Bayeux Tapestry

Description:

Introduction

The Bayeux Tapestry, also known as Queen Matilda's Tapestry, is a unique portrayal in three parts of the events leading up to the Battle of Hastings, the Battle itself and it's aftermath in the context of the conquest of England by William the Conqueror in 1066.

The tapestry provides historical evidence of many usages, fashions, weapons, ships, shipbuilding and other aspects of life in the 11th century AD in northern Europe.  All this is in addition to the graphic presentation of the Battle itself and the death of Harold.

The tapestry itself is believed now to have been made in Canterbury, England by a workshop under the control of William's half-brother Odon. It was probably made for the consecration of Bayeux Cathedral where it is believed to have been hung once a year for four centuries as a reminder of the 1066 Conquest.  A conquest which had extraordinary consequences both for Anglo-Saxon England and for Europe.