| abstract | - Treason was the crime of acting against a legitimately recognized government or an official of that government. The definition of treason varied based on the type of government. In an Imperial or dictatorial government, even merely speaking against the government or its policies could be considered treasonous behavior. Traitor was the formal term for an individual that had committed treason. Though some governments treated all treason equally, others made a distinction between it and high treason, very serious treason that was almost always punished by death, even in non-Imperial governments. Such treason typically involved a direct betrayal or attack on a state official. In addition, at least in the case of the Empire, the charge of high treason generally necessitates that the one charged with the crime ends up punished in person by the state official in question, due to the seriousness of the charge. In certain cases, a distinction was made between the crime of treason and that of sedition, the act of simply speaking against the established order, but not actually acting. In many cases, however, even simply speaking against the established government was described as "treason."
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