TUDORS VERSUS STEWARTS brings alive a neglected aspect of British history --- the blood-spattered steps of two small countries on the northern fringes of Europe towards the union of their crowns. Beginning with the dramatic victories of two usurpers --- Henry VII in England and James IV in Scotland --- in the late 15th century, Linda Porter's book sheds new light on Henry VIII, his daughter Elizabeth I and his great-niece, Mary Queen of Scots, still seductive more than 400 years after her death.