25 Backstabbing Facts About Historical Betrayals
Historical Betrayals
Treachery is always painful. Religions, families, friends, countries—they’ve all felt the sting of betrayal, and can suffer from it for decades and even centuries.
Here are 25 facts about some of history’s most famous, depraved, and hated treasons.
25. Heart of Steel
Coal and coke magnate H.C. Fricks perhaps thought he had struck gold when he merged his company with Andrew Carnegie’s successful steel business.
Carnegie was deeply disrespectful toward Fricks, though, and repeatedly attempted to force him out of the company. Later in life, when Carnegie attempted a reconciliation, Fricks said, “Tell him I’ll see him in hell, where we are both going.”
24. The Screwed One
Doña Marina was an indigenous Central American who was enslaved by the Spanish and became the courtesan of conquistador Hernán Cortés. Marina used her linguistic skills to help Cortés conquer the Aztecs, and is reviled in Mexico to this day for her betrayal. Marina is commonly referred to as La Chingada, which roughly means “the screwed one” in PG-13 language.
23. The Inside Scoop
Andrey Vlasov was a Bolshevik revolutionary and an effective Soviet commander in WWII. However, when Vlasov was captured by the Nazis, he enthusiastically aided their cause.
Vlasov revealed as much as he could about Soviet defences, and created an army of ex-Soviets to fight for Germany on the Eastern Front. At the end of the war, Vlasov fell back into the hands of his vengeful countrymen.
22. The Color of Betrayal
One of the most famous betrayals of all time was that of Judas Iscariot, who, it's said, gave Jesus up to the authorities for 30 pieces of silver. Medieval art depicting Judas often shows him with red hair—perhaps to make him stand out.
This tradition has contributed to centuries of discrimination against redheads.
