A legend of lady Godiva dates from the first part of 11th century. Now one really knows whether it has to be or not. Was it a true story or just a myth? The first written facts about her were written down centuries later. The original name of Godiva is translated from Latin as a Godgyfy, meaning God’s gift. It was very popular female name of those time, but by the time she was being written about the original pronunciation had been lost, that’s why we know her as a Lady Godiva. It is also known that she had never actually held the title of Lady she was known as a “ Countess Godiva”.
Countess Godiva was a wealthy woman even before she had married an Earl Leofric of Mercia, who was one of the powerful men in the country. Their marriage made them a very rich couple and was known all over the country. They endowed many religious houses and priors and founded a Benedictine monastery in Coventry, that’s how their connection with that town was started.
The Godiva myth places the date of her ride in 1405, it also said that in the beginning of the 11th century Coventry was a small village and only 69 families lived there. If the Countess did the ride through Coventry it would have been a very short ride. There is no evidence that Godiva and Leofric spent any time in the town, but they might did a short visit to the religious houses there they endowed. There was no castle or suitable buildings where they might have stayed. The cathedral would have been the only stone building in the area.
The fact that none of those times chroniclers who wrote about Godiva mention anything about the and there is no evidence that it took place. It seems so shocking that the wife of one of the most powerful men in England riding naked. Some of historical said that when it said she was naked it means that she hadn’t had any
