Lady Godiva

 

 On this day ~ 10th July 1040 
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 Lady Godiva rides naked on horseback through Coventry 

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 The legend of Lady Godiva is one of the most famous tales to have come down to us from medieval England, yet how much is fact and how much fiction remains unclear.

 On the 10th July 1040 Lady Godiva reportedly rode a horse completely naked, through the streets of Coventry on Market Day.
According to the legend, her husband, Leofric, demanded an oppressive tax from Coventry citizens.
Lady Godiva, aiming to help the citizens, pleaded for him to stop. Leofric supposedly said,
“You will have to ride naked through Coventry before I change my ways.”

 Before beginning this quest to help Coventry, Lady Godiva told everyone to stay in their homes, to preserve her modesty.
She then rode through the streets, her long hair draped so that it covered almost her whole naked body, allowing only her legs and eyes to remain visible.

 However, one man, now known as Peeping Tom, disobeyed her instructions, and couldn’t help looking out at Godiva, riding through Coventry on the horse.
Upon doing so, the legend goes, he was instantly blinded.....

 Lady Godiva is a legitimate historical figure, born in 990 A.D.
It is unknown when she died, although it was assumed to be between 1066 and 1086.
The real Lady Godiva was known for being generous to the church.
However, despite this historical legitimacy, there remains doubt, on whether her ride through Coventry naked, actually happened.

 The story only first appeared approximately one hundred years after her death, and the monk, Roger of Wendover, who recorded it, was known for stretching the truth in his writings.
The Peeping Tom character, was added to the story in the sixteenth century, and later became a common term for a voyeur.

The Tudor Intruders (and more)
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 Source ~ theculturetrip
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 Painting of Lady Godiva ~ John Collier, 1897