Ronald Santangeli undertakes no small task here. To provide the first full translation of George Con's largely overlooked Vita Mariae Stuartae (1624), alongside a recension of the original Latin, is a notable project. Yet Santangeli also combines this with a biography of Con, a Vatican diplomat of some influence, and contextualises the publication and its author in the events and politics of Counter- Reformation Europe. Santangeli's intention for this ambitious project, as made explicit in the foreword, was to ensure that the book would be of interest not only to those with an enduring interest in Mary, Queen of Scots’ life and reputation. In this, Santangeli succeeds, as his comprehensive and multifaceted study will certainly prove informative to students and historians of Scottish cultural history, Counter-Reformation Europe and Scottish neo-Latin literature.

After clearly outlining the parameters of the book in a brief introduction, Santangeli sets the Renaissance scene with a description of George Con's monument and epitaph, commissioned in 1678 by Cardinal Francesco Barberini and to be found at the Church of San Lorenzo in Damaso. Part i then follows with chapter i which states the section's intention to expand Con's epitaph by recording the significant facts of his career. Chapter ii begins with Con's Scottish roots, detailing the links his mother's family had to supporters of Mary, Queen of Scots, and how Patrick Con, George Con's father, had distinguished himself at the Battle of Glenlivet (1594). The chapter then turns to Con's European education. While still very young, Con was sent to the Scots College in Douai and he also studied at the Scots Colleges in Paris and Rome before probably completing his education at Bologna University. It was in Bologna that Con produced his first publications, with which he involved himself in the Scotic debate. Santangeli demonstrates that while Con was establishing an intellectual reputation in these early years of his career, he was also ‘making himself known to powerful figures’ (p. 11). The dedicatees of Con's works make this clear. Chapter iii continues to note Con's networks of patronage and path to advancement in Counter-Reformation Europe. His name is linked to many significant figures, with the powerful Barberini family featuring prominently, and particularly to Galileo. Chapter iv follows Con's career as it takes a diplomatic turn, with his efforts to cultivate high-ranking patrons supporting his success as a diplomat for the papal court.

Chapter v, the longest chapter of part i, dwells on Con's career after his appointment by Urban viii as papal legate to England in 1636, until his return to Rome in 1639. Santangeli explains the connections that earned Con his new position, but the bulk of the chapter focuses on Con's relationship with Queen Henrietta Maria, and his work in England. In Henrietta, Con found an ‘enthusiastic and vigorous acolyte’ (p. 44), and in her court he was a popular success who encouraged Catholicism amongst many individuals. Yet Con's efforts to convert Charles i or to contrive a reunion of the Churches were unsuccessful. He was also not popular in his native Scotland, being seen to support Charles's military agenda after Scottish unrest caused by the Book of Canons, and he was further accused of causing religious polarisation in England. However, Con always retained powerful patrons and supporters, even if his popularity was not universal. Concluding the biographical section of the book, chapter vi demonstrates the regard in which Con was held by many leading figures of England and Europe, both during his life and after his premature death in 1640, aged forty-two. Throughout part i, Santangeli brings to light some of the characteristics that made Con popular in courtly circles, such as his ‘handsome’ and ‘affable’ nature (p. 47), and the biography is continually rich in facts and details.

In part ii, Con's Vita Mariae Stuartae takes the spotlight, as Santangeli links the influences and themes of Con's work with the Counter-Reformation politics and propaganda which he experienced. Chapter vii lists the various motives Con had for writing Mary's biography, but the core ‘double objective’ (p. 74) was to redeem Mary from George Buchanan's condemnation and to make a case for her Catholic canonisation. For the first time, Mary comes into focus in chapter viii. As the Vita Mariae Stuartae deals heavily with her execution, Santangeli examines the context for her quasi-mythic status through the impact of her death on Europe. Santangeli relates the sources which were available to Con and also how Con emphasised how Mary died for her faith, to which she had always been committed, in order to fulfil the conditions of martyrdom. Chapter ix continues to contextualise Con's work by concentrating on his defence of the Stuart succession, illustrating the Counter-Reformation hopes for a Catholic Stuart ruler that continued throughout Con's life.

Part iii describes the literary inspiration and style of Vita Mariae Stuartae. Chapter x justifies the description of Con's work as Mary's ‘first biography’, describing the texts that were available at the time of its writing. This includes their shortcomings as full histories or biographies but also includes their influence. Chapter xi provides a brief explanation of Con's Latin style in a manner suitable for the Latin-less reader (the category to which this reviewer belongs). Overall, Santangeli is complimentary. Chapter xii follows naturally on to discuss Con's use of speeches. The literary device of non-verbatim speeches is used, according to Santangeli, to the greatest effect and he justifies their inclusion as not merely an effective tool but as representing the ‘virtues we know Mary possessed’ (p. 137).

After a brief note on the materiality and similarities of the two 1624 publications of Vita Mariae Stuartae, in Rome and in Würzburg, Part iv commences Santangeli's parallel Latin transcription and English translation. For the quality of the translation I cannot speak. However, the transcription reads very well. It is engaging, accessible and concise. It is also continually aided by comprehensive footnotes which act as a detailed commentary and useful signposting. Furthermore, even the dedicatory preface of Con's Vita Mariae Stuartae is more fully understood given the context of Con's patrons, influences and motivations provided by Santangeli's previous chapters. Santangeli continues to leave no stone unturned with the appendices, which provide further background and comparative works which speak to Con's text. This encompassing and thorough approach of translation combined with contextual positioning, ensures that this book will have a broad appeal. This is an attractive and rich volume that fulfils its aim to be more than just a translation of a biography of a famous, and infamous, queen.