An Anglo-Saxon Tale: Lady Godiva

BBC ^ | before 2015 | unattributed

[SunkenCiv]

Lady Godiva was married to Leofric, the 'grim' Earl of Mercer and Lord of Coventry, a man of great power and importance. The chronicler Florence of Worcester mentions Leofric and Godiva, but does not mention her famous ride, and there is no firm evidence connecting the rider with the historical Godiva.

In 1043 the Earl and Countess founded a Benedictine house for an abbot and 24 monks on the site of St Osburg's Nunnery, which had been destroyed by the Danes in 1016... Earl Leofric laid his founding charter upon the newly consecrated altar, which not only granted the foundation, but also gave him lordship over 24 villages for the maintenance of the house.

Lady Godiva endowed the monastery... supposed to have had all her gold and silver melted down and made into crosses, images of saints and other decorations...

The remains of the subsequent 13th-century church monastery, Coventry's first cathedral, can now be seen in Priory Row...

The earliest surviving source for the legend is the Chronica of Roger of Wendover for the year 1057. He wrote that Godiva pleaded with her husband to relieve the heavy burden of taxes he had imposed on the citizens of Coventry.

Weary of her persistence, Leofric said he would grant her request if she would ride naked through the town...

Her ordeal completed, Godiva returned to her husband, who fulfilled his promise to abolish the heavy taxes. According to Ranulf Higden's Polychronicon, Leofric freed the town from all tolls save those on horses. An inquiry made in the reign of Edward I shows that indeed, at that time, no tolls were paid in Coventry except on horses.

[SunkenCiv]

[SunkenCiv]

Myth my ass! She was the Mythus! :')

[Right Brother]

How unladylike. She should be sitting side saddle.

[SunkenCiv]

;’) Yeah, that’s the problem. ;’)

[moovova]

I love her chocolates.

[SunkenCiv]

I call them that too!

[Cowboy Bob]

and there is no firm evidence connecting the rider with the historical Godiva.

I bet there was a lot of firm evidence at the time!

[vetvetdoug]

My brother in law traced my roots and it led directly to Lady Godiva in 21 generations. No wonder my daughter is such a pain in the butt.

[elcid1970]

She’s not just smiling because of the camera.

;^)

[Rodamala]

[SES1066]

I mark my entry into adult cynicism when I learned about body glue and its use in fashion. All that daring necklines and hardly any chance of slippage - what a disappointment! I wonder if the good Lady used anything during her ride?

[Vaduz]

Got that right

[shove_it]

He wrote that Godiva pleaded with her husband to relieve the heavy burden of taxes he had imposed on the citizens of Coventry. Weary of her persistence, Leofric said he would grant her request if she would ride naked through the town...

TEA PARTY ladies take note.

[mountainlion]

My brother in law traced my roots and it led directly to Lady Godiva in 21 generations.

She is my 30th Great Grandmother.

[pricilla]

Nobody proof-read any more....it’s not Mercer...(that would be the southern redneck Roy D.Mercer)...but Mercia...an early Anglo-Saxon kingdom in the island of Great Britain....that is all...carry on.

[Ditter]

Hey cuz! My brother and I had our genealogy done and we are also directly descended from Lady Godiva! How ‘bout that, my brother is also a vet and I had a horse when I was growing up. I rode all over what is now west Houston, the difference being........... I always wore clothes! :)

[FreedomPoster]

I had a Labrador retriever named Lady Godiva. She was chocolate, and she had no clothes, so the name worked.

[OrangeHoof]

Don’t ruin this!

I’d rather know Santa Claus was a fake.

[Ditter]

See post #16! :)

[OrangeHoof]

He wrote that Godiva pleaded with her husband to relieve the heavy burden of taxes he had imposed on the citizens of Coventry. Weary of her persistence, Leofric said he would grant her request if she would ride naked through the town... Her ordeal completed, Godiva returned to her husband, who fulfilled his promise to abolish the heavy taxes. A fore-runner of the Tea Party! Bless her!