4 – Lady Godiva’s Naked Ride
Lady Godiva was an English noblewoman who lived in the 11th century. There is a legend which says she rode a horse naked through the streets of Coventry as a protest against her husband Leofric’s high taxation on tenants. She apparently implored him to lower his rates but when he refused to listen, she decided the best way to get his attention was to appear before the residents of Coventry in her birthday suit! After her ride, she once again asked her husband to lower his taxes and he finally relented.
There is no truth to this tale whatsoever. The legend began when a man called Roger of Wendover wrote about the naked ride in the 13th century and claims it happened in 1057. This immediately casts doubt on the veracity of the tale. Since Coventry was only founded 14 years earlier, the small town would definitely have recorded such a strange event. Certainly, the historians of Lady Godiva’s day didn’t mention anything about the incident even though there are writings which speak of her good deeds.
For instance, she was well known for her generosity to the church, and along with her husband, she helped found a Benedictine monastery in Coventry. Contemporary accounts refer to her as ‘Godgifu’ and note that she was one of the few female landowners in England during the 11th century. There is also evidence that Leofric played an important role as mediator between angry nobles after the death of King Canute in 1035 thus preventing a Civil War.
The tale has been embellished over the years as different versions have been written. For example, the Peeping Tom element was only added in the 17th century. This version said that the people of Coventry respectfully looked away barring one man known as ‘Peeping Tom’ who leered at her body. He either died or was struck blind as his voyeurism came back to haunt him. The myth gained further attention thanks to Tennyson’s poem called ‘Godiva’ which he wrote in 1840.