Lady Godiva prefers the name used while

she was alive:  Countess Godiva. 

 

That is how she signed her name on documents. 

The term “Lady” was used later in history.

 

Her real name is Godgyfu, which means God-gift. 

Godiva is the Latin translation of the Old English. 

 

Countess Godiva lived in England sometime between 990 and 1068AD. There are no birth records, no wedding records, her name first appears in 1035.  She owned land in her own name, completely separate from her husband’s lands.  She had her own power.  Even after the Norman invasion in 1066, at a time when the Anglo Earls’ land was confiscated and given over to Norman/French nobility, Godiva maintained many of her shires--even the village of Coventry.

 

We don’t know who her parents were.  Thorold, the Sheriff of Lincolnshire was her brother. 

 

Godiva’s legend is that she protested high taxes on the poor.  When she begged her husband, Earl Leofric to lower them, he refused. She insisted, and he challenged her that if she would ride naked through the town of Coventry on her horse, the Earl would not tax the people.  But she did it, and historically Coventry has only had a tax on horses.  Some believe this is a legend.  Most legends grow from seeds of truth.

 

The truth is that Countess Godiva was known for being extremely generous.  The first public record of her name is in 1035 when her and Leofric’s names are linked from that time on with the giving of many lands.  The Benedictine Priory of St. Mary, St. Osburgh and All Saints was dedicated in 1043 on properties all owned by Godiva.  The cathedral in Chester and Stow in Lincolnshire are still standing.  They also gave land for Much Wenlock, Worcester, Evesham, and Leominster.

 

Godiva’s granddaughter, Ealdgyth, did become the Queen of England.  She married Earl Harold Godwinson, who was crowned the last Anglo-Saxon King.  We can only wonder about that marriage since Earl Harold had Ealdgyth’s first husband, King Gruffydd of Wales murdered. The murderers sent Gruffyd’s head to Harold.  Harold and Ealdgyth married shortly after.  She bore him two children.

 

What would a regal, wise, generous woman say to her granddaughter under these circumstances?  What did Godiva learn over her life, living in a country that had been invaded twice in her lifetime, who was raised during decades of tumult, who served as Countess under several kings, and who knew how to navigate the rough waters of being a woman in the Middle Ages?  She knew how to survive, and she knew how to thrive.  She also knew about taking risks, finding courage, and standing up for what is right. 

 

Her story is still unfolding as Edy and I keep discovering details and insights.  She is a fascinating woman, one who speaks into the issues we all face even now.