English: What is singular about the criminality of rulers or their sinful acts is how rarely they are convicted. Through a long-term study of the forms of denunciation of crimes committed by those who hold power, this book tries to understand the reasons that lead to breaking the consensus and calling into question the social acceptance of traditions which had hitherto been tolerated (corruption, extortion, different types of abuse). The various contributions investigate the moral and political conditions of these convictions, and give a well-balanced account of these pathologies of power: far from being invariable over time, they are consistent with the moral paradigms of each society in history.
All those interested in political and cultural history; post-graduate students, academic libraries, specialists of ancient, medieval and early modern history, political sciences