Stories of three betrayals

The story is full of traitors and faithful supporters - as well as people who were somewhere in the middle.

But sometimes the decisions of individuals to betray a person or idea can have a significant impact on history and even completely change their course.

BBC Bitesize gives examples of such betrayal: one helped to lose the medieval king, the other - to kill a popular Roman leader, and the third almost contributed to the defeat of the United States in their war against the British.

Julius Caesar: Beware of March Eid!

Deadly betrayal Julia Caesar, on March 15, 44 BC, changed the course of Roman history. Thanks to William Shakespeare, this day will forever be associated with the phrase "Beware of March ID"-a warning to be careful with others (March yai belongs to the 74th day of the Roman calendar, March 15).

Julius Caesar was a military general and a statesman who rose to the most prominent position in the Roman Republic. His power was so great that in the early 44 of the age of AD he was able to declare himself a lifelong dictator.

Theoretically, it meant that it could control the country individually. His political rivals feared that he became too powerful, and began to weave a conspiracy.

Three leaders were Mark Junior Brutus, Guy Cassius Longin and Decim Young Brutus - they were all senators.

Decim Brutus was close to Caesar and was considered one of his possible heirs. Meanwhile, Mark Brutor had previously opposed Caesar - he fought against him in the Battle of Farsal in 48 BC. However, then Caesar had pardoned him and increased.

Together with about 60 other conspirators, they surrounded Caesar in the Senate of Rome and killed him.

We do not know what Caesar's last words were, but Shakespeare decided to emphasize the depth of betrayal in his historical play. In it, Julius Caesar says Mark Brutu "Et Tu, Brutus?", What does "and you, Brute?" - emphasizing that he did not expect him to be betrayed by the one whom he himself forgave and considered his friend.

Unfortunately for the conspirators, they did not take into account how popular Caesar was among the general public. When they announced his death from the Capitol Hill in Rome, the crowd's reaction was initially muted and then spilled into anger and violence. Mark Brutus, Decim Brutus and Cassius were forced to flee from the city.

The death of Julia Caesar marked the beginning of the end of the Roman Republic, as he was appointed a heir, Guy Julius Caesar Octavian August, eventually became the first emperor of Rome.

Isabella French: Rebel Queen

While the first queens were born in Britain only in the 16th century, female monarchs left their mark in the history of women. One of them was Isabella French, sometimes called "French Wolf", which played a significant role in the fall of King of England Edward II in 1327.

The daughter of the French King Philip IV of the Beautiful, she was born in the early 1290s and married Edward on January 25, 1308. Edward was known for having the favorites among his nobles, first Pierce Heveston (he was seized and executed in June 1312 by the nobles he offended), and then Guy of the Despener of the younger.

When Edward declared his brother Isabella Karl IV in French in 1324, the despen was accused her of being a foreign spy, confiscation of her land and limited her opportunity to see her husband. However, Edward was still ready to send her to France to successfully agree on peace with her brother.

Edward himself also had to visit France to pay tribute to Karl IV for his French land possessions. However, he did not want to leave England because of the threat of uprising against him and the despen.

Instead, he made a mistake - sent his young son and heir, the future Edward III. So Isabella was protected by her brother's court with her son. From this strong position, she suggested an ultimatum: Isabella and young Edward will return only if the despenler is removed from the yard and her status and land will be restored. However, Edward did not want to abandon the despen.

Isabella united with Rage Mortimir, an English nobleman in exile, who escaped from London Tower after he was imprisoned for his participation in the rebellion against the king and despen. Together, they planned to invade England and overthrow this duo.

With the money, soldiers and supplies provided by Count Eno (modern Belgium), they landed in England on September 24, 1326. The support of King Edward quickly went down to the nive, and his mighty erected brothers and a cousin joined Isabella. Hugh Despener was captured and executed, and Edward was forced to renounce the throne in favor of his 14-year-old son. Later that year, he was secretly killed in Berkeley Castle.

According to the coincidence, the reign of Edward III began on the 19th anniversary of the wedding of his warring parents, on January 25, 1327.

Benedict Arnold: A notorious traitor of America

In the US, Benedict Arnold is a synonym for betrayal. He once was one of George Washington's most talented marshals, and helped the continental army to win his first victory in the American War for Independence in the Fort of the Ticcoder in May 1775.

He achieved further success in the battle under the Saratog of 1777, which became a turning point in the war and prompted the French to the alliance with the revolutionaries. But everything changed a few years after Arnold betrayed Americans and began to spy in favor of the British.

Arnold believed that his achievements were not rewarded enough that others had received recognition for his tactics, and he did not receive a well -deserved increase. Due to the considerable expenses of his wife, his debts began to increase, and Washington reproached him with an unlawful behavior. Angrated, angry and without money, Arnold went to an agreement with the British.

When Washington offered him an army commander in 1780, Arnold instead insisted on the need to control the defense in West Point, New York, along the Gudzon River. It was a place of strategic importance for communication and transport to New England. He planned to weaken the defense and pass the territory to the British in exchange for £ 20,000, with a possible additional bonus - to lure Washington to the enemy.

Arnold's betrayal was discovered when a man in the British intelligence with which he communicated, seized and found revealing documents. He managed to escape to the British warship of HMS Vulture, where he received the rank of brigade general and began to fight against his former comrades.

Arnold survived the war, moved to England and died there in 1801.