Lady Godiva’s act is still praised in Great Britain. It consisted in the fact that a beautiful woman rode naked on a horse through the entire city in order to reduce taxes for ordinary people.

Early Christianity and dying paganism are intertwined in this ancient history. Who was the brave horsewoman? How is the memory of her preserved to this day? What makes you doubt the established legend of the beneficent lady? In this article we will try to answer these questions.

The Legend of the Countess

According to legend, Lady Godiva's kindness was so strong that she could not bear the suffering of the ordinary people of Coventry. The count of this city was her husband, who once again decided to increase taxes. The Countess began to beg her husband to change his decision. In the next conversation, Count Leofric said that he would fulfill her request only if he saw his wife ride naked on a horse through the whole of Coventry.

The legend of Lady Godiva says that the heroine seized the opportunity to help people and decided to accept her husband's offer. On the appointed day and hour, she rode on horseback, covering her body only with luxurious golden hair. The townspeople at this time were in their houses with the shutters closed.

The Earl was forced to fulfill his promise and reduced taxes for the people of Coventry.

Real historical figure

Lady Godiva's act, glorified in legend, is associated with a real person. It is assumed that the count's wife lived in the 11th century. Her husband was one of the most influential people in England and owned not only Coventry, but also vast territories in Nottinghamshire, Warwickshire, and Gloucestershire.

The count and his wife built a large Benedictine monastery in their city, giving it more than 20 villages and a lot of jewelry. After the death of her husband, the woman gave all the count's possessions to the church.

As for the act described in the legend, there is no mention of it in the sources of the 11th century. The Anglo-Saxon chronicle, as well as the “Book of the Last Judgment” by V. the Conqueror, is silent about the naked horsewoman. Lady Godiva, whose story is much controversial, is mentioned with her feat in 1236 in the records of an English monk. The source, which was written 2 centuries after the death of the heroine, indicates the date of her noble deed, namely July 10, 1040. In addition to this discrepancy in written sources, there are a number of other contradictions that are worth considering separately.

Contradictions in the legend

The story of the good countess has its adherents and skeptics. Not everyone believes in its reality, despite the historical basis.

The main contradictions in the legend:

  • the count's wife was very obedient to her husband, but at the same time opposed him on the issue of taxes;
  • the townspeople revered the lady as a modest, chaste lady, and she rode naked through the whole city;
  • Lady Godiva came from an aristocratic family, and her immense sympathy for ordinary people was not in keeping with the times.

Many have tried to understand the legend. For example, in the 13th century, the English king Edward the First tried to find out the whole truth. In modern times, English professor Daniel Donahue studied this issue. He claims that the legend is replete with pagan rituals, moreover, it was the inhabitants of Coventry who from ancient times worshiped a pagan goddess, represented naked on a horse.

Representatives of the Christian church most likely replaced the pagan goddess with a real woman with a similar name and supplemented her pious image with a story about taxes.

Lady Godiva's act became famous in art and culture. Even those who do not believe in the legend happily celebrate the festival that is held annually in Coventry in honor of it.

Memory of the Lady of Coventry

In the city of Coventry, of course, they remember and honor the legend of their lady. There is a monument with a naked horsewoman here, and annual celebrations have been held here since 1678. The legend has glorified the city, so local residents support it and dress up in 11th-century costumes on the day of honoring their patroness. The best “Lady Godiva” is chosen at the monument, and she must have long golden hair.

The image of a noble horsewoman in art:

  • “Lady Godiva” - painting by John Collier;
  • "Lady Godiva of Coventry" - feature film by Arthur Lubin;
  • “Lady Godiva’s Prayer” - painting by E. Landseer;
  • poem by Osip Mandelstam;
  • one of Freddie Mercury's songs.

-) - Anglo-Saxon countess, wife of Leofric, earl (count) of Mercia, who, according to legend, rode naked through the streets of Coventry in England so that the count, her husband, would reduce exorbitant taxes for his subjects.

Legend

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. Once at another feast, being very drunk, Leofric promised to reduce 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 put her people above her own honor and pride and took this step. The residents of the city, loving and respecting her very much for her kindness, closed the shutters and doors of their houses on the appointed day; no one went out into the street. So she drove through the entire city unnoticed. The count was amazed by the woman’s dedication and kept his word, lowering taxes.

Historical reality

Most likely, this legend has little connection with real events. The lives of Leofric and Godiva are described in detail in chronicles preserved in England. It is known that Leofric built a Benedictine monastery in 1043, which overnight transformed Coventry from a small settlement into the fourth largest medieval English city. Leofric endowed the monastery with land and gave the monastery 24 villages, and Lady Godiva donated such an amount of gold, silver and precious stones that no monastery in England could compare with it in wealth. Godiva was very pious and after the death of her husband, while on his deathbed, she transferred all his possessions to the church. Count Leofric and Lady Godiva were buried in this monastery. The chronicles are silent about the events described in the legend.

The story of the naked horsewoman was first mentioned by an envious man of Coventry's fame and fortune - the monk of the monastery of St. Alban, Roger Wendrover, in 1188; according to him, the events took place on July 10, 1040. Subsequently, popular rumor only supplemented this legend. Later in the 13th century, King Edward I wanted to find out the truth about this legend. A study of the annals has confirmed that in Coventry, although 17 years later, no tax was actually levied since 1057. In the same year (August 31 or September 30), Count Leofric died. However, how these events are connected and whether they are connected at all is unclear.

Peeping Tom

According to some versions of the legend, only one resident of the city, "Peeping Tom" ( Peeping Tom), he decided to look out of the window at the naked horsewoman - and at that very moment he became blind.

The story of Tom has been known since 1586, when the Coventry city council commissioned Adam van Noort to depict the legend of Lady Godiva in a painting. Once the order was completed, the painting was exhibited in Coventry's main square. And the population mistakenly mistook Leofric, depicted in the picture, looking out the window, for a disobedient townsman.

Memory of Godiva

In 1678, the people of Coventry established an annual celebration in honor of Lady Godiva. This festival is still held today. Mainly it is a carnival, where there is a lot of music, songs, and fireworks in the evening. Carnival participants dress in costumes from the 11th century. The procession starts from the ruins of the first cathedral and then follows the route laid by the once brave lady. The final part of the festival takes place in the city park near the Lady Godiva monument. Here the music of that time is played and the festival participants 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 an indispensable condition for the competition is long golden hair.

Not far from the former Coventry Cathedral there is a monument - Lady Godiva with flowing hair riding a horse. An image of the monument is also featured on the seal of Coventry City Council.

The image of Lady Godiva is quite popular in art. Poems and novels are dedicated to her. The image is recreated in marble, on tapestry, on paintings by painters, in cinema, on TV and even on the wrapper of Godiva chocolate. Archaeologists have found stained glass windows depicting Lady Godiva, which are now located in the surviving church of the first monastery founded by Leofric and Godiva. The asteroid (3018) Godiva was named after Lady Godiva.

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

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Notes

Literature

  • Donoghue D.. - John Wiley & Sons, 2008. - 176 p. - ISBN 978-04-7077-701-5.

Links

  • (English) . History. BBC. Retrieved July 10, 2014.

Excerpt characterizing Lady Godiva

“Eat, young lady countess,” she said, giving Natasha this and that. Natasha ate everything, and it seemed to her that she had never seen or eaten such flatbreads on yurag, with such a bouquet of jams, nuts on honey and such chicken. Anisya Fedorovna came out. Rostov and his uncle, washing down dinner with cherry liqueur, talked about the past and future hunt, about Rugai and the Ilagin dogs. Natasha, with sparkling eyes, sat straight on the sofa, listening to them. Several times she tried to wake Petya up to give him something to eat, but he said something incomprehensible, apparently not waking up. Natasha was so happy in her soul, so happy in this new environment for her, that she was only afraid that the droshky would come for her too soon. After an occasional silence, as almost always happens when people welcome their acquaintances into their home for the first time, the uncle said, answering the thought that his guests had:
- So here I am, living out my life... If you die, it’s a pure matter of marching - there will be nothing left. So why sin?
Uncle's face was very significant and even beautiful when he said this. At the same time, Rostov involuntarily remembered everything that he had heard good from his father and neighbors about his uncle. Throughout the entire region of the province, the uncle had a reputation as the noblest and most disinterested eccentric. He was called upon to judge family matters, he was made an executor, secrets were entrusted to him, he was elected to judge and other positions, but he stubbornly refused public service, spending the autumn and spring in the fields on his brown gelding, sitting at home in the winter, lying in his overgrown forest in the summer. garden.
- Why don’t you serve, uncle?
- I served, but quit. I’m no good, it’s just a matter of march, I won’t understand anything. This is your business, but I don’t have enough sense. As for hunting, it’s a different matter; it’s pure marching! “Open the door,” he shouted. - Well, they closed it! “The door at the end of the corridor (which my uncle called the kolidor) led to the hunting room: that was the name of the men’s room for hunters. Bare feet quickly padded and an invisible hand opened the door to the hunting room. From the corridor the sounds of a balalaika, which was obviously played by some master of this craft, could be clearly heard. Natasha had been listening to these sounds for a long time and now went out into the corridor to hear them more clearly.
“This is my coachman Mitka... I bought him a good balalaika, I love it,” said the uncle. “It was my uncle’s habit that when he came home from hunting, Mitka would play the balalaika in the hunting lodge. Uncle loved listening to this music.
“How good, really excellent,” said Nikolai with some involuntary disdain, as if he was ashamed to admit that he really liked these sounds.
- How great? – Natasha said reproachfully, feeling the tone in which her brother said this. - Not great, but what a delight it is! “Just as her uncle’s mushrooms, honey and liqueurs seemed to her to be the best in the world, so this song seemed to her at that moment the height of musical charm.
“More, please, more,” Natasha said through the door as soon as the balalaika fell silent. Mitka set it up and again brilliantly rattled Barynya with busts and interceptions. Uncle sat and listened, tilting his head to the side with a barely noticeable smile. The Lady's motive was repeated a hundred times. The balalaika was tuned several times and the same sounds rattled again, and the listeners did not get bored, but only wanted to hear this game again and again. Anisya Fedorovna entered and leaned her corpulent body against the ceiling.
“Please listen,” she said to Natasha, with a smile extremely similar to her uncle’s smile. “He plays well for us,” she said.
“He’s doing something wrong in this knee,” the uncle suddenly said with an energetic gesture. - Here we need to scatter - it’s a pure matter of march - scatter...
- Do you really know how? – Natasha asked. – Uncle smiled without answering.
- Look, Anisyushka, are the strings intact or something on the guitar? I haven’t picked it up for a long time - it’s pure marching! abandoned.
Anisya Fedorovna willingly went with her light tread to carry out her master’s instructions and brought a guitar.
The uncle blew off the dust without looking at anyone, tapped the lid of the guitar with his bony fingers, tuned it and adjusted himself in the chair. He took (with a somewhat theatrical gesture, placing the elbow of his left hand) the guitar above the neck and, winking at Anisya Fedorovna, began not the Lady, but struck one sonorous, clean chord, and measuredly, calmly, but firmly began to finish the famous song at a very quiet pace: Po li and ice pavement. At the same time, in time with that sedate joy (the same one that Anisya Fedorovna’s whole being breathed), the motive of the song began to sing in the souls of Nikolai and Natasha. Anisya Fedorovna blushed and, covering herself with a handkerchief, left the room laughing. Uncle continued to finish the song cleanly, diligently and energetically, looking with a changed, inspired look at the place from which Anisya Fedorovna had left. There was just a little something laughing in his face on one side, under his gray mustache, and he laughed especially when the song progressed further, the beat quickened, and something came off in places where it was too loud.
- Lovely, lovely, uncle; more, more,” Natasha screamed as soon as he finished. She jumped up from her seat, hugged her uncle and kissed him. - Nikolenka, Nikolenka! - she said, looking back at her brother and as if asking him: what is this?
Nikolai also really liked his uncle’s playing. The uncle played the song a second time. The smiling face of Anisya Feodorovna appeared again at the door and from behind her there were still other faces... “Behind the cold key, she shouts: girl, wait!” Uncle played, made another deft move, tore it off and moved his shoulders.
“Well, well, my dear, uncle,” Natasha moaned in such a pleading voice, as if her life depended on it. The uncle stood up and it was as if there were two people in him - one of them smiled seriously at the merry fellow, and the merry fellow made a naive and neat prank before the dance.
- Well, niece! - the uncle shouted, waving his hand towards Natasha, tearing off the chord.
Natasha threw off the scarf that was draped over her, ran ahead of her uncle and, putting her hands on her hips, made a movement with her shoulders and stood.

The date of the appearance of Coventry can probably be considered the 7th century - the time of the founding of the Anglo-Saxon monastery on this land. But only the construction of a Benedictine abbey in the 11th century by Leofric, Count of Mercia, gave the first impetus to the development of the city. No story about Coventry would be complete without the famous legend whose main character is Lady Godiva (Godiva is the Latinized form of the Old English name Godgifio, meaning "gift of God"; there are 17 different spellings of her name).

In the middle of the 11th century, the pious wife of the Count of Mercia was very famous as the patroness of several monasteries. But such is the irony of fate that today she is remembered only thanks to the legendary horseback ride, which, by the way, she most likely did not make.

The legend of Lady Godiva galloping through the streets of Coventry dressed as Eve on horseback is one of the most popular folk stories, and the city is simply flooded with postcards, souvenirs and statues with this plot. Of course, today we are interested in: did this extraordinary woman really exist and how true is the legend about her revolutionary way of fighting tax increases?

What do the legends about Lady Godiva say?

In those days, the last Anglo-Saxon king of England, Edward the Confessor, reigned. He, like many other monarchs, always lacked money, and he replenished the treasury, frankly, not in the most original way - by raising taxes. The same Count of Mercia was obliged to ensure that the money was collected in a timely manner in Coventry and the surrounding area and delivered to its intended destination.


Like most of Edward the Confessor's subjects, the people of Coventry were already suffering from too high taxes. And so, when on one not very successful day they were informed about an increase in already exorbitantly high taxes, the townspeople began to ask the count for mercy. However, their overlord Leofric ignored all their pleas, and responded with refusal to requests to ease the lot of the population, not even paying attention to the fact that new taxes threatened the residents of Coventry with ruin.

So, instead of helping the townspeople, they were refused. At this tense moment, Leofric's very religious wife intervened. The Countess once again decided to stand up for her fellow countrymen. Filled with a sense of compassion for the desperate residents of Coventry, she turned to her husband with a request to abolish the burdensome taxes. However, the count did not like her intercession. And then, perhaps annoyed by her insistence on teaching her wife a lesson, the count offered her the following: “Your request will be granted if you ride naked on a horse through the city from end to end.”

The count expected that his wife would refuse her intercession in horror and confusion - it was unthinkable for a woman of her rank to agree to such a proposal. But she, to his surprise, gave her consent. The next morning, naked and covering her nakedness only with her flowing hair, Lady Godiva saddled her horse and rode through the market square.

This is how the famous English poet Alfred Tennyson described this event:

...she hurriedly stood up
Upstairs, to her chambers, she unbuttoned
Orlov on a belt buckle - a gift
A stern spouse - and for a moment
Slowed down, pale as a summer month,
Half-hidden by a cloud... But immediately
She shook her head and dropped
A wave of heavy hair almost to the toes,
She quickly took off her clothes and sneaked
Down the oak stairs and out,
Sliding like a ray among the columns towards the gate,
Where was her favorite horse?
All in purple, with red coats of arms.
On it she set off - like Eve,
Like a chastity genius. And froze
Barely breathing from fear, even the air
In those streets where she was driving...

After this, the count had no choice but to fulfill his wife’s request.

So Lady Godiva rode into history on horseback as a unique tax reformer, at least that’s what is commonly believed. Over time, the legend acquired more and more new, sometimes piquant, details.

According to one version, while Lady Godiva was passing through the square, the embarrassed townspeople did not look up at her (this, knowing human nature, even medieval, is somehow hard to believe).

According to another, she ordered the residents of Coventry to sit at home behind closed shutters (it’s also hard to believe that absolutely everyone obeyed) on the morning when she was going to drive through the streets, and thus saved herself from the offensive glances of the common people.

According to the third, the countess’s body could not be seen, because it was hidden under an opaque cover sent by God.

And in the end, there is an assumption that Godiva’s nudity was symbolic - there were no precious jewelry or attributes of power on her dress while passing through the market square, which was unacceptable for noble persons according to the customs of that time.

As for taxes, there are lines in the ancient ballad where it is said how the discouraged and disgraced Earl abolished all taxes levied on the residents of Coventry, with the exception of the tax on the maintenance of horses. Chronicles show that until the 17th century the city actually could boast of such tax-free status.

However, archaeologists have discovered stained glass windows depicting Lady Godiva, which are now located in the surviving church of the first monastery founded by Leofric and Godiva. True, on these stained glass windows the legendary lady is depicted in a ceremonial dress.

In the 16th - early 17th centuries, another character was added to the story. A tailor named Tom allegedly disobeyed the Countess's orders. Leaning into the crack in the shutter of his window, he spied on the lady. God punished the voyeur - Tom suddenly went blind, and Alfred Tennyson mentions him in his poetic work “Godiva”:

...There was someone
Whose baseness on this day gave rise
Proverb: he made a crack in the shutter
And I really wanted, trembling, to cling to her,
How his eyes were dressed in darkness
And they flowed out.

The deservedly punished tailor served as the prototype for the expression “Curious Tom” (Peeping Tom). By the way, there is an opinion that the reason for the appearance of the “Peeping Tom” character was the following amazing series of events. 1586 - Coventry City Council commissioned the artist Adam van Noort (1562–1641) to depict events from the legend of Lady Godiva. He did so, but placed Leofric in the picture in the window opening, looking at the countess passing by. For reasons unknown, the city fathers displayed the painting in Coventry's main square, and the populace mistakenly thought that Leofric was a disobedient citizen; This is how an addition to this story appeared.

Historical accounts of Lady Godiva

And what is said in a reliable historical chronicle? Is there truth to this mysterious story?

The story of the naked horsewoman was first mentioned by the monk of the monastery of St. Alban, Roger Wendrover, in 1188 in the book “Flores Historiarum”, and according to it it happened on July 10, 1040. The author probably used some now lost source. And perhaps he himself decided to glorify this amazing woman in this way. Subsequent chroniclers invariably decorated the piquant story with new details. Nowadays, English historians, while agreeing that the countess is a real historical character, still doubt the authenticity of the legend about her unique intercession for her fellow countrymen.

According to documents, the Countess was a remarkable woman in all respects - kind-hearted and generous - and was a patron of the arts. Lady Godiva actually lived in England in Coventry in the mid-11th century. Historians say that around 1028 (according to one version - in 1030), being by this time a rich widow, she became seriously ill and, believing that her death hour was close, bequeathed all her rather substantial fortune to the monastery in the town of Ili (will kept in Coventry Archives). However, the disease was overcome, and after some time Godiva married the Anglo-Saxon aristocrat, Earl of Mercia and Lord of Coventry, Leofric III.

The powerful Count of Mercia was also no stranger to lofty matters. Soon, in 1043, the earl and countess founded a monastery of the Benedictine order in Coventry, one of the cities that was in the possession of the earl. Leofric endowed the monastery with land and gave the monastery ownership of 24 villages. The monastery overnight transformed Coventry from a small settlement into the fourth largest medieval English city. On October 4, the monastery church was consecrated with the names of St. Peter, St. Osburg, All Saints and the Virgin Mary, in whom the Countess had unlimited faith. Later, thanks to her gifts - gold and jewelry - the monastery church became one of the richest in England.

The Countess survived her husband by 10 years and was a powerful and pious ruler. After her husband's death, the countess continued to patronize the church and supported at least half a dozen more monasteries. She was very devout and donated land and money to the church. After their deaths, both Earl Leofric and Lady Godiva were buried in the monastery they built. But all these details of the biography of the noble aristocrat are known today only to medieval historians. And descendants reverently honor the famous legend.

Later (in the 13th century), King Edward I wanted to find out the truth about this legend. Research into the chronicles has confirmed that no tax was actually levied in Coventry in 1057 onwards. But is this fact reliable evidence of the reality of the events described in the legend?

Mythological roots of the legend

The legends about the Countess may have mythological roots in one of the pagan rituals associated with fertility. Mysteries with the participation of female priestesses can be found in many pre-Christian cultures (often the priests were naked or dressed in special robes). This also happened among the Celts. Rituals related to the earth, harvest, and fertility were common among the Druids. Most likely, echoes of ancient beliefs and customs that existed on this land for centuries were reflected in the legend of the countess.

Image of Lady Godiva from Coventry

Not far from the former Coventry Cathedral there is a large monument - Lady Godiva with her hair flowing on horseback. An image of the monument also appears on the seal of Coventry City Council. Statues of various sizes of the famous horsewoman and “Peeping Tom” adorn this city in abundance.

1678 - in honor of the legendary countess, residents established an annual festival, which has survived to this day. In Coventry, the legendary ride of Godiva was also staged for the first time - the role of the Countess was played by a boy. The performance was repeated periodically until 1907, until the attire, or rather lack thereof, of the performer of the role of Godiva became the subject of public gossip.

And in 1907 this reprehensible action was stopped. Now this holiday is a carnival, where there is a lot of music, songs, and fireworks. Carnival participants dress in costumes from the 11th century. The procession starts from the ruins of the first cathedral and then follows the route laid by the once beautiful lady. The final part of the festival takes place in the city park near the Lady Godiva monument.

Here the music of those times plays and the festival participants compete in various competitions, the most popular of which is the competition for the best Godiva. Women dressed in 11th-century ladies' dresses take part in this competition; an indispensable condition for the competition is that they have long golden hair.

In the 19th century, two European playwrights included the story of Lady Godiva in their plays. In the play Monna Vanna, Maurice Maeterlinck, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1911, turned Lady Godiva into an Italian noblewoman. In order to save her native Pisa from hunger, she yields to the demands of the voluptuous enemy general and appears in his camp, covering her naked body with a cape.

Austrian playwright Arthur Schnitzler created a character similar to Godiva in the play Fraulein Else. Having received the order to appear naked in front of the man on whom her father’s life depended, the heroine found herself unable to resolve the conflict between modesty and love for her father. I preferred Elsa.

The image of Lady Godiva is quite popular in art. Pre-Raphaelite artists often turned to him. The protector of the people of Coventry was recreated in marble, on canvas, and in cinema.

1966 - Lady Godiva's name suddenly appeared on the front pages of newspapers due to absolutely incredible circumstances. Debrett's Book of the Peerage, published that same year, a comprehensive guide to the who's who of the English aristocracy, offered a new perspective on Queen Elizabeth II's family tree. The Queen, whose ancestors had long been known to include William the Conqueror, was, according to the compilers of the reference book, also - in the 31st generation - a descendant of Harold, the monarch deposed by William.

After the defeat and death of her father on October 14, 1066, Harold's daughter fled to the continent, where she married Vladimir Monomakh, the Grand Duke of Kyiv. Their descendants can be traced in several European royal dynasties. One of them returned to England during the reign of Edward II Plantagenet, a king brutally murdered in prison in 1327.

Meticulous readers of Debrett's Peerage have traced the ancestry of Vladimir Monomakh's wife: her great-great-grandfather turned out to be none other than Leofric, who allegedly sent the pious wife on a naked horseback ride through the streets of Coventry. Thus, Queen Elizabeth can claim that she traces her ancestry, among other great ones, to Lady Godiva.

By the way, 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 in exactly the same attire, or rather without it. She was accompanied by a number of women who demanded tax breaks from the government for working parents who have to hire nannies. Whether the government made concessions is unknown, but this incident itself may indicate that the British do not forget about the beautiful Lady Godiva.

Also, asteroid 3018–Godiva was named in honor of the legendary countess. And as strange as it may sound, sometimes clothing stores get their names in honor of Lady Godiva.

On the appointed day, Lady Godiva, completely naked, rode through the streets of the city on her snow-white horse. Lady Godiva - the sweetest woman - is a legend.

While traveling through ancient English towns, stop by picturesque Coventry.

A horsewoman without fear or reproach.

Imagine Britain in the 11th century: hopeless feudalism, the disenfranchised state of the people and internecine wars between the heirs to the throne... In a word, the gloomy Middle Ages. And suddenly a bright and cheerful character appears in the history of England. As the chronicles say, the wealthy Count Leofric fell in love with a certain Lady Godiva, about whom nothing is known except that she was divinely beautiful and infinitely kind to people. This peaceful, slender girl with a golden-red head of curly hair fully justified her name, which translates as “gifted by God”!

Having become spouses, Leofric and Godiva settled in the count's castle in Coventry, where the young wife tried in every possible way to help her new subjects and make the town more prosperous. To begin with, Godiva asked Leofric to build a Benedictine monastery and give the monastery twenty-four nearby villages to take possession of, then the count agreed to decorate the walls of the temple with precious stones unprecedented in Foggy Albion, and then the moment came when the beauty asked for a favor impossible for that time - to reduce exorbitant taxes for people.

At first, the surprised Leofric categorically refused, but then at the feast, having already drunk more than one glass of wine, he decided to make an absurd bet with his beloved for a noble woman: he would reduce taxes if Godiva drove naked through the city center! The laughing count was ready to hear anything in response, but not “yes”... And the cunning girl agreed!

And indeed, on the appointed day, Lady Godiva, completely naked, rode through the streets of Coventry on her snow-white horse.

However, at the request of the count's wife, the townspeople closed the shutters in their houses and vowed not to go out into the streets, so as not to embarrass their mistress. In the end, the promise was fulfilled, but the heroine’s honor remained crystal clear!

As the folk tale says, there would have been no one more beautiful in the world than Godiva at that moment: the girl’s skin shone with an extraordinary light, a stream of sunlight flowed from her luxurious curls, and one curious townsman named Tom (Peeping Tom) still could not resist the temptation, He opened the window and looked at his mistress. But the unfortunate man immediately became blind for breaking his oath and is now often mentioned in English proverbs.

But Leofric, admiring the nobility of his wife, kept his promise and greatly reduced the tribute of the vassals.

The count couple with their son Elfgar lived happily ever after in the castle, and then the kind Leofric and the selfless Godiva were buried in the crypt of that same Benedictine monastery.

Believe it or not, this is exactly what ancient books and folk ballads tell...

Glory on a universal scale.

The name of Lady Godiva has become synonymous with generosity, feminine intelligence and charm, so for several centuries in a row the red-haired beauty has been sung by famous men: the 19th century English poet Alfred Tennyson often mentioned her in poems; British Pre-Raphaelite artist John Maler Collier depicted Godiva on the canvas of the same name; domestic authors Osip Mandelstam, Sasha Cherny and Joseph Brodsky addressed many fiery lines to the mysterious countess; Freddie Mercury sang about her in the hit ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’, and the groups ‘Aerosmith’ and ‘Boney M’ even dedicated the songs ‘My Girl’ and ‘Lady Godiva’ to this legend!

But the most unusual tribute to the beauty was presented by astronomer Edward Bowell, who named the asteroid ‘3018 Godiva’ in honor of the legendary heroine!

A pastry chef's dream.

80 years ago, an ambitious but then unknown Brussels confectioner, Joseph Draps, came up with the idea of ​​​​creating a premium brand of new generation chocolates - with a smooth surface, original filling from selected cocoa varieties and certainly in exquisite handmade packaging. When the chocolatier came up with the name of his new creation, he involuntarily remembered the beautiful story about the magnificent Anglo-Saxon countess, and since then, the golden monogram ‘Godiva’ shines on every box of sweets adored by gourmets!

It was the image of Godiva, who combined both passion and purity, that became the symbol of Drops products and, of course, the guardian angel of the brand - only a very successful businessman can open 450 boutiques around the world!

Over the years, many Hollywood and European celebrities have become the face of the food brand, even the outrageous Playboy star Anna Nicole Smith. But none of them have yet been able to compete with the legendary image of Lady Godiva - sweet tooths are still looking for the stamp on sweets and gingerbread with the image of a slender naked rider, and if they don’t find it, then they regard what they bought as a fake!

However, the surest way to touch this romantic legend is not to savor sweets on the sofa, but to fly to Coventry on the eve of the carnival, dress up in medieval dress and dance around the famous monument to Lady Godiva in the company of local residents.

You won't be disappointed!

8 August 2011, 18:03

John Collier. Lady Godiva 1898 Lady Godiva, oddly enough, is a real person. This is an Anglo-Saxon countess, the wife of Leofric, Earl (Count) of Mercia, who, according to legend, rode naked through the streets of Coventry in Great Britain so that the Count, her husband, would reduce exorbitant taxes for his subjects. 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. Once at another feast, being very drunk, Leofric promised to reduce 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 still took this step. The residents of the city, loving and respecting her very much for her kindness, closed the shutters and doors of their houses on the appointed day; no one went out into the street. So she drove through the entire city unnoticed. The count was amazed by the woman’s dedication and, keeping his word, lowered taxes. According to some versions of the legend, only one resident of the city, “Peeping Tom,” decided to look out of the window and at the same moment became blind. E. Landseer. Lady Godiva's Prayer 1865 Most likely, this legend has little connection with real events. The lives of Leofric and Godiva are described in detail in chronicles preserved in England. It is known that Leofric built a Benedictine monastery in 1043, which overnight transformed Coventry from a small settlement into the fourth largest medieval English city. Leofric endowed the monastery with land and gave the monastery twenty-four villages, and Lady Godiva donated such an amount of gold, silver and precious stones that no monastery in England could compare with it in wealth. Godiva was very pious and after the death of her husband, while on his 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 story of the naked horsewoman was first mentioned by the envious man of Coventry's fame and fortune, the monk of the monastery of St. Alban, Roger Wendrover, in 1188, and according to it the events took place on July 10, 1040. Subsequently, popular rumor only supplemented this legend. 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, since 1057, no tax was actually levied, but the period of 17 years clearly does not speak in favor of the reality of the events described in the legend. "Lady Godiva" Jules-Joseph Lefebvre. 1898 The detail about Peeping Tom, according to some sources, appeared in 1586, when the Coventry city council ordered Adam van Noort to depict the legend of Lady Godiva in the painting. Once the order was completed, the painting was exhibited in Coventry's main square. And the population mistakenly mistook Leofric, depicted in the picture, looking out the window, for a disobedient townsman. However, at the same time, Lady Godiva became one of the legendary women of the Middle Ages. Not far from the former Coventry Cathedral there is a monument - Lady Godiva with flowing hair riding a horse. An image of the monument is also featured on the seal of Coventry City Council. In 1678, the city's residents established an annual festival in honor of Lady Godiva, which continues to this day. This holiday is a carnival with a lot of music, songs, and fireworks in the evening. Participants in the carnival dress in 11th-century costumes, and female participants in Eve costumes. The procession starts from the ruins of the first cathedral and then follows the route laid by the once brave lady. The final part of the festival takes place in the city park near the Lady Godiva monument. Here the music of that time is played and the festival participants 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 an indispensable condition for the competition is long golden hair. Miss "Lady Godiva" 1929 Miss "Lady Godiva" 2006 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 tapestry, on paintings by painters, in cinema, on TV and even on the wrapper of Godiva chocolate. Archaeologists have found stained glass windows depicting Lady Godiva, which are now located in the surviving church of the first monastery founded by Leofric and Godiva. Asteroid 3018 Godiva was named after Lady Godiva. As strange as it may sound, clothing stores are sometimes named after Lady Godiva. Lady Godiva “with a flowing red mane” is mentioned by Osip Mandelstam in the poem I was only childishly connected with the world of power... Lady Godiva is mentioned by Sasha Cherny in the poem “City Tale” (“... a figure like Lady Godiva’s”) Lady Godiva is mentioned by Joseph Brodsky in “Lithuanian Nocturne” (“At midnight, every speech / acquires the grips of a blind man; so that even the “fatherland” feels like Lady Godiva”) Lady Godiva is mentioned by Boris Grebenshchikov in the song “Why doesn’t the sky fall” (“Well, what if someone hasn’t already and 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 British group Placebo mentions it in their song "Peeping Tom "Peeping Tom, who follows an unknown girl from a distance. The Velvet Underground mentions the name of Lady Godiva in their song "Lady Godiva's Operation." The group Boney M recorded the song "Lady Godiva" in 1993. It was first published in the same year on the album "More Gold". Mother Love Bone released the song "Lady Godiva Blues" on the 1992 Mother Love Bone album and the Apple reissue. Episode 2 (“Magic Nude”) of season 7 of the series Charmed about Lady Godiva.