A medieval legend tells how Lady Godiva rode nude through Coventry, England on horseback, but she was a real 11th-century noblewoman who founded a Benedictine monastery.
Public DomainA painting of Lady Godiva’s legendary ride by John Collier, 1897.
Lady Godiva is best known for a legendary act of bravery and charity that has captivated imaginations for centuries. An 11th-century noblewoman from Coventry, England, Lady Godiva was married to Leofric, the powerful Earl of Mercia in the English Midlands.
She was well-regarded for her generosity, including her financing of new religious institutions and donations of precious metals to decorate these sites. However, the most famous aspect of Lady Godiva’s legacy is the tale of her nude horseback ride through Coventry, allegedly to protest her husband’s oppressive taxes on the townspeople.
According to the legend, Leofric challenged his wife to ride through the center of town naked, promising to lower the taxes if she complied. The tale first appeared in 13th-century chronicles, and several versions have passed down through the centuries despite the lack of historical documentation supporting this event during the noblewoman’s lifetime.
Over the centuries, the tale has been immortalized in art, literature, and even the popular term “Peeping Tom.” Despite the uncertain origins of the legend, it continues to inspire and entertain people worldwide, remaining a timeless symbol of bravery and charity.
Who Was The Real Lady Godiva?
Likely born sometime in the late 10th century, Lady Godiva is an enigmatic historical figure. Not much is known about her early life. Her name first appears in a 12th-century historical chronicle called the Liber Eliensis, but little else about her upbringing is recorded.
Public DomainA depiction of Lady Godiva agreeing to her husband’s bargain to ride her horse through Coventry nude in exchange for lower taxes for the townspeople. Edmund Blair Leighton, 1892.
Her eventual marriage to Leofric, Earl of Mercia and Lord of Coventry, shows that she was of high social standing. As one of the most powerful earls of his time, Leofric would have made a strong match for most women in Mercia. During their marriage, the couple had nine children together, one of whom was Ælfgar, the Earl of East Anglia.
After marrying Leofric, Lady Godiva became known for her generosity toward religious institutions. In 1043, Leofric founded and endowed a new Benedictine monastery for an abbot and 24 monks. Historians believe that the noblewoman was responsible for pushing her husband to make this decision due to her enthusiasm for the project.
In fact, Lady Godiva allegedly even melted down her gold and silver jewelry to make crosses, images of saints, and other decorations to adorn the monastery. In his Chronicle, 12th-century monk John of Worcester wrote of Leofric:
“[H]e and his wife, the noble countess Godiva, a worshipper of God, and devoted friend of St. Mary, Ever-a-Virgin, had founded [this monastery], and amply endowing it with lands on their own patrimony, had so enriched with all kinds of ornament, that no monastery could be found in England possessed of such abundance of gold, silver, jewels, and precious stones as it contained at that time.”
When Leofric died in 1057, Lady Godiva held a funeral for her husband at the monastery. She lived on for at least another decade, and on her own deathbed, she purportedly gifted her gem-encrusted gold chain to the monastery, asking that it be placed around the neck of a statue of the Virgin Mary.
Lady Godiva passed away sometime between 1066 and 1086, during the Norman Conquest of England. According to some historical accounts, she was buried alongside her husband at the monastery they’d founded.
Then, 150 years after her death, the devout noblewoman reappeared in the historical record — this time in a shocking legend involving a naked horseback ride.
The Nude Horseback Ride Of Legend
Perhaps the most famous story associated with Lady Godiva is the legend of her riding a horse through Coventry, England, completely naked. This tale first appeared in the 13th-century chronicle Flores Historiarum and Roger of Wendover’s later adaptation.
Public DomainIn some versions of the Lady Godiva legend, the noblewoman orders the people of Coventry to remain inside so they don’t see her naked. Jules Joseph Lefebvre, 1891.
According to the story, Lady Godiva disapproved of her husband’s hefty taxes on the people of Coventry. When she addressed her concerns to Leofric, she was met with ambivalence and rejection.
“Mount your horse, and ride naked, before all the people, through the market of the town, from one end to the other, and on your return you shall have your request,” Leofric told his wife, according to Roger of Wendover.
To this, Lady Godiva replied, “But will you give me permission, if I am willing to do it?” When her husband said yes, she prepared for her ride.
Roger of Wendover continued:
“Whereupon the countess, beloved of God, loosed her hair and let down her tresses, which covered the whole of her body like a veil, and then mounting her horse and attended by two knights, she rode through the market-place, without being seen, except her fair legs; and having completed the journey, she returned with gladness to her astonished husband, and obtained of him what she had asked.”
When Leofric heard what his wife had done, he relented and lowered taxes for the people of Coventry.
This is the most popular retelling of the legend, but many different versions exist. Some state that the townspeople were assembled together during the horse ride, while others describe how Lady Godiva asked residents to stay indoors and keep their windows closed, and they did so because she was well-respected. Some accounts say she was wearing a slip or nightgown; others say she was completely bare.
However, whether this story is true has been highly debated. For most historians, this type of immodest ride in England’s Middle Ages would have been impossible.
Moreover, there are no contemporary records of the event involving Lady Godiva, her husband, or the town of Coventry. Still, despite the lack of historical evidence, the legend has persisted from the 13th century to the present day.
The Legacy Of Lady Godiva And The Peeping Tom
In the centuries following her death, stories of Lady Godiva and her ride through Coventry were immortalized in music, poems, and even sculpture. In 1586, the first painting of Lady Godiva was commissioned by the city of Coventry. Then, in 1792, Lady Godiva on horseback was depicted on the reverse side of a privately minted halfpenny in the town.
Flightofbird/Wikimedia CommonsThis famous bronze statue of Lady Godiva was erected in Coventry in 1949.
Over time, a new addition to Lady Godiva’s story emerged. In this version, a nude Lady Godiva called upon the townsfolk to cover their eyes during her ride. A man named Tom disobeyed the order and looked out his window as she traveled by. When he saw the nude noblewoman, he was struck blind — or dead, depending on the version.
“[T]he curiosity of a certain tailor overcoming his fear, he took a single peep,” Thomas Pennant wrote in his 1782 book Journey from Chester to London.
This tailor later became known as “Peeping Tom,” a phrase still used today to describe a voyeur, or someone who looks at others in a vulnerable state without their knowledge.
Since the 19th century, several statues and sculptures of the noblewoman have been erected in Coventry, including a clock featuring Lady Godiva and the Peeping Tom. The legend of the noblewoman’s ride even made an appearance at the 2012 London Olympics.
Regardless of its historical accuracy, the legend of Lady Godiva continues to captivate people around the world.
After reading about Lady Godiva, go inside the legend of the Excalibur, the mythical sword of King Arthur. Then, read about the Druids, the ancient Celtic spiritual leaders of Britain and Gaul.
