.

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Note added at 2003-01-02 15:41:38 (GMT)
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Treason - Maiestas
The involvement in any action or assemblage for the purpose of rebelling against the state or its lawful governing body or in aiding any other individual or individuals either foreign or domestic to do the same

http://www.avendale.com/ingame/Government/laws.htm

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Note added at 2003-01-02 15:43:55 (GMT)
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The crime of treason, originally against the state but later against the Emperor.
http://library.thinkquest.org/12654/Glossary.html


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Note added at 2003-01-02 15:47:20 (GMT)
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also
maiestas : majesty, dignity, greatness.
http://kufacts.cc.ukans.edu/ftp/pub/history/Europe/Medieval/...

according to the context.

This is not so different from most of the answes above, but I thought I would summarise, and give a little explanation and a reference.

It is a word that had a lot of meaning for the Romans. It refers principally to the quality that allows someone hold a position of power. It is partly a quality of the position itself, but the person has to have the "maiestas" to match the position before he can fill the position.

In the times of the emperors, they had more maiestas than anyone else - they were the greatest authority, the most grand. Or ought to have been. When they behaved badly, they could get away with a lot because of their "maiestas", until they went so far that the person, the emperor behaving badly, was preceived as being separated from the maiestas of his position. Then it was time to remove him from his office.

From this we have the modern English use "Your Majesty": this is used in England to address the reigning sovereign - and what is hidden behind it, is that it is really the majesty of the office that is being addressed.

As well as this there is the special usage "maiestatis", as in "crimen maiestatis" - this is treason, the crime against the high office.