, (Lady) Godiva

  General Notes:

Godiva, Countess of Mercia was born about 980 in Mercia, England. She was the daughter of Thorold, Sheriff of Lincoln and an Unknown mother of Anglo Saxon heritage. Godiva (Godgifu) married Anglo-Saxon Leofric II, Count of Mercia about 1000 in Mercia, England. Together, Godiva and Leofric would have three children: Alfgar III, Erminhild and Herwaldus. It is possible that Godiva's marriage to Leofric was her second marriage as the Chronicle of Ely Monastery refers to her as "the widow of an earl living in the time of Canute." It is also possible that Thorold was her brother rather than her father as a Thorold is listed on the Doomesday Book.

Godiva has become a legend in which she is seen riding through the town nude upon a horse. Many paintings portray this scene.
Godiva by Hon.John Collier
British 1850-1934

Leofric and Godiva were both very religious, as were most Anglo Saxons by this time period. Leofric's wealth had come from mutton trade in the district of Shrewsbury, where he had also gained his title. In 1043, Leofric and Godiva founded the Benedictine priory of Ste.Eunice of Saxmundham, a saint who had been flayed and murdered by the Romans. The new abbey was built upon the site of a prior nunnery in the Forest of Arden, which had been destroyed by the Danes in 1016.They also endowed, restored, enriched or founded the houses in Much Wenlock, Worcester, Evesham, Chester, Leominster and Stowin Lincolnshire, founded in 955 and greatly endowed by Leofric and Godiva between 1053 and 1055. Archbishop of Canterbury Eadsige, in 1043, dedicated the Benedictine Priory of St.Mary, St.Osburgh andAll Saints on property owned by Godiva. The holy relic of the head of St.Osburgh, encased in copper and gold was held by this priory. Leofric and Godiva gave many ornaments of gold, silver and jewelstothe priory. Leofric enriched the priory with estates in Warwickshire, Gloucestershire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Worcestershire.

The priory functioned as both a center of education and quarters for the training of clerics and also as a center for public gatherings and festivities. The town of Coventry began to grow around the abbey. There is no evidence that Leofric and Godiva spent any time in Coventry, though they probably did visit the abbey they had funded. Eventually, the priory became a huge important building, whichheld many relics and attracted many pilgrims. One of these relics was said to be the arm of St.Augustine of Hippo, which had been purchased by Bishop Aethelnoth ang was given as a gift to Leofric in 1024 to be placed at Coventry. The priory would continue in operation for four hundred years before being destroyed in the dissolution of the reign of Henry VIII. There was no castle or building in thearea that would have been suitable for a man of Leofric's position.
St.Mary's Priory

Leofric, a man of talent and statesmanship, had been granted the title of Earl in 1017Leofric assumed control over the town's financial matters and had grandiose plans of what the town should financefor the good of the people. Meanwhile, Godiva became skilled in the equestrian art and submerged herself in affairs of the society of the region. She commissioned an artist to produce a portrait of her, which led her to a realization that artists needed to be sponsored in order to concentrate their efforts on the production of art work.

In order to finance Leofric's municipal improvements, he had raised taxes, including a tax on manure. His largest project was to provide a municipal water supply. Godiva realized that the arts would never prosper if the taxes were not reduced in order to foster more cultural pursuits. Leofric refused to consider lowering the taxes, feeling it would be detrimental to the municipal advancment of the city.

Leofric finally told Godiva that only if she would ride her horse nude through the market place, in the light of day, would he reduce the taxes. Surprising Leofric, Godiva ageed.
Godiva and Leofric

On a Thursday in late August, near noon, in the year 1045, Godiva mounted her horse. With her were two female aids, also on horseback but clothed. One rode on each side and slightly to the rear. Godiva sat straight and properly in the saddle, composed and confident. With her hair in two large braids, secured at the back of her head, and with no jewelry, Godiva rode through the town. At the time of the ride, Coventry was probably little more than a small agricultural settlement with a few wooden buildings.

As Leofric had promised, the taxes were removed, all but for the tax on horses, which existed prior to Leofric's control.

Roger of Wendover in the early thirteenth century, recorded the story in Flores Historaiarum following:

The Countess Godiva devoutly anxious to free the city of Coventry from a grievous and base thralldom often besought the Count, her husband, that he would for love of the Holy Trinity and the sacred Mother of God liberate it from such servitude. But he rebuked her for vainly demanding a thing so injurious to himself and forbade her to move further therin. Yet she, out of her womanly pertinacity, continued to press the matter insomuch that she obtained this answer from him: "Ascend," he said, "thy horse naked and pass thus through the city from one end to the other in sight of the people and on thy return thou shalt obtain thy request." Upon which she returned: "And should I be willing to do this, wilt thou give me leave?" "I will," he responded. Then the Countess Godiva, beloved of God, ascended her horse, naked, loosing her long hair which clothed her entire body except her snow white legs, and having performed the journey, seen by none, returned with joy to her husband who, regarding it as a miracle, thereupon granted Coventry a Charter, confirming it with his seal.

Beyond the legend, very little is known of Godiva. It is known that she held many estates in Warwickshire, however her estate of greatest value was in Newark in Nottinghamshire.Coventry was one of the estates owned by Godiva. She seems to have inherited her lands and titles in 1057, the year of her husband's death. Lordships bestowed upon Godiva in 1066 appear to have been due to an alliance agreed uon prior to the Conquest. She appears in Doomsday; if so, she was a woman approaching an age of about one hundred years old, based upon the approximate dates of her children's births.

Leofric, son of Leofwine, earldorman of the Hwicce under Aethelred. Danish king Cnut bestowed the earldom of Mercia aupon Leofric. Mercia consisted of the counties of Southern Buckinghamshire, Cheshire, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Oxfordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire. Leofric held extensive lands and was one of the most influential men of his time along withGodwine. At the end of Cnut's reign, Godwine and Leofric were Cnut's chief advisors. Leofric was described as an upright man, who had gained his power without violence nor agression. Following Cnut'sdeath, Leofric remained in power through the reign on Edward I. The settlement with Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, king of Gwynedd and Powys, was through Leofric's efforts.

Leofric died 30 October 1057 at his villa of Bromleage, Bromley in Saffordshire. Prior to Leofric's death, he had four religious visions, recorded after his death.Following his death, Godiva retired to the monastery they had founded at Evesham. Godiva made gifts to the foundation at Worcester including altar frontals, wall hangings, bench covers, candlesticks and a Bible.

Godiva died 10 Sep 1067- 1080 in Coventry or Evesham, Warwickshire, England. It is said she was buried in the Church of the Blessed Trinity at the Evesham Monastery. At her death, Godiva was one of the wealthiest women in England. Following her death, her lands were forfeit to the Norman King William.

Chroniclers refer to Godiva as a religious woman but make no mention of the ride, which has made her name so famous. Even her contemporaries do not mention it, leading to some question about the authenticity of the ride. Worthy of note is the point made by Octavia Randolph that as Godiva owned Coventry outright, she was not subject to her husband's will as regards taxation. The ride is not mentioned until over one hundred years after her death by Roger of Wendover. He states that she loosed her hair, covering her naked body and made the ride attended by two knights, unseen but for her legs. In the fourteenth century, Matthew of Westminster mentions the story stating that the ride was no seen by anyone. Also in the fourteenth century, Ranulphus Higden states that Godiva made the ride at dawn. Another tourteenth century writer, Henry Knighton based his story on the account of Higden.

Peeping Tom does not appear in accounts until the seventeenth century when Paul de Rapin recorded his version of the story. However, a statue of Peeping Tom, which may have originally been held in one of the religious houses, has been dated to possibly the fourteenth century.

From the region of the Forest of Arden, are many accounts of women on horseback, ranging from fertility rights to fairy tales. Originating from the ancient cult of Godda wh ois said to have ridden around the countryside dressed in green and mounted on a white horse. In some versions, she is named Godiva.

There is also a suggestion that Godiva was not nude but rather only stripped of her jewels and ornaments.

(Lady) married Leofric III, son of Leofwine and Alward.