’s currently serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

Today, he is viewed by some as the most destructive traitor in China’s history. Originally a politician and a member of the leftist Kuomintang party, he began to repeal his support after he failed to secure leadership of the party after the death of Sun Yat-sen. When a bloody war between China and Japan finally erupted in 1937, Wang backed Japan’s plans for an armistice and quickly switched sides to ally with the Japanese. He went on to become the puppet leader of the government that Japan set up in Nanjing, Eastern China.

A sultry exotic dancer and escort of Frisian descent, Mata Hari won fame for her flirtatious and flamboyant lifestyle and performances during the early 1900s. Because of her celebrity status and her Dutch ancestry, she was able to cross national borders without much trouble, though she eventually came under suspicion. And with good reason: it was later revealed that in 1915 she became a prolific German agent, known by the codename H-21. According to some estimates, her reports to the Germans caused the deaths of some 50,000 soldiers, and in 1917, she was executed by a French firing squad.

Born in York and raised an Anglican, Fawkes converted to Catholicism relatively early in life and developed anti-Protestant sympathies. It wasn’t long before he found a like-minded group of conspirators looking to assassinate King James I and restore Catholicism as the religion of the land. He became a key figure in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, which sought to blow up English Parliament. Fawkes was charged with safeguarding the explosives which had been amassed in the cellar beneath the House of Lords. However, he was captured and tortured, eventually dying on January 31st the following year. Every November 5, England celebrates Guy Fawkes Day with a bonfire – and a burning in effigy of the notorious traitor.

A Norwegian politician who rose from being a successful military man to becoming the Minister of Defence, Quisling’s power had all but faded by the time the Nazis invaded Norway in 1940. As a strong admirer of Adolf Hitler and Fascism, he met with the German dictator to betray information about Norwegian military strategy. Then, as the occupation of Norway took place, Quisling overthrew the government with Nazi backing and established himself as the Minister-President. In 1945, the Nazi-supporter was charged with embezzlement, murder, and high treason and subsequently executed.

During the American Revolutionary War, Arnold established himself as a soldier of intellect and courage, so much so that he was promoted to the rank of general for the Americans. However, discontent with his status in the military and with the political decisions of the U.S., he began negotiating secretly with the British and decided that he would turn over the fort at West Point that was under his command to British troops. The plot was discovered and foiled, and Arnold narrowly escaped arrest. Publicly switching loyalty, he continued to fight against the Americans during the rest of the war.

This senator in the ancient Roman Republic was one of only three people in Dante’s epic poem Inferno considered so evil that he was to be chewed in the mouth of Satan in the center of Hell forever. Brutus initially warred against the Roman general and Consul Julius Caesar; however, he was pardoned and later appointed as Praetor and governor of Gaul by the man who came to be his friend. Fearing Caesar’s rise to power, he joined several other conspirators who shared his concerns. In one of the most famous betrayals in history, they stabbed the dictator to death in the Senate on the Ides of March in 44 BC.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few dishonorable mentions:
- Robert Hanssen
1944 -
- The Cambridge Five
- Claus von Stauffenberg
1907 - 1944
- John Anthony Walker, Jr.
1937 - 2014

Dante considered him history’s most notorious traitor, choosing to ensnare him in the jaws of Satan’s central head in the Inferno. Iscariot was one of Jesus of Nazareth’s 12 Apostles, confidantes with a special relationship to the charismatic religious figure. Despite the bond of trust that existed between Jesus and the Apostles, Judas collaborated with those whom considered Jesus dangerous. Judas delivered him into the hands of his enemies, identifying him with a kiss and leading to his subsequent execution by direct order of the Roman prefect Pontius Pilate. To this day, the name Judas is synonymous with the idea of a traitor in popular culture – and all, apparently, for 30 pieces of silver.

Do you agree with our list? Which historical traitors do you think deserve the most notoriety? For more informative top 10s published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.