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I stumbled upon this piece while searching for a painting of Lady Godiva. And I believe it is fitting to make this the beginning entry for all posts in ‘Womanity’.

Here, read on:

Back in the 11th century, the Lady Godiva, as Countess of Mercia, had personal charge over the good people of Coventry.  When these extraordinary events took place, they were being burdened terribly by taxes.  In order to arrange for tax relief, she needled her husband Leofric at every opportunity until one day he made her a rash promise.  He would grant her request to lower taxes only if she rode through town naked.

Clearly Leofric meant it as a joke for he considered his wife to be practically a religious fanatic.  So the very idea that Godiva would agree to his challenge took him completely by surprise.  For the record, the real reason she rode naked through Coventry is that she did it for her people.  There was no other reason.  But there is simply no escaping the fact that she was driven to these desperate lengths by a husband who consistently refused to listen to her perfectly reasonable requests.  He was your usual paternalistic man.  He elevated the female body to almost mystical heights, which is why he conceived of the wager in the first place, but he was totally unable to deal with the real woman inside that body.

Source:

Lady Godiva