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Renegade (betrayer)
A turncoat is a person who shifts allegiance from one loyalty or ideal to another, betraying or deserting an original cause by switching to the opposing side or party. In political and social history, this is distinct from being a traitor, as the switch mostly takes place under the following circumstances: *In groups, often driven by one or more leaders. *When the goal that formerly motivated and benefited the person becomes (or is perceived as having become) either no longer feasible or too costly even if success is achieved. From a military perspective, opposing armies generally wear uniforms of contrasting colors to prevent incidents of friendly fire. Thus the term "turn-coat" indicates that an individual has changed sides and his uniform coat to one matching the color of his former enemy. For example, in the English Civil War during the 17th century, Oliver Cromwell's soldiers turned their coats inside out to match the colors of the Royal army (see Examples below). Historic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Allegiance
An allegiance is a duty of fidelity said to be owed, or freely committed, by the people, subjects or citizens to their state or sovereign. Etymology From Middle English ''ligeaunce'' (see medieval Latin ''ligeantia'', "a liegance"). The ''al-'' prefix was probably added through confusion with another legal term, ''allegeance'', an "allegation" (the French ''allegeance'' comes from the English). ''Allegiance'' is formed from "liege," from Old French ''liege'', "liege, free", of Germanic origin. The connection with Latin ''ligare'', "to bind," is erroneous. Usage Traditionally, English legal commentators used the term ''allegiance'' in two ways. In one sense, it referred to the deference which anyone, even foreigners, was expected to pay to the institutions of the country where one lived. In the other sense, it meant national character and the subjection due to that character. Types * Local allegiance * Natural allegiance United Kingdom The English doctrine, which was at one ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |