PERDUELLIO

perduellio (p<<schwa>>r-d[y]oo-el-ee-oh), n. [Latin “treason”] Roman law. The crime of hostility to one’s native country; treasonous conduct, such as joining the enemy or deserting the battlefield. • This term corresponds to the English phrase high treason. In the Roman republic, several acts might constitute perduellio, such as assuming regal power; trying to subvert, by violence, the established form of government, esp. by fomenting internal rebellion; and promoting the designs of external foes. Perduellio was later absorbed into a broader category of crimes against the state, the crimen laesae majestatis. — Also termed (in English) perduellion (p<<schwa>>r-d [y]oo-el-y<<schwa>>n). See CRIMEN MAJESTATIS.

[Blacks Law 8th]