Greatest traitor in your nations (or anyone else’s) history?

[Adso de Fimnu]

Malinche.
What exactly was she thinking? She saw Cortez's intentions, yet went right on driving a few continents into disaster.

This is an interesting perspective. But think, what if La Malinche hadn't aided the Conquistadors? Would the Aztecs really be better off in the long run? I don't think so. Even if the first wave of Spaniards was eliminated, that wouldn't be the end of it. (Besides, correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't European diseases the major killers of natives, anyway?)

La Malinche, as the mother of the first mestizo - and, symbolically, of Mexico - is certainly more than just a traitor.

 

[Xshayathiya]

1. Khomeini
2. Half the Qajar Dynasty
3. Darius III

 

[NeoT]

At least for my country (Chile), Augusto Pinochet is the greatest traitor. He became defense minister thanks to the communist party´s support, and a day before the military coup against Allende, he joined the coup, and as the new "president", he started searching communists to torture them and kill them.
Another traitor of my country is Gabriel Gonzales Videla, that became president thanks to the communist party, and when he started his gobernment, he exiled all the communists and banned the communist party.

PD: Sorry for my English.

 

[Andu Indorin]

I know I'm stretching a definition, and engaging in speculative "what-if" thinking ...

But for the United States, I'm going to say that John Wilkes Booth was the greatest traitor. This, of course, is based on the argument that Lincoln would have been able to keep the radical Republicans in check and so establish a course for Reconstruction that would have for less divisive than that of the actual course of events.

 

[Dreadnought]

The generals in thee south during the civil war were all 'traitors'

 

[Squonk]

1. Khomeini
2. Half the Qajar Dynasty
3. Darius III

please explain your choice

 

[Xshayathiya]

please explain your choice

Those are all people whose actions have lead to the degrading and halted or severly slowed down the advancement of the country, culturally, scientifically and socially.
They were all people in power who were supposed to take actions that were for the good of the country and the people, and they did not, thereby betraying their positions, their country and their people.

or did you want more specific reasons?

 

[willemvanoranje]

we don't have any big traitors really.. except for Balthasar Gerards who in 1584 assassinated the first leader of our independence war, Willem I van Oranje. Probably there are some names that can be mentioned from the last world war... More recently I'd say Janmaat and Pim Fortuyn.

 

[Tank_Guy#3]

The American public whenever our troops are overseas for more than a week.

 

[Dreadnought]

The American public whenever our troops are overseas for more than a week.

That was pretty good. Yet its true...

 

[privatehudson]

Wasn't Balthasar Gerards the guy who bought the murder weapons from one of William's soldiers with money loaned to him by another?

 

[Squonk]

Those are all people whose actions have lead to the degrading and halted or severly slowed down the advancement of the country, culturally, scientifically and socially.
They were all people in power who were supposed to take actions that were for the good of the country and the people, and they did not, thereby betraying their positions, their country and their people.

or did you want more specific reasons?

Yes. I don't know Iran's history that well. I wonder what exactly did this Qajar dinasty do?
Anyway, I think being a traitor includes being intentional at harming your country.

Btw, I'm in Damascus right now and I must tell one thing. If You see an Iranian building (the embassy or the cultural centre, or the shia mosque that was decored by Iranians), You know it's Iranian. Iranian embassy is probably the nicest one (embassy, that is) in town. It has something specific about it, unlike all the others.

 

[sydhe]

Former Chinese emperor Pu Yi collaborated with the Japanese by serving as puppet emperor of Manchuria from 1932 to 1945. At one point they made him sign a proclamation making Shinto the religion of the land.

In England, there was Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, who first helped depose Henry VI to put Edward IV on the throne, and nine years later deposed Edward IV to put Henry VI back on the throne.

 

[privatehudson]

Ahhh the Kingmaker, I still remember with fondness the excellent boardgame with the same name

 

[Favorius]

From my point of view the Crimean Khan during the 2. siege of Vienna was one of the greatest traitors. He let the Polish army to pass that was marching to relieve the siege and the Ottoman commander Khara Mehmed Pasha expecting Crimeans to guard his flank was caught unprepared. The result was the defeat at the Battle of Kahlenberg and from that date we were unable to prevent Western advance until the banks of Sakarya River until 1921.

 

[Xshayathiya]

Yes. I don't know Iran's history that well. I wonder what exactly did this Qajar dinasty do?
Anyway, I think being a traitor includes being intentional at harming your country.

Btw, I'm in Damascus right now and I must tell one thing. If You see an Iranian building (the embassy or the cultural centre, or the shia mosque that was decored by Iranians), You know it's Iranian. Iranian embassy is probably the nicest one (embassy, that is) in town. It has something specific about it, unlike all the others.

Ah yeah, the embassy was probably built during the Pahlavi dynasty.

The Qajars pretty much (excuse my language) prostituted the country out to the British and Russians. During their reign, we lost a quarter of the country to their imperialism and lost god knows how many historical artifacts. Virtually all of the British museum's Persian artifacts were taken during this era. I think it was also during the Qajar reign that the Koohe Noor diamond was given away/stolen and given to the British.

It was also during their era when a prime minister (now known as Amir Kabir) probably one of the greatest statesmen in our history was assasinated (by British puppets) because he was becoming too influential with the people, and talking about lesser dependance on foreigners.

The Qajars being the worst dynasty is pretty much undisputed among Persian historians.

 

[Thorgalaeg]

This is an interesting perspective. But think, what if La Malinche hadn't aided the Conquistadors? Would the Aztecs really be better off in the long run? I don't think so. Even if the first wave of Spaniards was eliminated, that wouldn't be the end of it. (Besides, correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't European diseases the major killers of natives, anyway?)

La Malinche, as the mother of the first mestizo - and, symbolically, of Mexico - is certainly more than just a traitor.

La Malinche was sold as slave to some Maya merchants by his own Azteca family. So i would say that Malinche´s case was more about revenge than treason.

 

[Mirc]

I think the greatest traitor in my nation's history is Bicinis. But looking back 2000 years I think what he did had good results after all.

 

[Eniotna]

Léon Degrelle.

When nazis invaded Belgium, resistance was very strong in Wallonia. But the chief of the extreme-right party Rex choosed to collaborate. He created a new company, the Légion Wallonie, and found enough people to fight for the nazis

He's not walloon, but I also consider Talleyrand as a traitor. Few people know it, but in 1830, when the revolution against the Netherlands began, most Walloons wanted to go back with France ( they remembered Napoleon ). In Liège, Namur and other cities, the first flags of the revolution where blue-white-red ! If we won the revolution, it's because France helped us to keep dutch troops away. There was a possiblity for the Netherlands to keep Flanders and France to get Wallonia, respecting cultural and linguistic borders. But the french negociator, Talleyrand, finally decided to accept the english proposal to create a state called "Belgium". If that guy made his job the good way, Wallonia would be part of France !

I know some people won't believe it, so : Herodote.

Talleyrand, what a hero

 

[Cullyn]

Diarmuid MacMurrough :- King of Leinster and all round nasty person who is responsible for the English (well disgruntled land hungry Welsh based Normans actually) coming to Ireland ensuring 800 years of bloodshed and oppression.

http://www.vincentpeters.nl/triskelle/history/anglonormaninvasion.php?index=060.046

James II of England :- fudgingg deposed English king who lead the Irish to war against William of Orange & the English Parliament. Got us slaughtered and ensured that the penal laws would stay in force for years to come. (Of course the Irish were idiots for following him just because he was a catholic)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_II_of_England

Eamon de Valera: - this one is a very personal point of few, and I will admit to having the romantic view of Michael Collins (Who really was the man who invented Urban Terrorism, he was brutal). Eamon de Valera was the first president of the Dail and probably the most respected politician and leader in Ireland along with Michael Collins and Arthur Griffith yet he, by design of failing lead the Irish to a brutal civil war which saw many of out greatest leaders die and a time when they were most needed, sowed a division in the country which took 80 years to heal and then when he became the Taoiseach and rewrote the constitution allowing the catholic church unparallel power in the running of he state.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eamon_de_Valera