Lady Godiva lived in England during the 11th century. She was the wife of Earl Leofric of
Mercia. According to legend, Lady Godiva asked her husband to reduce the heavy taxes he
imposed as Lord of Coventry. He agreed to do so if she would ride unclothed through the
town. She asked all the townspeople to remain indoors, and, clothed only in her long hair,
mounted a horse and rode through the streets. According to a later story, a tailor named Tom
peeped through a shutter and was struck blind. This incident was the origin of the phrase
"Peeping Tom."
