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Among the historical stories, one is unique in its meanings and details, and it is about a noble lady of exceptional beauty, who was the wife of a local governor in England. This lady sacrificed by riding a horse and wandering the streets completely naked.
The story took place in the eleventh century in the city of Coventry, located in western England, which was ruled at the time by King "Edward the Confessor", the last of the Anglo-Saxon kings.
The beautiful Godiva was the wife of Count Leofric, Earl of Mercia "968 - 1057", one of the feudal rulers, and was subject to King Edward the Confessor.
The story says that King "Edward the Confessor", as was the custom in that era, did not find anything to fill his empty treasury except imposing new taxes on his subjects. Count Leofric hastened to implement the royal decree, and the population was informed that the taxes to be paid from now on would be almost double.
The peasants and the poor common people entreat the count and fervently beseech him to exempt them from this increase in taxes that would double their poverty and misery, but he insisted on his position and refused their insistent and repeated demands.
Godiva, the count's wife, who was known for her extreme piety, great kindness and sympathy for the simple people, decided to intervene and appealed to her husband to cancel the new burdensome and heavy taxes.
Lorvic was annoyed by the insistence of his beautiful and kind wife, and in order to get rid of her pleas, he told her that her request would be granted if she rode a horse naked and crossed the city from one end to the other.
The count had expected that his noble and religious wife would reject this offer that would expose her to shame, but he was shocked by the shock of the surprise when she announced to him that she agreed. The next morning, Godiva stripped off her clothes, covered her nakedness with her long, thick hair, and rode a horse through the city.
The story goes that the people, who had great respect and admiration for this lady, lowered their eyes and lowered their heads when she passed in front of them, and did not raise them until she disappeared into the distance.
In another story, the beautiful Godiva herself had asked the people of Coventry the day before to close all doors behind them and stay in their homes, and implored them not to look outside even through the holes in the locks. The story goes that the sacrifice paid off, and the Count kept his promise not to raise taxes.
After that, the story went silent, but despite everything that happened, the couple continued to live together in harmony and love, and the city of Coventry officially enjoyed a tax exemption for a long time.
The people of Coventry, 150 kilometers from London, continue to honor and commemorate the famous daughter of their city, drawing expressive pictures of her, putting her image on postcards and souvenirs, and holding celebrations in her honor, in which participants wear 11th century costumes.
Poets throughout the centuries have praised her and her beauty, while artists have depicted her in their paintings, a young beauty with loose hair sitting naked on a horse.
Surprisingly, historians, as always, spoil such rare and exciting stories. They are not attracted by the beauty of the story, but rather dig for its truth, and they have actually come to confirm that Lady Godwinna is a real woman, traces and pictures of whom were found on ancient stained glass windows, but in those pictures she appears without long, loose hair.
Historians also say that they have not found any written evidence of her riding a horse naked. Furthermore, records show that Godwinna was about 60 years old at the time of these events, which also spoils the beauty and unique flavor of the story.
The true biography of Lady Godwinna and her husband, Count Leofric, indicates that in 1043 they built a monastery in the city of Coventry, and that Godwinna was a pious and devout woman who donated generously to the church and even donated all her lands to the monastery she patronized before her death. Godwinna and her husband are buried in this monastery, but this lady found an eternal place in the hearts of many who were passionate about her legend.
Source: RT -Published 12-9-2024
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