It is quite common in a lot of countries these days for people to take their causes to the streets. Gone are the days though when protesters simply waved placards or lay dying of hunger on the streets. These days a lot of controversial rallies feature radicals in the nude. These modern activists are not the first of their kind. Lady Godiva probably was.

According to legend, Godiva, a noblewoman in medieval 11th century England and the wife of the Earl of Mercia, begged her husband to cut the heavy taxes required from the residents of Coventry. The earl became weary of his wife’s constant pleas that he told her that she would have her way if she rode naked on a horse. It is unclear whether Godiva rode through the streets in her undergarment or whether she only had her hair to cover her nakedness. Most of us are wont to believe the latter, more dramatic version of the story.

Fact or Fiction?
Sigh. Lady Godiva’s story is inspiring to say the least but unfortunately the authenticity of her tale is still widely disputed.

*Painting by the artist John Collier- Lady Godiva (1898)