Espionage

Technically, this law applies to all persons who act in a covert manner to obtain the secrets of a realm. However, it is seldom used against the spies of one’s lords, which are an accepted part of feudal life.

However, the laws against espionage are enforced when the criminal is a spy in the payment of a hostile government or other faction. Such persons, when they are captured, are sometimes tried, convicted, and then traded back to their masters for a ransom. I cases where the spy’s master holds one of the lord’s own men, an exchange is often made.

It is important to note the difference between espionage and treason. Both crimes involve the giving of information to the enemies of the realm, but they are very different. Espionage refers to citizens of another realm who are sent into a foreign nation as spies. Such individuals are considered to be simply “doing their job” when they act against a rival power.

Treason, on the other hand, refers to citizens of a realm who sell its secrets to a foreign power. Since they are betraying the nation of their birth, their’s is by far the more serious crime.