Treason as a Category of Historical Interpretation

The concept of treason in historical research is usually presented either as a treason‑event (see the Gunpowder Plot) or as a treason‑phenomenon that took place at a specific time and space. The aim of the article is to present what these two approaches have in common and then – based on them – present the way treason can be identified as a category of historical analysis. In the first chapter, I focus on academic discussions between Jan Pomorski and Andrzej Nowak concerning a book written by the latter. I present that while dealing with a treason‑event the historian’s role is crucial as they have to decide whether to use the concept of treason to explain a specific event or not. The second chapter is an analysis of articles written by Mark Cornwall on treason in the Habsburg Empire. It is concluded with the finding that the accusation of treason may be used by a community or a society in order to protect or strengthen its identity. Finally, in the final remarks, I propose that treason as a category of historical analysis may be used as a tool capable of analysing identity‑making processes in a way that will include epistemic provinces