Tudors versus Stewarts : the fatal inheritance of Mary, Queen of Scots

by Linda Porter    (Get the Book)
Members of England's Tudor dynasty have been the subjects of books, films, TV series, and more. Their contemporaries, Scotland's Stewarts, remain largely in the background until Mary, Queen of Scots, emerges from the shadows to bedevil Elizabeth I. Author Porter (Katherine the Queen: The Remarkable Life of Katherine Parr, the Last Wife of Henry VIII, 2010) interweaves the stories of both dynasties to show how the history of Great Britain was shaped by their uneasy relations. She begins with the struggles that brought crowns to both Henry VII of England and James IV of Scotland, whom she calls one of Britain's greatest kings. James' marriage to Henry's daughter Margaret united the families but also intensified their rivalries, since it gave the Stewarts a claim to the English throne. The rivalries were carried into the next generations, particularly in the conflicts between Henry VIII and his nephew James V, ending only when Mary's son, James VI, was crowned as England's James I. Porter's highly readable account offers a fresh perspective for readers who look forward to each new book on the Tudors. --Booklist