Exclusive interview with author Linda Porter and a review of her new book with a fresh perspective on Mary Queen of Scots
Rating: 3 Stars
by Gabrielle Pantera
“I took the view, based on that of scholars currently working in the field, that Mary’s so-called romance with James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell, is poppycock,” says Tudors Versus Stewarts author by Linda Porter. “Those closest to Mary at the time believed she had been raped at Dunbar Castle, where she was isolated from all of her servants, and kept there so that Bothwell could ensure that she married him. Mary seems to have feared that she was pregnant almost immediately after the rape and she was, in fact, carrying twins. She later miscarried while a prisoner at Lochleven Castle. No high-born lady, let alone an anointed queen, could acknowledge such shame.”
Of all the Stewarts Mary is the most well known in history, with Henry VIII her great uncle. Mary Queen of Scots became queen at six days old, after her father died. Mary had ambitions to rule both England and Scotland and ultimately it was her downfall. Mary’s son James VI became Elizabeth’s heir and took the crown.
This book sets up the facts that make Mary an heir apparent for the British throne. You will learn about the Stewarts and their rivalry with the Tudors. When Margaret Tudor, Henry VIII’s older sister, married James IV of Scotland in 1503 it was thought it would calm the waters, but instead it created more friction. It gave the Scottish king’s descendants a claim to the British throne. Porter’s book provides a rich description and reveals details from personal letters written at the time. Some of the text is in old English and many of the players had the same first name. Mary plays a small role in this book. It’s mostly the rivalries of her ancestors.
The idea for Tudors Versus Stewarts came to Porter as she finished writing her biography of Henry VIII’s sixth wife, Katherine Parr. “I did not know there would be a referendum on Scottish independence in 2014 when I began research for the book, though Crown of Thistles should be of interest to anyone following the debate. As regent while Henry was away fighting in France in 1544, Katherine had to deal with the many Scottish prisoners still in England after the Scots lost the battle of Solway Moss at the end of 1542. This made me think more widely about Henry VIII’s relationship with Scotland, which was always awkward.”
“I’ve been interested in Scottish history for many years and particularly the background to why Mary Queen of Scots suddenly arrived in England after fleeing her country in May 1568,” says Porter. “The Stewarts were in no way inferior to the Tudors. They had been on the throne of Scotland for over 100 years before Henry VII won his unlikely victory at the battle of Bosworth in 1485.”
Porter has written two other books, on Mary Tudor and Katherine Parr. She is a regular contributor to both the Literary Review and History Today and she also writes articles for the BBC History Magazine. She was the winner of the Biographer’s Club prize in 2004, for a book which has yet to be published. Porter is currently writing a book about the English Civil Wars and the children of Charles I.
Porter enjoys traveling throughout England. “I’ve traveled the length and breadth of the British Isles promoting the book and spoken in some wonderful venues, like the Tower of London and Hampton Court Palace. I think the high point was appearing at the Edinburgh International Book Festival in 2013, where Crown of Thistles was launched.”
Porter was born in Exeter, Devon and now lives in Kent.
Tudors Versus Stewarts: The Fatal Inheritance of Mary, Queen of Scots by Linda Porter • Hardcover: 544 pages, Publisher: St. Martin’s Press; Reprint edition (July 1, 2014) • Language: English, ISBN: 9780312590741 $29.99
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