Lady Godiva | Her Legendary Ride

Lady Godiva was an 11th century Anglo-Saxon noblewoman, celebrated for her beauty, piety and compassion. The story of Godiva is a legendary tale, one that has endured through the centuries and has immortalised her name. Dating back to at least the 13th century, the legend tells of how she rode her naked body, veiled only by her flowing hair through the streets of Coventry. This daring act was performed in a bid to secure the relief of her tenants, burdened by the heavy taxes imposed by her husband Leofric, who was the powerful Earl of Mercia. From this story, the term peeping Tom emerged, referring to a man named Thomas who according to legend, watched her ride and was either struck blind or perished as a consequence. But beyond the legend lies the story of the woman herself. What moved Lady Godiva to undertake such a courageous and selfless act? Let us now explore the life of this remarkable figure and uncover the motivations behind her legendary deed. This is her story. Godiva's name, derived from Old English, means God's Gift, a fitting reflection of how she would be remembered. She lived during one of the turbulent periods in English history, marked by the death of kings, the fall of dynasties and widespread chaos. What we know of Godiva comes from the chronicles of religious foundations, mentions in charters and the post-conquest Doomsday Book. The first known reference to her dates to the year 1035, by which time she was already married to Leofric the Earl of Mercia. Leofric, one of the most powerful men of his time, retained his earldom even as many kings passed away. Like many Anglo-Saxon women of her rank, Godiva held property in her own right, gifts from her parents, acquisitions through her husband, inheritances, and purchases from individuals and religious foundations. Among her possessions was the small farming village of Coventry, which the Doomsday Book records 27 years after her death as having 69 families. It remains unclear why Godiva and Leofric focused their attention on Coventry, a modest and unremarkable community. As early as the year 1024, Bishop Aelnoth had gifted Leofric a sacred relic, the Arm of St. Augustine. In Anglo-Saxon society, relics such as body parts or possessions of saints were believed to hold divine power. In response to this gift, Lady Godiva and her husband undertook the rebuilding of a nunnery that had been destroyed in the year 1016 by Canute the Great during his invasion of England. They established a Benedictine monastery in the year 1043, dedicated to St. Mary, housing an abbot and 24 monks. John of Worcester recounts that they built the monastery from the ground up. Using their own wealth, they gifted the monastery rich lands and filled it with treasures of gold, silver, gems, and precious stones, making it the wealthiest of its kind in all England. Godiva and Leofric would also have a son named Elthgar. He too would become an influential man, becoming the Earl of East Anglia and later after the death of his father, the Earl of Mercia. I would like to thank Warhammer 40,000 Tacticus for sponsoring today's video. Assemble and command over 80 legendary champions across 18 factions. Engage in intense battles with or against other players. My favourite champion, Ragnar Blackmane, is fierce and unique with his berserker rage. Each champion plays a specific role, making the game easy to learn but hard to master. The developers regularly add new content, features, modes, and events to keep the game fresh and exciting. Matches are fast-paced and immersive, and you can jump into different game modes to level up your champions. With a 4.5 star rating, Tacticus is a must-play, officially licensed by Games Workshop, bringing the Warhammer universe to life. So click the link below to play Warhammer 40,000 Tacticus. History profile viewers can use the code HELLOJAN, which will enable them to get 2,000 gold, 50 blackstones, which is available to the 1st of February. So click the link in the description. Now the earliest account of her legend comes from Roger of Wendover, an English chronicler of the 13th century. He stated, The Countess Godiva, deeply concerned for the people of Coventry, repeatedly asked her husband, the Count, to free the city from its harsh and unjust taxes. She begged him to release it from such oppression. However, he dismissed her requests, telling her that what she asked would harm him. Yet, determined with persistence, she continued to plead, until he finally gave her this response. If you ride through the city naked from one end to the other, in full view of the people, I will grant your wish when you return. Godiva undeterred replied, If I agree to do this, will you grant my request? Yes, he answered. So, the devout Countess, beloved by God, mounted her horse bare with her long hair blowing down to cover her body, leaving only her snow-white legs exposed. She made her journey through the city unseen by anyone, and upon returning to her husband full of joy, he saw it as a miracle, and moved by her devotion, granted Coventry its freedom, sealing it with his official charter confirming it with his seal. Later chroniclers such as Richard Grafton, later expanded on the legend. Grafton was an English printer and chronicler during the 16th century. This account recounts that Lady Godiva's actions were not solely for the purpose of freeing the city, or fulfilling her husband's challenge. In secret, she called upon those she trusted, magistrates, who shared her deep affection for the city. She explained how she had persuaded her husband, the Earl, to grant the city its freedom, but only on the condition that she ride through the streets as he had demanded. Lady Godiva, accepting the challenge, requested that for the sake of her dignity as a woman, strict orders be given throughout the city. Everyone was to stay indoors and close their windows, with a severe penalty for anyone who dared to look out or remain in the streets. When the appointed time came for her ride, no one saw her, only the sound of her horse's hooves could be heard, as she and her lady-in-waiting galloped through the town. Her modesty was preserved, her goal achieved, and her husband's expectations thoroughly thwarted. Afterward, when she had dressed in her finest attire, she revealed herself to the people of Coventry, who greeted her with immense joy and admiration, grateful for the great gift she had brought them. The introduction of the voyeur, famously known as Peeping Tom, is from the account of Humphrey Woolney, an 18th century English librarian and scholar. According to him, in the morning, all householders were ordered to stay indoors, keeping their doors and windows tightly shut, while the Duchess carried out her noble deed. Once everything was in place, she rode through the heart of the town completely naked, with nothing to cover her but her long hair, however, as she reached the centre of the city, her horse neighed. This caused one curious person to lower their window and look out, either because of the horse's neighing, or out of the desire to witness the unusual event. Despite the town being granted its freedom, horses have never been exempt from tolls to this day. However, it was Lord Tennyson, a 19th century celebrated poet, who would immortalise the word Peeping Tom. The poem, simply titled Godiva, goes like this. I waited for the train at Coventry, I hung with grooms and porters on the bridge, to watch the three tall spires, and there I shaped the city's ancient legend into this. Not only we, the latest seed of time, new men, that in the flying of a wheel cried down the past, not only we, that prate of rights and wrongs, have loved the people well, and loathed to see them overtaxed, but she did more, and underwent, and overcame, the woman of a thousand summers back, Godiva, wife to that grim earl who ruled in Coventry, for when he laid a tax upon his town, all the mothers brought their children, clamouring, if we pay we starve. She sought her lord and found him, where he strode about the hall, among his dogs, alone, his beard a foot before him, and his hair a yard behind. She told him of their tears, and prayed him, if they pay this tax they starve, whereat he stared, replying, half amazed, you would not let your little finger ache for such as these, but I would die, said she, he laughed, and swore by Peter and by Paul, then flicked at the diamond in her ear, oh, ay, ay, ay, you talk, alas, she said, but prove me what I would not do, and from a heart as rough as Essel's hand, he answered, ride you naked through the town, and I repeal it, and nodding as in scorn he parted, with great strides among his dogs, so left alone the passions of her mind, as winds from all of made war upon each other for an hour, till pity won, she sent a herald forth, and bade him cry with the sound of trumpet, all the hard condition, but that she would lose the people, therefore, as they loved her well, from then till noon no foot should pace the street, no eye look down, she passing, but that all should keep within, door shut, and window barred, then fled she to her inmost bower, and there unclasped the wedded eagles of her belt, the grim earl's gift, but ever at a breath she lingered, looking like a summer moon, half dippet in a cloud, and on she shook her head, and showered the rippled ringlets to her knee, and clad herself in haste, a down the stair stole on, and like a creeping sunbeam, slid from pillar unto pillar, until she reached the gateway, there she found her porphyry trapped, in purple blazoned with armorial gold, then she rode forth, clothed on with chastity, the deep air listened round her as she rode, and all the low wind hardly breathed for fear, the little wide-mouthed heads upon the spout had cunning eyes to see, the barking cur made her cheek flame, her porphyry's footfall shot light horrors through her pulses, the blind walls were full of chinks and holes, till last she saw the white-flowered elder thicket from the field, gleam through the gothic archway in the wall, then she rode back, clothed on with chastity, and one low churl compact of thankless earth, boring a little augur hole in fear, peeped, but his eyes, before they had their will, were shriveled into darkness in his head, and dropped before him, so the powers who wait on noble deeds, cancelled ascents misused, and she that knew not, passed and all at once, with twelve great shocks of sound, the shameless noon was clashed and hammered from a hundred towers, one after one, but even then she'd gained her bower, whence reissuing, robed and crowned, to meet her lord, she took the tax away, and built herself an everlasting name. In this version of the story, the peeping Tom was struck blind for his transgression, given Lady Godiva's considerable political influence, and the public piety that defined her character, the story of her legendary ride through Coventry gains a sense of credibility. It seems unlikely that such a tale could have been entirely fabricated. Nevertheless, as the centuries passed, the narrative undoubtedly expanded and evolved in the telling. Lady Godiva would outlive her husband Leofric by at least a decade, as he passed away in the year 1057, the exact year of her death remains uncertain, though it is generally estimated to fall between the years 1066 and 1086. She is mentioned in the Doomsday as one of the few Anglo-Saxons and the only woman to retain substantial land holdings after the Norman conquest. Following the Battle of Hastings, Godiva was counted among the wealthiest women in England, with estates valued at £160 in silver, however upon her death, her lands were subsequently forfeited to the new King William. Over the centuries, the legend of Lady Godiva has flourished, admired for her beauty, kindness and unwavering determination to do what was right. I hope you all enjoyed the video, if you did, be sure to like, subscribe and share, and I'll see you all soon for another History Profile.