I think it is fair to say that the crown for the worst imperial bastards in Western History (I ignore Russia, China, and Japan) was held by the Portugueuse. I would rank Spain second, Belgium third (they started late, but really caught up), and France and Britain a tossup. The British at least stopped the slave trade, virtually single handed, which counts for a lot. The Portugueuse have a virtually unblemished history of miserable doings from 1443 until the 1960s! For sheer longevity alone, they win the prize.



yours, Peter T.