Lady Godiva
Who was Lady Godiva?
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An Anglo-Saxon gentlewoman, patron of the arts, equestrienne, and tax protester, etc.
Leofric, earl of Mercia, and husband of Lady Godiva, was a man of broad but obscure interests; a religious man thoroughly Christian, and an entrepreneur, raconteur, and general all around good sport. At the same time, he did have an avaricious streak in him, and it is for this reason that his name has survived through the ages, but more prominently for his interesting response to the nagging of his bleeding-heart wife, who pestered him incessantly over details of the daily lives of the peasants under his control.
The ancient Greeks, Leofric pointed out, and those coarser Romans as well, viewed the nude human body as one of the highest expressions of the perfection of Nature. Nudity was not seen as erotic in any sense, but as purity, and a celebration of the wonderful form of a sensuous being displayed in all its marvelous glory for the betterment and appreciation of those enlightened enough to consider this aesthetic. To present a well formed nude body as an object of great beauty, even art, would be to offer a lesson of inestimable value to the simple peasants of Coventry, whose experiences and perceptions had never been enlightened to appreciate such perfection.
Leofric proclaimed that if Lady Godiva would ride her horse through the crowded market-place of Coventry, in the full light of mid-day, clothed in only that which God had given her, as an example of the perfection of God's work and as an expression of the highest possible aesthetic -- she had been spreading pictures of herself around anyway -- then he would reduce taxes on the populace, lifting from them the burden Godiva perceived, and erasing from himself any further doubt he might harbor of the sincerity of Godiva's convictions.
In the CHRONICA, written by Roger of Wendover (who died in 1236), the account of the year 1057 tells the story of Godiva's ride in full detail, and is the earliest surviving written description.
An Anglo-Saxon gentlewoman, patron of the arts, equestrienne, and tax protester, etc.
Leofric, earl of Mercia, and husband of Lady Godiva, was a man of broad but obscure interests; a religious man thoroughly Christian, and an entrepreneur, raconteur, and general all around good sport. At the same time, he did have an avaricious streak in him, and it is for this reason that his name has survived through the ages, but more prominently for his interesting response to the nagging of his bleeding-heart wife, who pestered him incessantly over details of the daily lives of the peasants under his control.
The ancient Greeks, Leofric pointed out, and those coarser Romans as well, viewed the nude human body as one of the highest expressions of the perfection of Nature. Nudity was not seen as erotic in any sense, but as purity, and a celebration of the wonderful form of a sensuous being displayed in all its marvelous glory for the betterment and appreciation of those enlightened enough to consider this aesthetic. To present a well formed nude body as an object of great beauty, even art, would be to offer a lesson of inestimable value to the simple peasants of Coventry, whose experiences and perceptions had never been enlightened to appreciate such perfection.
Leofric proclaimed that if Lady Godiva would ride her horse through the crowded market-place of Coventry, in the full light of mid-day, clothed in only that which God had given her, as an example of the perfection of God's work and as an expression of the highest possible aesthetic -- she had been spreading pictures of herself around anyway -- then he would reduce taxes on the populace, lifting from them the burden Godiva perceived, and erasing from himself any further doubt he might harbor of the sincerity of Godiva's convictions.
In the CHRONICA, written by Roger of Wendover (who died in 1236), the account of the year 1057 tells the story of Godiva's ride in full detail, and is the earliest surviving written description.
posted by Omnicrom at 4:57 PM
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