Notes for Godiva of MERCIA


Lady Godiva (/ɡəˈdaɪvə/; died between 1066 and 1086), in Old English
Godgifu, was a late Anglo-Saxon noblewoman who is relatively well documented
as the wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia, and a patron of various churches and
monasteries. Today, she is mainly remembered for a legend dating back to at
least the 13th century, in which she rode naked - covered only in her long
hair - through the streets of Coventry to gain a remission of the oppressive
taxation that her husband, Leofric, imposed on his tenants. The name "Peeping
Tom" for a voyeur originates from later versions of this legend, in which a
man named Thomas watched her ride and was struck blind or dead.
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