THE STORY OF LADY GODIVA
The story of Lady Godiva riding naked trough the streets of Coventry in the year 1040 is a well-known legend. But why she did it, in an age when women had to be almost hidden from society is perhaps not so well known. Lady Godiva, or Godgifu to give her real name, was the wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia, one of the powerful lords who ruled England under King Canute.
Besides being beautiful, Godiva was very religious and charitable and cared much for Mercia and its people. Leofric, on the other hand, was a tyrant who cared for neither the Church nor people. He persecuted the Church and imposed heavy taxes on the people of Coventry in order to help pay for the kings bodyguard.
Godiva quarrelled frequently with her husband over his merciless behaviour and begged him to change his ways, and to be more lenient with the people. During an argument one day, Leofric made the extravagant promise that he would remit the tax if Godiva would ride naked through the streets of Coventry on market day, knowing full well that was something his wife would never do. But Leofric had forgotten Godiva’s compassion and concern for the people. She mounted her horse and made her famous journey, clothed only by her beautiful long blonde hair. Leofric kept his promise and the people of Coventry never again had to pay the taxes. Leofric also mended his ways and gave up persecuting the Church and tyrannising the people. He and Godiva made up their differences and together they founded a monastery, where they were both eventually buried. Nothing remains to day of the monastery.
The story of Lady Godiva was first recorded in Latin in the twelfth century by Roger of Wendober, a monk from St Albans in Hertfordshire. He heard the tale from travellers resting at his abbey on their way to Londong. This story has been adapted by various historians since, but there seems no reason to doubt that she rode naked. However some stories say that people stayed indoors behind shuttered windows as Lady Godiva requested, except for a man called Tom, a tailor – who couldn’t resist having a peep and was immediately struck blind. Ever since the incident has been known as “Peeping Tom’, a name as famous as the Lady Godiva herself!
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