A pioneering, early 20th century human rights activist who, as a British diplomat, chronicled abuses in places as far flung as Peru and the Belgian Congo, Casement was knighted for his efforts in 1911. But the Dubliner’s true allegiances lay elsewhere. In 1916, he was seized by British soldiers and charged with conspiring with the Germans to arm and lead an uprising in his native Ireland. He was stripped of his imperial honors and executed in August of that year.
Disgraced British Knights: A Not-So-Chivalrous History
The British government’s decision to strip former Royal Bank of Scotland CEO Fred Goodwin of his knighthood places the banker in conspicuous company