Tudors Versus Stewarts: The Fatal Inheritance of Mary Queen of Scots

In this comprehensive account, British historian Porter (Crown of Thistles) reexamines the events that led to James VI of Scotland’s accession to the English throne in 1603 as James I. Much has been written already about the rivalry between his predecessor, Elizabeth I of England, and her cousin (James’s mother), Mary Queen of Scots, which culminated in Mary’s execution in 1587, and Porter avoids rehashing familiar tales about Elizabeth and Mary. Instead, she sets the rivalry between the two cousins in its familial context, with the focus on the earlier Stewarts, who have been overshadowed through the centuries by the more flamboyant Tudors. The relationship between the two dynasties had been fraught ever since Henry VII ascended to the English throne in 1485. There was the occasional reconciliation, such as the marriage between James IV of Scotland and Henry VII’s daughter, Margaret, in 1502, when the notion of a united Britain was seriously considered. Even Porter’s retelling of Mary’s life from birth until 1567, when she fled Scotland for England, provides fresh insights concerning that queen’s troubled reign and the causes behind her downfall, which, Porter argues, was not inevitable. Porter’s work relates the oft-neglected Scottish perspective and is recommended for anyone interested in Tudor England. (July)