From: esquel@sommarskog.se   
      
   Dan Blum (tool@panix.com) writes:   
   > I don't think it was, though. FWIW Wikipedia agrees with me, saying   
   >   
   > "This was a personal union, so the Kingdoms of Portugal and Spain   
   > remained independent states, sharing only a single monarch."   
      
   I took a quick peek in the book on Portoguese history I have in   
   my bookshelf.   
      
   True, Philip II of Spain could claim the throne of Portugal by a   
   descender of an earlier Portoguese king. But he had to enforce the   
   claim by force. It also says that originally Spain promised that   
   Portugal would be able have their own laws etc, but this quickly   
   eroded. Many Portuguese refer to the period as the "Spanish Captivity".   
      
   So, no, I don't think Portugal and Spain were on equal terms in   
   that union.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)