Top 20 Most Ruthless Betrayals In History

Not every betrayal is tragic. Robert Ford and his brother Charley were recent additions to Jesse James’ gang when they decided to collect the bounty on James’ head. They both lived with the infamous outlaw, making it easy for them to act on their dark plan. On April 3rd, 1882, James made the critical mistake of turning around to dust a painting, giving Ford just enough time to fatally shoot him in the back of the head. However, when the brothers attempted to collect their reward, they were repaid via arrests and first-degree murder charges. They were both to be executed the same day they condemned James to death, but their sentences were pardoned just two hours later.

You know your betrayal has made history when it’s mentioned in two separate Shakespearean plays. George Plantagenet was raised in the House of York, with his relatives holding high leadership roles. Though he’d initially supported his older brother Edward IV in his bid to become king, he briefly switched his allegiance to his stepfather. He soon saw the error of his ways and reverted back to his original loyalties, but the damage was done. Not only was his brother the one to push for prosecution, he’s also the one who insisted George be put to death. He was eventually executed in 1478, supposedly being drowned in a barrel of wine. The case was unfortunate proof that not even blood could prevent treachery.

Even those who seem beneficial to a cause can also be its downfall. Though Alfred Redl had improved Austria’s counter-intelligence branch with the introduction of technological advances, he had also been sneaking plans under their noses to Russia. Within a decade, he was the enemy’s top spy, even disclosing a plot wherein Austria intended to invade Serbia. These plans were eventually sent to the intended victimized country, ensuring they would be ready for an attack. He seemed to have no regard for his own countrymen, even selling out other Austro-Hungarians whom he’d sent to Russia himself. He was eventually found out in 1913 and was punished in a truly macabre fashion – by being forced to take his own life.

He may have risen to popularity thanks to his support for leftists, but those values soon crumbled once a bit of pressure was applied. By the 1930s, Pierre Laval joined the conservative movement, before morphing into a full-on fascist by 1940. When he re-secured power in 1942, he aligned himself with Germany and Italy – but he didn’t stop there. He punished his own citizens, including deporting whole families of Jewish natives. Even after he was arrested, he was still convinced that he’d be able to talk his way out of the situation. His delusions were quashed in 1945, when he was found guilty of treason. Though he attempted to take himself out beforehand, his attempts failed, leading him to meet his death by firing squad.

Though the Cold War never escalated to a point of full-on combat, the situation wasn’t helped by those selling secrets to the enemy. Aldrich Ames was a member of the CIA, but his actions made it clear that his loyalties lay elsewhere. He began dealing with secrets in 1985, starting with insignificant details and eventually working his way up to revealing the identities of agents who’d been spying on the USSR themselves. Though the CIA was suspicious, Ames managed to slip through the cracks for years. Eventually, the investigation escalated to the point where agents were rifling through his trash to find evidence. He was finally arrested in 1994 and was eventually sentenced to life in prison, which he’s still serving to this day.

During the Cold War, the United States made it clear that any support towards the enemy wouldn’t be tolerated, eventually making an example out of those who did. Julius Rosenberg began working for the Soviet Union in 1942 and quickly proved to be a worthy asset. From supplying thousands of secrets to recruiting several people to his cause, he had a key role in the Soviets successfully carrying out their own nuclear tests. He was arrested in 1950, and soon after, his wife Ethel was as well. The couple were sent to trial and were convicted of espionage in 1951, leading to them becoming the first American citizens to be executed for espionage during times of peace.

The FBI also had some security issues in the Cold War. They underwent a period of many big secrets being released to the Soviet Union, all being traced back to one man. Just a few years after joining, Robert Hanssen took it upon himself to offer his skills as a spy to the USSR, which they gladly accepted. His activities included giving them exact details of how the agency bugged devices and even providing information that led to the capture and killing of a CIA informant. His espionage took place over the course of two decades, earning him over a million dollars before he was arrested in 2001. He pled guilty to a dozen charges, resulting in 15 consecutive life sentences.

At the height of their power, it seemed that nothing could take down the Roman Empire. One man in particular was able to alter that legacy permanently. Though he was born in Germania, Arminius was raised as a Roman, even joining the country’s army as an adult. His true loyalties were revealed when he returned to his homeland. Arminius united several independent tribes into one faction, with the goal of preventing Rome from claiming the land as their own. In AD 9, his plans came to fruition. He’d formed a coalition of over 20,000 men who overpowered and slaughtered members of the opposing side. Their subsequent victory not only resulted in a horrific loss for Rome but the beginning of a long reign of Germanic power.

Some people will go to extreme lengths in order to survive. After being captured during a round of mass Jewish deportation, Stella Goldschlag was determined to save herself and her family by any means possible. This meant doing the unthinkable — working for the Germans to identify and turn in fellow Jewish citizens. She was shameless in her attempts, from promising victims food to scouring funerals. While the exact number she betrayed isn’t known, she’s believed to have sold out up to 3,000 people. After the war, she was found and tried by the Soviet army, leading to her serving ten years in a labor camp. When she was released, she relocated to West Berlin— only to be arrested and tried once again.

Though he was born and raised in the United States, John Walker Lindh ended up moving to Afghanistan in 2001 to fight with the Taliban. He still remained with them even after the attacks on September 11th, 2001. He and his Al Qaeda unit were surrounded months later, leading to their supposed surrender. While they were detained, an intense revolt took place. This led to the deaths of hundreds, American citizens included. Lindh had been aware of the planned revolt the whole time, making it his worst betrayal yet. He was swiftly recaptured and finally brought to trial in 2002, where he was indicted on a plethora of charges. While he was hit with a twenty-year sentence, good behavior led to him being released early, in 2019.

On the surface, John Anthony Walker seemed like an honorable person. He worked his way up the US Navy ranks and retired in 1976 to become a private investigator. But it was his ex-wife who blew the lid on his sinister operations. In 1967, after falling into serious money troubles, Walker started selling classified information to the Soviet Union. When he left the navy, he recruited others into the spy ring, including his own brother and son. The details he provided to the USSR were very damaging. Essentially, they could track US ships across the globe. In 1985, Walker reached a plea deal with investigators and was given a life sentence. He passed away in prison in 2014.

#9: Hernán Cortés

The reasons why Moctezuma II allowed Hernán Cortés to peacefully enter the capital of the Aztec kingdom in 1519 is still debated today. While some believe he did it to learn his enemy’s weaknesses, others are adamant that he did so because he believed Cortés to be the god Quetzalcoatl. Whatever his justification was, he soon let his guard down, even offering the Spanish army a plethora of gold. His attempts at pacifying the enemy army were for naught, as he was swiftly taken hostage as soon as Cortés learned that some of his own men had been slain. The Spaniard then went on to rule vicariously through his prisoner, who was eventually executed.

In the UK, November 5th is celebrated with fireworks and bonfires as Guy Fawkes Day. The reason for this stems from the infamous gunpowder plot of 1605, of which Fawkes was an instrumental conspirator. At the time, Catholics were persecuted in England by the Protestant King James I. In response, Fawkes and his group of Catholic dissidents decided to blow up Parliament to eliminate the King. Instead, one mysterious member of Fawkes’ group sent a letter to their friend, Lord Monteagle, cautioning him away from the building on the 5th. The anonymous letter was shown to the authorities, who arrested Fawkes in the cellars of the Parliament building. In 1606, the infamous traitor was executed for his treasonous actions.

Looking to expand his empire in 480 B.C.E., King Xerxes marched into Greece with a Persian army reportedly up to 4 million strong. However, their smooth entry was blocked at Thermopylae, where the smaller allied Greek forces led by Leonidas had occupied the narrow passageway. The Persians struggled within this tight space, until they were able to bypass it using a trail called the Anopaia path. The information about this trail came from Ephialtes of Trachis, who decided to backstab his country in exchange for a reward. This betrayal allowed the invaders to attack the Greeks from behind and ultimately win the battle. Despite their victory, the Persian army still suffered massive losses at Thermopylae.

The British colonization of India certainly wasn’t an easy task. For one, they were a smaller nation going up against a much more populated country. But with the help of Mir Jafar, the Brits were all but assured an easy victory. Jafar was a commander under the Nawab of Bengal, Siraj ud-Daulah, who was desperate for power. As the Bengal army fought the British in the Battle of Plassey in 1757, they were poised to win. After all, they had an army of around 50,000 to Britain’s 3,000. However, Jafar secretly made a deal with the Brits and held his army back, allowing them to succeed. Jafar then became the new Nawab of Bengal under the direction of the British.

Following his release from prison after the 1911 Wuchang Uprising, Wang Jingwei was a beloved political figure in China. He joined the Kuomintang party, which was led by Sun Yat-sen, and eventually became a senior official in the party. In 1925, Sun passed away, leaving his lieutenant Chiang Kai-shek and Wang to battle over its leadership. After losing to Chiang, Wang later got in bed with the Japanese Empire and agreed to a secret deal with them. As Japan took control of certain areas of China in 1940, Wang was installed as a puppet president and remained at odds with his former party, under the leadership of Chiang. Wang died in Japan in 1944 and is now mostly known as a traitor.

Born in the British colony of Connecticut in 1741, Benedict Arnold joined the American Continental Army in 1775 and quickly rose up the ranks. During the Revolutionary War, Arnold served under and gained the trust of George Washington, who put him in charge of the military fortress at West Point, New York. However, in 1779, Arnold got married to Peggy Shippen, who came from a loyalist family. Shippen reportedly pushed him to turn on his own country and conspire with British major John André to hand West Point to them. This plan was ultimately discovered when André was captured by a revolutionary militia. While the major was executed, Arnold escaped and joined the British army, leading troops against his former compatriots.

You know you’re the poster child for betrayal when your name becomes an accepted synonym for ‘traitor’ in multiple languages. Vidkun Quisling served as a military officer, relief worker and Defense Minister of Norway in the 1930s. He abruptly shifted towards fascism and founded the far-right political group, the Nasjonal Samling in 1933. Struggling to gain any traction politically, Quisling met with Adolf Hitler in 1939 and encouraged Germany to invade Norway, which ultimately happened the next year. In 1942, Quisling was installed as a figurehead Minister President of Norway, under the control of the Nazis. After the war ended in 1945, Quisling was held responsible for many deaths and executed for his actions.

Though it may not be completely historically sound, this is one of the most widely known double-crosses in history. According to the Bible, Judas was one of Jesus’s trusted disciples, but he still sold him down the river, earning himself thirty pieces of silver. While his exact motives for doing so aren’t spelled out, several guesses ranging from disillusionment to pure greed have been made. He attempted to walk his treachery back after learning Jesus was going to be crucified, but it was too late. He then took his own life, an act which is still hotly debated across several Christian denominations today. To this day, many revile him for his act, and his name alone is synonymous with betrayal.

With the simple Shakespearean words of “Et tu, Brute?,” the betrayal by Marcus Junius Brutus in 44 B.C.E was immortalized. After Julius Caesar took control of the Roman Republic and became a dictator, there were concerns in the senate that he was consolidating too much power. Some in Caesar's inner circle, including Brutus, Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus, and Gaius Cassius Longinus, hatched a plan to fatally turn on their ally. Over 60 prominent members of Roman society were involved in the plot. When Caesar arrived in the senate on March 15th, he was stabbed 23 times by his own senators. This incident was meant to stabilize the republic. Instead, it resulted in its eventual collapse in 27 B.C.E.




Which betrayal do you think has had the most historical significance? Let us know in the comments below!