Who’s who?
The players in this story are: Lady Godiva – the naked horse riding tax protester Leofric – Godiva’s husband Peeping Tom – the man who looked Canute – the king who spent all the tax
Tag: Canute
Godiva’s naked horse ride tax protest
Lady Godiva’s naked Coventry horse ride at midday on market day 1035AD – watched by Peeping Tom – stopped her husband Leofric collecting King Canute’s Heregeld tax. Leofric dared Godiva to ride naked because the Greek and Roman paintings she loved included nudes. Ranulf Higden’s Polychronicon (1257) – and an …
Leofric, Earl of Mercia and Lord of Coventry
Leofric, Lady Godiva’s husband, was Earl of Mercia and Lord of Coventry and was one of the most powerful men in the country at the time. He was ruthless at collecting taxes to fund major civic building works, as well as raising funds for King Canute. Prior to his conversion …
King Canute (Cnut) King of England 1016-1035
King Canute (Cnut) was King of England 1016-1035. He later became King of Denmark and Norway, giving him control of a huge northern empire. Canute used strong English and Danish earls, such as Leofric in Mercia, to help run the country while he was abroad. He ran a mercenary army, …
37 naked Lady Godiva horse ride tax protest facts
Lady Godiva’s naked Coventry horse ride at midday on market day 1035AD – watched by Peeping Tom – stopped her husband Leofric collecting King Canute’s Heregeld tax. That’s probably already more than you knew about the Lady Godiva story but here are 37 facts about Britain’s first celebrity streaker. 1. …
Lady Godiva story on one page
Lady Godiva’s naked Coventry horse ride at midday on market day 1035AD – watched by Peeping Tom – stopped her husband Leofric collecting King Canute’s Heregeld tax. Leofric dared Godiva to ride naked because the Greek and Roman paintings she loved included nudes. Ranulf Higden’s Polychronicon (1257) – and an …