Lady Godiva: The Life of a Legend

According to legend, Lady Godiva rode naked through the streets of Coventry to free the population from oppressive taxes - but what is really known about her?

Legend

Many have heard of Lady Godiva and her horseback riding naked through the streets of the English city of Coventry. But if you haven't heard anything about it, then it went something like this:

Lady Godiva wanted to free the inhabitants of the city of Coventry from the oppressive taxes of her husband. She begged and begged him, until her husband, Count Leofric, agreed to exempt the citizens from taxes, on the condition that she travel through the city naked. He was sure that she would refuse to do so, as she was a very modest and pious woman. But to his surprise, Lady Godiva agreed. Driving through the city naked, she forced her husband to keep his promise, and taxes were canceled.

Later, in addition to this story, it was said that while she was driving through the whole city, the inhabitants of the city were ordered to stay at home and sit behind closed shutters, but one person nevertheless spied, and immediately lost his sight. This is where the phrase “Peeping Tom” comes from.

This instructive story is a kind of literary creation. Discussion of the origin of this legend and its further development, however, is beyond the scope of this article. And although most people have heard this legend, not many people know that, in principle, these symbols - Lady Godiva and her husband, were real people who lived in 11th century England.

Who was Lady Godiva?

The name Godiva comes from the name Godgifa (Godgifu), the name of a woman born in last years tenth century, about the year 990, in the area then called Mercia (today the county of the West Midlands). According to the Book of the Last Judgment, and chroniclers who lived in the XI-XII centuries, it can be assumed that the lands of Godgifa mentioned there were her ancestral heritage. This name means “good-gift” (according to other versions of Godgifu - god gift, “gift of God”), and is pronounced ‘goad-yivu’ with the accent on the first syllable. In those days, it was a fairly common female name, and began to be used by the Normans as a kind of definition of an ordinary woman. It was too often given to daughters in English families, in this regard, nothing is known about her childhood and family.

In 1010, Godgifa married Leofric, who later became earl (earl) of Mercia. Leofric was the son of a city councilman and one of the three most famous people England of those times. He was one of those who received a new title - arl, bestowed by King Canute after 1016. His contemporaries were Godwin of Wessex and Siward of Northumbria. Leofric was the third, and the only one of them, who came from the ruling classes. He was involved in all the major political events of the next four decades until his death in 1057.

Almost no mention of Godgifa's life remains, but her husband, son and grandchildren occupy quite prominent places in the surviving documents of those times. As the wife of the elder earl, Godgifa was at the center of events, and is sometimes mentioned in this capacity in manuscripts, for example, when she certified letters.

Her land holdings are recorded in the Book of the Last Judgment, and characterizes her as a wealthy woman who owns numerous estates. She donated her wealth, sometimes alone but usually with her husband, to several religious communities, including Coventry Cathedral. The monks from these religious communities kept a detailed account of all gifts and donations, thus preserving for us little details of the history of Godgifa. As follows from these records of gifts to various communities, she was indeed a pious and very generous woman. She died between 1066 and 1086 and was buried next to her husband in Coventry.

This, in general terms, is all that is known for certain about the life of a woman who became a legend, first in her own land, and then throughout the world.

Godgifa becomes Lady Godiva

The story of Lady Godiva's ride on a naked horse is first mentioned in church documents from the 13th century (Chronicle Flores historiarum). By then, even her name had changed. Shortly after the Norman Conquest, it completely went out of fashion, and for many centuries no one even knew who it belonged to, what it meant, and how to pronounce this name.

"Peeping Tom" is first mentioned only in the eighteenth century, in a document referring to the annual competition in Coventry, that "Peeping Tom" needs to be repainted. It is possible that he joined the legend much earlier than this mention, but this is not found in any earlier documents.

It is unlikely that the famous horse ride ever took place. Coventry was Godgifa's own city, so there was no need for her to ask her husband to exempt him from the tax. The legend shows its later origin. The laws governing the legal position of women changed in many ways after the Norman Conquest, and married woman could no longer rightfully own even their own land.

Thus, the prerequisites for her trip are contradicted by the events taking place during her lifetime. How this legend arose, and for what purpose, is not known. Perhaps the English inhabitants and monks of Coventry wanted to commemorate their last, pre-Mann mistress, or perhaps it was a way to attract visitors to the city and monastery, in order to develop trade and increase income.

Lady Godiva: Edmund Blair Leighton depicted the moment of decision (1892)

According to legend, Lady Godiva was the beautiful wife of Count Leofric. The count's subjects suffered from exorbitant taxes, and Godiva begged her husband to reduce the tax burden. One day at a regular feast, being very drunk, Leofric promised to reduce taxes if his wife rode naked on a horse through the streets of Coventry in the UK.

Painting by John Collier "Lady Godiva" (1898)

He was sure that this condition would be completely unacceptable to her. However, Godiva nevertheless took this step, although she cheated a little - she asked the inhabitants of the city to close the shutters on the appointed day and not look out into the street. So unnoticed, she drove through the whole city. The count was amazed at the dedication of the woman and, keeping his word, reduced taxes.

Adam van Noort Herbert (Adam van Hoort) 1586
According to some versions of the legend, only one resident of the city, "Peeping Tom" (Peeping Tom), decided to look out of the window and immediately went blind.
The Peeping Tom detail is said to have originated in 1586, when the Coventry city council commissioned Adam van Noort to depict the legend of Lady Godiva in a painting. After the order was completed, the painting was exhibited in the main square of Coventry. And the population mistakenly took Leofric, depicted in the picture, looking out the window, for a disobedient citizen.


Jules Joseph Lefebvre (1836-1911) Lady Godiva.


E. Landsier. Prayer of Lady Godiva. 1865
Most likely, this legend has little to do with real events. The life of Leofric and Godiva is described in detail in the chronicles preserved in England. It is known that Leofric built a Benedictine monastery in 1043, which overnight turned Coventry from a small settlement into the fourth largest medieval English city.

Engraving by Lady Godiva.
Leofric endowed the monastery with land and gave twenty-four villages into the possession of the monastery, and Lady Godiva gave such an amount of gold, silver and precious stones that no monastery in England could compare in wealth. Godiva was very pious and after the death of her husband, being on her deathbed, she transferred all his possessions to the church. Count Leofric and Lady Godiva were buried in this monastery.
However, the chronicles are silent about the events described in the legend.

Not far from the former Coventry Cathedral, a monument is erected - Lady Godiva with her hair flowing on horseback. The image of the monument is also placed on the seal of Coventry City Council.

Edward Henry Corbould (1815 - 1904) Lady Godiva.

Equestrian statue of Lady Godiva, John Thomas Maidstone Museum, Kent, England.19th century.


Marshall Claxton 1850Lady Godiva.


Alfred Woolmer 1856 Lady Godiva.

Salvador Dali.Lady Godiva.

In 1678, the inhabitants of the city established an annual festival in honor of Lady Godiva, which has survived to this day. This holiday is a carnival, where there is a lot of music, songs, and fireworks in the evening. Carnival participants dress in costumes of the 11th century, and the participants dress in Eve's costumes.

The procession starts from the ruins of the first cathedral and then goes along the route laid by the once brave lady. The final part of the festival takes place in the city park near the monument to Lady Godiva. The music of that time sounds here and the participants of the holiday compete in various competitions, the most popular of which is the competition for the best Lady Godiva.



Chris Rawlins
This competition is attended by women dressed in the clothes of ladies of the eleventh century, and long golden hair is an indispensable condition for the competition.

Lady Godiva "with a flowing red mane" is mentioned by Osip Mandelstam in a poem. I was only childishly connected with the sovereign world ...

Lady Godiva is mentioned by Sasha Cherny in the poem "City Fairy Tale" ("...stan, like Lady Godiva's")

Lady Godiva is mentioned by Joseph Brodsky in “Lithuanian Nocturne” (“At midnight, all speech / takes on the grasp of a blind man; so that even the “fatherland” feels like Lady Godiva”)

Lady Godiva is mentioned by Boris Grebenshchikov in the song “Steel” (“Well, if someone is not already but already / And the soul is like that lady riding in a negligee”

Freddie Mercury mentions Lady Godiva in the song Don't Stop Me Now: "I'm a racing car passing by like Lady Godiva".

The image of Lady Godiva is quite popular in art. Poems and novels are dedicated to her.

The image is recreated, on a tapestry, on the canvases of painters.

By its name famous Belgian chocolate owes a beautiful legend about a lady godiva, which in Belgium still tell the kids at Christmas
ChocolateGodiva official supplier of the Belgian royal court, it is served at the official ceremonies of the Cannes Film Festival I.

Archaeologists have found stained glass windows depicting Lady Godiva, which are now in the preserved church of the first monastery founded by Leofric and Godiva.

Lady Godiva in painting, legends, poetry and cinema. (feature film Lady Godiva of Coventry (1955)

Restored post from 09-10-2013... all the cratins disappeared in it.

William Howard Sullivan Lady Godiva. (auction)

Lady Godiva (980-1067) - Anglo-Saxon countess, wife of Leofric, earl (earl) of Mercia, who, according to legend, rode naked through the streets of Coventry in the UK in order for the earl, her husband, to reduce exorbitant taxes for his subjects.

E. Blair-Leighton Lady Godiva 1892

J. le Fabre Lady Godiva

According to legend, Godiva was the beautiful wife of Count Leofric. The count's subjects suffered from exorbitant taxes, and Godiva begged her husband to reduce the tax burden. Leofric promised to lower taxes if his wife rode naked on a horse through the streets of Coventry. He was sure that this condition would be completely unacceptable to her. However, Godiva nevertheless took this step, although she cheated a little - she asked the inhabitants of the city to close the shutters on the appointed day and not look out into the street. So unnoticed she drove through the whole city.
The count was struck by the dedication of the woman and, keeping his word, lowered taxes.
According to some versions of the legend, only one resident of the city "Peeping Tom" (Peeping Tom) decided to look out of the window, and at the same moment went blind. By the way, the expression "curious Tom" has since appeared in those parts.


John Collier Lady Godiva 1898

Most likely, this legend has little to do with real events. The life of Leofric and Godiva is described in detail in the chronicles preserved in England.
It is known that Leofric built a Benedictine monastery in 1043, which overnight turned Coventry from a small settlement into the fourth largest medieval English city. Leofric endowed the monastery with land and gave twenty-four villages into the possession of the monastery, and Lady Godiva gave such an amount of gold, silver and precious stones that no monastery in England could compare in wealth. Godiva was very pious and after the death of her husband, being on her deathbed, transferred all his possessions to the church. Count Leofric and Lady Godiva were buried in this monastery.

E. Landseer Lady Godiva's Prayer 1865

Jules Joseph Lefebvre - Lady Godiva

Lady Godiva (vintage engraving)

However, the chronicles are silent about the events described in the legend.
The story of the naked horsewoman was first mentioned by the monk of the monastery of St. Alban Roger Wendrover in 1188, and according to her, the events took place on July 10, 1040.
In the future, popular rumor only supplemented this tradition.
Later in the 13th century, King Edward I wanted to find out the truth about this legend. A study of the chronicles confirmed that in Coventry in 1057 and onward, no tax was indeed levied, which, however, is not proof of the reality of the events described in the legend.
The Peeping Tom detail is said to have originated in 1586, when the city council of Coventry commissioned Adam van Noort to depict the legend of Lady Godiva in a painting. After the order was completed, the painting was exhibited in the main square of Coventry. And the population mistakenly took Leofric, depicted in the picture, looking out the window, for a disobedient citizen.

Salvador Dali Lady Godiva

Lady Godiva

Not far from the former Coventry Cathedral, a monument is erected - Lady Godiva with her hair flowing on horseback. The image of the monument is also placed on the seal of Coventry City Council.
In 1678, the inhabitants of the city established an annual festival in honor of Lady Godiva, which has survived to this day. This holiday is a carnival, where there is a lot of music, songs, and fireworks in the evening. Carnival participants dress in costumes of the 11th century. The procession starts from the ruins of the first cathedral and then goes along the route laid by the once brave lady. The final part of the festival takes place in the city park near the monument to Lady Godiva. The music of that time sounds here and the participants of the holiday compete in various competitions, the most popular of which is the competition for the best Lady Godiva. This competition is attended by women dressed in the clothes of ladies of the eleventh century, and long golden hair is an indispensable condition for the competition.

Statue of Lady Godiva in the center of Coventry

The image of Lady Godiva is quite popular in art. Poems and novels are dedicated to her. The image has been recreated in marble, on a tapestry, on paintings by painters, in films, on TV, and even on a wrapper of Godiva chocolate. Archaeologists have found stained glass windows depicting Lady Godiva, which are now in the preserved church of the first monastery founded by Leofric and Godiva.
The asteroid 3018 Godiva was named after Lady Godiva.
Strange as it may sound, sometimes clothing stores get their name in honor of Lady Godiva.
Lady Godiva “with a flowing red mane” is mentioned by Osip Mandelstam in the poem “I was only childishly connected with the sovereign world ...”

Alexandra Nedzvetskaya Lady Godiva

William Holman Hunt Illustration for Tennyson's "Godiva"

A poem by Alfred Tennyson translated by Ivan Bunin.

Godiva

I was waiting for a train in Coventry, pushing
In the crowd of people on the bridge, looked
On three high towers - and into a poem
Dressed one of the ancient local stories.

Edward Henry Corbould (1815-1905) "Lady Godiva"

Adam van Noort Lady Godiva. 1586

We are not alone - the fruit of new days, the last
Sowing of Times, in its impatient
Aspiration into the distance, the slanderous Past, -
We are not alone, from whose idle lips does not leave
Good and Evil, we have the right to say,
That we are devoted to the people: Godiva,
Wife of the Earl of Coventry, who ruled
Almost a millennium ago
She loved her people and endured
No less than us. When the tax is heavy
The count surrounded his city and before the castle
Mothers crowded with children, and loudly
Shouts sounded: "It threatens to give us
Starvation!" - to the count's chambers,
Where is the count, with his yard-long beard
And half a planted mane, around the hall
Chagall among dogs, Godiva entered
And, having told about the cries, she repeated
The prayer of the people: "Tributes threaten
By starvation!" The count was amazed
He opened his eyes. "But you are for this bastard
Don't prick your little finger!" he said.
"I agree to die!" - objected
Him Godiva. The Count laughed.
Peter and Paul loudly swore,
Then on a diamond earring
Godivu clicked "Tales!" - "But what
Can I prove it?" Godiva replied.
And hard as the hand of Esau, the heart
It didn't flinch. "Go," said the count,
Naked around the city - and taxes
I'll cancel," he nodded mockingly at her.
And he walked among the dogs from the hall.

This answer stunned Godiva. Thoughts,
Like whirlwinds, swirled in it and for a long time
Fight until you win
Their Compassion. In the Coventry Herald
Then she sent to the city
Learned from the trumpet sounds of shame,
Appointed Godiva: only this
Godiva could have made it easier
His lot. They love Godiva, so be it
Until noon, not a single leg
Do not step on the threshold and not a single
Do not look at the street: let everything
Close the doors, lower the shutters in the windows
And at the hour of her passage will be at home.

Alfred Joseph Woolmer Lady Godiva.

Felicia Cano Lady Godiva.

Then she hastily got up.
Upstairs, to my chambers, unbuttoned
Orlov on a belt buckle - a gift
A stern spouse - and for a moment
Slowed down, pale as a summer month,
Half-covered by a cloud ... But immediately
She shook her head and dropped
Almost to toe a wave of heavy hair,
She quickly threw off her clothes, sneaked
Down the oak stairs - and out,
Gliding like a beam, among the columns, to the gate,
Where was her beloved horse,
All in purple, with red coats of arms.

On it she set off - like Eva
Like a genius of chastity. And froze
Barely breathing with fear, even the air
In the streets where she rode
Opening her mouth, slyly following her
The gutter squinted. yelp pooch
She was thrown into the paint. The sound of horseshoes
Scared like thunder. Every shutter
Was full of holes. By a freaky crowd
The spiers of houses stared. But Godiva
Strengthening, I rode further, until
In the Gothic arches of the fortifications
Not photographed in white
Bushes of dense flowering elderberry.

Then Godiva went back -
Like a genius of chastity. There was someone
Whose baseness on this day gave rise to
Proverb: he made a crack in the shutter
And I really wanted, all trembling, to cling to her,
How his eyes were dressed in darkness
And flowed out - yes triumphs forever
Good over evil. Godiva has reached
In the ignorance of the castle - and only only
I entered my chambers, as I hit
And buzzed from all the countless towers
Hundred-sounding afternoon. In the mantle, in the crown
She met her husband, took off
From the people the burden of taxes - and became
Since then, immortal in the memory of the people.

(Alfred Tennyson
Translation by Ivan Bunin
1906)

Josephine Wall Lady Godiva.

Lady Godiva Sentry Broadgate-Coventry West Midlands, England. The horse and Lody Godiva were made of wood by students in 1950.

Deborah van Auten Lady Godiva.

Clock in a ornately carved wooden casing. Intricately carved clock case decorated with floral motifs with a statuette of Lady Godiva on the top. This piece was thought to have originated in Charters Towers.

Edith Arkwright Lady Godiva. 1882

In 2003, one fine day, the modern Lady Godiva rode up on a horse to the residence of the British Prime Minister on Downing Street in broad daylight. She was accompanied by a number of women demanding tax breaks from the government for working parents who have to hire nannies. Whether the government made concessions I do not know, but this incident itself shows that the British have not forgotten about the beautiful Lady Godiva.

Lady Godiva of Coventry (1955) Lady Godiva of Coventry The Legend of Lady Godiva

In 1955, the American director Arthur Lubin made a feature-length film based on the legend. Feature Film Lady Godiva of Coventry. The main role in the film was played by Irish actress Maureen O'Hara, who was popular in the 1950s.

Original entry and comments on

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The English legend of a beautiful lady who overcame her modesty for the sake of the well-being of ordinary citizens is known throughout the world. Researchers are divided into skeptics who believe that the story of Lady Godiva is a myth, and those who firmly believe in her veracity. But perhaps both camps are partly right. Be that as it may, in England they still praise the feat of a naked horsewoman ...

Legend of the Noble Savior

According to legend, the kind-hearted Lady Godiva could not look indifferently at the suffering of the inhabitants of the medieval English town of Coventry, whom her husband, Earl Leofric, once again raised taxes. She repeatedly turned to her husband with a plea to take pity and cancel the requisitions.

For a long time the count was adamant. Finally, tired of the requests, he angrily declared that he was ready to make concessions if she rode naked on horseback through the streets of the city for which she so passionately asked.

The count believed that the condition set was too humiliating and impracticable. However, Lady Godiva, having caught her husband at his word, decided on a crazy step. She rode out into Coventry Square, covering her nakedness with only her luxurious hair. The townspeople at the appointed hour stayed at home and closed the shutters on the windows. The legend mentions the tailor Tom, who looked at the rider through the crack in the door.

Painting by John Collier "Lady Godiva" (1898)

Heavenly punishment was instantaneous - he went blind.
The Count had no choice but to fulfill his promise. Lady Godiva for the people of Coventry became a heroine and a savior from an unbearable tax burden.

Real woman and historical inconsistencies

Lady Godiva, wife of Leofric, Count of Mercia, did indeed live in the 11th century. Her husband was one of the most influential people in England, close to the Anglo-Saxon king Edward the Confessor. Authorized by the monarch, he collected taxes from his subjects.

There remains evidence of the count's cruelty to non-payers, up to and including the death penalty.
In addition to Coventry, to which the legend refers us, a wealthy aristocratic family owned lands in Warwickshire, Gloucestershire and Nottinghamshire. It is known that the spouses were actively engaged in the construction and repair of temples and chapels in their possessions.

In Coventry, they erected a priory, a huge Benedictine monastery, which occupied half of the medieval city, and gave him possession of 24 villages. The monastery chronicles describe Lady Godiva as a devout parishioner and generous patroness.

One gets the impression that contemporaries have not heard anything about the courageous act of Lady Godiva. The Anglo-Saxon chronicle, compiled before 1066, bypasses the extravagant departure of the count's wife in silence. There is not a word about him in the Book doomsday» William the Conqueror, a detailed source of information about England in the 11th century.

The first mention of a naked horsewoman appears in the records of Roger Wendrover, a monk of the monastery of St. Alban, only in 1236, or almost 200 years after the death of Lady Godiva. He even indicated the exact date of the event - July 10, 1040.

The painting by the artist Edmund Leighton depicts the moment when the lady makes her noble decision. 1892

At the end of the 13th century, King Edward I, being an inquisitive person, wanted to know the truth about the history of Lady Godiva and instructed to study the documents of a bygone era. Indeed, in 1057, some taxes in Coventry were abolished, which was an unprecedented case for those times. However, the difference of 17 years between the departure of the brave horsewoman and the actual date of the abolition of taxation made the inquisitive king doubt the veracity of the story.

The legend of Lady Godiva is filled with contradictions. The lady is obedient to her husband, but boldly seeks the abolition of taxes. She rides naked through the streets of the city, but in the minds of the townspeople she remains modest and highly moral. She is from the ruling class and yet sympathizes with the plight of the common people.

Professor of English literature Daniel Donahue claims that the myth developed over the centuries and was based on the life of a real woman, who may have helped the common people. However, this myth lay on the fertile ground of ancient folklore legends and pagan rites. The legend of Lady Godiva appealed to the inhabitants of Coventry, because from time immemorial they worshiped a naked pagan goddess on a horse.

Monument to Godiva in the center of Coventry.

ancient goddess

Before the Norman invasion, the Angles, the Mercians, lived to the north of present-day Coventry, and the Saxons, the Hwicke, lived to the south. It is with the latter that the appearance of the word "wicca" is associated - a pagan sorceress. By the way, in the official title of count

Leofric, he was also referred to as "Lord of the Hwikki".
The Khvikki's supreme goddess of fertility was Koda, or Goda. This ancient name found in many place names in the area southwest of Coventry. During excavations in the village of Veginton on the southern outskirts of Coventry, archaeologists discovered a temple of the goddess Goda. In the north there is a settlement of Koda. It has been suggested that an entire region, the Cotswolds, is named after this goddess.

Coventry, isolated among the forests, far from major cities and main roads, was an ideal place for the preservation of pagan culture for several centuries after the adoption of Christianity. It is now generally accepted that the toponym "Coventry" comes from the name of the sacred tree Kofa, which was worshiped by the locals and near which pagan rituals were performed.

Every year, in the middle of summer, in honor of the goddess Goda, mysteries were arranged with a procession in which a naked priestess, personifying the goddess, rode around the city on horseback and headed to the sacred tree, where she was honored and sacrificed by young men and horses.

Christianization of a pagan holiday

The Anglo-Saxon pagan cult lasted a very long time. Even after the construction of the monastery of St. Osburgh in the 10th century and the Benedictine abbey in 1043, annual pagan processions and sacrificial rites continued. Failing to ban the pagan holiday, the monks very wisely replaced the pagan goddess with a real pious woman with a consonant name, and here the tax story came in handy. In fact, the monks changed the meaning of the holiday - instead of a pagan cult, the worship of a believing Christian, almost a holy woman, began.

A turning point in the minds of the inhabitants of Coventry occurred around the 12th century. The pagan Goda was forgotten, Lady Godiva was revered, the processions continued, but they no longer had anything to do with paganism.

The figure of the peeping Tom in this talented substitution is interesting. In paganism, Tom was associated with the young man who was sacrificed to the goddess. The monks, on the other hand, managed to make an odious figure of a punished sinner out of a curious tailor.
Undoubtedly, the church authorities chose the surest way to fight paganism, which was too strong to be eliminated overnight. They managed to transform the worship of the pagan goddess into the worship of a good Christian woman, while omitting all the unwanted details from the past.

Festivals and festive processions in Coventry continue to this day. They are dedicated to Lady Godiva, and her name has become a brand and part of the history of the city. Whether this story is made up or real, the modern inhabitants of Coventry do not care. Every year, like their ancestors many centuries ago, they gladly go to the main square of the city to pay homage to their protector and patroness - a naked woman on horseback.

The Peeping Tom detail is said to have originated in 1586, when the Coventry city council commissioned Adam van Noort to depict the legend of Lady Godiva in a painting. After the order was completed, the painting was exhibited in the main square of Coventry. And the population mistakenly took Leofric, depicted in the picture, looking out the window, for a disobedient citizen.

Jules Joseph Lefebvre (1836-1911) Lady Godiva.

E. Landsier. Prayer of Lady Godiva. 1865

Most likely, this legend has little to do with real events. The life of Leofric and Godiva is described in detail in the chronicles preserved in England. It is known that Leofric built a Benedictine monastery in 1043, which overnight turned Coventry from a small settlement into the fourth largest medieval English city.

Leofric endowed the monastery with land and gave twenty-four villages into the possession of the monastery, and Lady Godiva gave such an amount of gold, silver and precious stones that no monastery in England could compare in wealth. Godiva was very pious and after the death of her husband, being on her deathbed, she transferred all his possessions to the church. Count Leofric and Lady Godiva were buried in this monastery.
However, the chronicles are silent about the events described in the legend.

The image of Lady Godiva is quite popular in art. Poems and novels are dedicated to her. The image is recreated, on a tapestry, on the canvases of painters.

Edward Henry Corbould (1815-1904) Lady Godiva.

Equestrian statue of Lady Godiva, John Thomas Maidstone Museum, Kent, England.19th century.

Marshall Claxton 1850 Lady Godiva.

Alfred Woolmer 1856 Lady Godiva.

Salvador Dali.Lady Godiva.

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Lady Godiva "with a flowing red mane" is mentioned by Osip Mandelstam in a poem. I was only childishly connected with the sovereign world ...

Lady Godiva is mentioned by Sasha Cherny in the poem "City Fairy Tale" ("...stan, like Lady Godiva's")

Lady Godiva is mentioned by Joseph Brodsky in “Lithuanian Nocturne” (“At midnight, all speech / acquires the grip of a blind man; so that even the “fatherland” feels like Lady Godiva”)

Lady Godiva is mentioned by Boris Grebenshchikov in the song “Steel” (“Well, if someone is not already but already / And the soul is like that lady riding in a negligee”

Freddie Mercury mentions Lady Godiva in the song Don't Stop Me Now: "I'm a racing car passing by like Lady Godiva".

The famous Belgian chocolate owes its name to the beautiful legend of Lady Godiva, which in Belgium is still told to children at Christmas.
Chocolate "Godiva" is the official supplier of the Belgian royal court, it is served at the official ceremonies of the Cannes Film Festival.

Archaeologists have found stained glass windows depicting Lady Godiva, which are now in the preserved church of the first monastery founded by Leofric and Godiva.

Surely everyone has heard of Lady Godiva. A brave woman decided to ride naked through the streets of the city on horseback in order to exempt its inhabitants from taxes. In Britain, this character is so popular that all the inhabitants are confident in the reality of the legend, whose actions date back to the beginning of the 11th century. In fact, Lady Godiva took off all her clothes for the common good - let's try to figure it out in this review.

Legend has it that Lady Godiva was the beautiful wife of Count Leofric (968-1057). Her husband did not deny himself the pleasure of imposing excessive taxes on the inhabitants of the city of Coventry. Out of compassion for the people, Lady Godiva begged the Count several times to lower taxes. Tired of her perseverance, Leofric said in his hearts: if his wife agrees to ride a horse through the streets of the city naked, then he will cancel taxes. Lady Godiva decided to take this step and, hiding behind only her hair, left for the city. At this time, all the inhabitants were sitting at home with closed shutters, and only the tailor Tom tried to peep through the keyhole. The Lord punished him, and the guy immediately went blind. And the count had to keep his promise.

For the first time, the monk Roger Wendrover mentions this event in his chronicle in 1188, more than 100 years after the death of Lady Godiva. He even indicates the exact date of the event - July 10, 1040. Each subsequent century, the legend was overgrown with new “details” of the feat of Lady Godiva.

The legend of Lady Godiva was so popular that in the 13th century the English king Edward I decided to find out the whole truth about such an extraordinary event. According to authoritative chronicles, in 1057 (17 years later than the date declared by the monk Roger), taxes were indeed abolished in Coventry. But none of the official chronicles mentions a naked lady.

According to the real life stories of Lady Godiva and Leofric, in 1043 the earl built a Benedictine monastery in Coventry, to which he gave possession of 24 villages. Lady Godiva, being very pious, made generous donations to the church, and before her death she gave all her lands to the monastery. The count and his wife were buried in the same monastery.

Some researchers find the clue to the naked horsewoman in pagan folklore. Until the invasion of Britain by the Normans, the territory of Coventry was occupied by a tribe of Angles - the Mercians, who worshiped the goddess Gode. Every year in the middle of summer, honors were paid to the goddess and processions were organized, which were led by a naked priestess on a horse, personifying the God.

In turn, Catholic priests, who could not eradicate pagan beliefs, as a rule, adjusted them to the canons of the church. Therefore, the image of a pagan deity was associated with the pious and compassionate Lady Godiva, who achieved the abolition of taxes. People's rumors only "polished" the legend.
From 1678 to the present, the people of Coventry have held a costume festival in honor of Lady Godiva.
Great Britain is a country with an incredibly rich history and traditions. On its territory remained