Russell, Elizabeth (née Cooke; Later Hoby)

Abstract

Elizabeth Russell (née Cooke; later Hoby, c. 1540–1609) was a formidable and accomplished woman. An influential patron, scholar, writer, and Protestant activist, she knew multiple languages and wrote in several genres. In many of her works, she represents herself as a champion of the Protestant cause and a crusader against injustices, especially those toward women. Russell’s surviving letters reveal her rhetorical dexterity and strong will, and she made epitaphs and funeral monuments that her contemporaries praised. She wrote manuscript poetry, devised court entertainments for Queen Elizabeth I, and translated a French text about the Eucharist, accompanied by a dedicatory epistle that framed it as a mother’s legacy to her daughter. Russell’s roles as daughter, sister, mother, aunt, wife, and devoted widow were central to her public voice and ability to work within and push against social boundaries. Her writings reveal her ambition and determination, along with her belief in upholding hierarchies and her conviction that she and her family should occupy a particularly high rank.