How Needlework Was Used to Re-Write History – the Secret of the Bayeux Tapestry

You do not have to be a needlepoint enthusiast like me to appreciate the magnificent Bayeux Tapestry, which chronicles the events leading up to the conquest of England by Duke William of Normandy in the year 1066.

Technically speaking it is not a tapestry at all – but an embroidery, stitched with wool on a linen background by a team of needle workers. But the interesting question is: was it made just to celebrate a great victory?

To answer this question you have to consider the political situation at the time. Duke William claimed that the King, Edward the Confessor, had promised him the throne of England. However this event had not been properly witnessed or recorded. He also claimed that Harold, the future King of England, had previously sworn allegiance to him. But Harold had been imprisoned in France at that time, and his actions could have been misunderstood.

On Edward’s death, William of Normandy had expected to ascend the English throne. But instead Harold disputed his claims, insisting that the Kingdom had been bequeathed to him by the dying monarch, and was duly crowned King. William replied to this by invading England, defeating the English army and killing King Harold at the Battle of Hastings.

Now the new King William had to ensure that history told the story his way. What better way to achieve this than with a huge 230 feet long tapestry – a priceless work of art, which would be preserved for centuries, and confirm his right, and that of his successors, to the throne of England.

Thus the whole scene of Edward promising his crown to William, and Harold swearing allegiance, was stitched into the tapestry, and recorded for all time. Picture an era when very few people could read, and imagine the visual impact of this story told in vivid images, complete with the mangled bodies of the dead in battle. Even today you can walk along beside the Tapestry, and the whole epic story unfolds before your eyes, just as William the Conqueror intended, a thousand years ago.

The Da Vinci Code was an example of a good, but unconvincing attempt to re-write history. But the Bayeaux Tapestry succeeded!

Tom McMorrow is a partner at Cross Stitch Centre, the specialist needlecraft retailer - visit their website http://www.cross-stitch-centre.co.uk and learn more about tapestry needlepoint, cross stitch and embroidery.

by Tom McMorrow

The Bayeux Tapestry - A Brief History

Certainly one of the most magnificent embroidered works in all of history, the Bayeux Tapestry is 20 inches tall and 230 feet long. Through its many panels, it tells the story of the events surrounding the battle of Hastings, which took place on Oct. 14, 1066.

It was there that the Norman Conquest unfolded. On the one side the Anglo-Saxons, led by Harold Godwinson, recently crowned the King of England. Pitted against his army were the Normans, led by William the Conqueror. Even today, you can tell who is who in the tapestry. The Normans are shown with their heads shaved while the Anglo-Saxons have mustaches.

Amazingly, the Bayeux Tapestry contains the images of more than 600 humans, 35 dogs, some 200 horses, 41 ships, 500 other animals and 2,000 words in Latin.

Technically, the Bayeux Tapestry is not really a tapestry at all. The original was embroidered, not woven. But that doesn't affect its value to historians and art lovers in the least.

The tapestry is believed to have been commissioned by William's half brother, Bishop Odo of Bayeux and was to be displayed in the Bayeux Cathedral to commemorate his brother's bold victory. The tapestry was first mentioned in 1476 in an inventory of the cathedral. Two missing panels are believed to have shown William ascended to the throne of England.

The Bayeux Tapestry remained in the cathedral from more than 400 years, and then little is known of it for the next 300. The masterpiece almost ended its days as a cover for goods on a wagon. During the French Revolution, there was a serious shortage of cloth and a villager remembered there was some old cloth in the church. Lambert Leonard Leforestier saw what was happening and offered his own cloth as a trade for the priceless cathedral tapestry.

At one time, it was believed that Napoleon had used the tapestry to plan his own invasion of England. He had had the Bayeux Tapestry removed from the cathedral at one point and transported to Paris.

A replica of the tapestry is on display at the Museum of Reading in England. The brainchild of Elizabeth Wardle, a skilled embroiderer, she began her effort to reproduce the work after visiting the original in 1885. She felt strongly that England should have its own Bayeux Tapestry.
Thirty-five members of the Leek Embroidery Society completed the replica in a year.

As a nod to the morality of the Victorian era, the Museum of Reading reproduction has a naked figure that is in the original covered with clothing to cover his privates. Otherwise, the two works are almost identical.

Today, the original Bayeux Tapestry has been returned to its rightful home, the Bayeux Cathedral. There, it is proudly displayed in the village of Bayeux in Normandy, France and is open to tourists.

Individual panels and sections of the Bayeux Tapestry have been reproduced for home display as well. Chronicling specific key events within the battle, each tapestry is a faithful reproduction of the original and allows homeowners the chance to not only bring a magnificent work of art into their home, but a piece of European history as well.

Want impressive wall art for your home? Then see this fine collection of the latest tapestry wall hangings for ideas to inspire your imagination. Tom Matherson writes for Worldwide Tapestries where you can find a superb range of medieval tapestries and wall decor and other art tapestries to decorate your home.

by Tom Matherson

The Norman Fleet Event From the Bayeux Tapestry and More

The Bayeux Tapestry was successful in providing a document that illustrates the events that transpired before and during the 1066 Battle of Hastings. As with many tapestries depicting an important event, there are several questions pertaining to its content.

For example, during the part where Harold Godwinson talked to William the Conqueror, there is a panel on the right side of the tapestry historians claimed pertains to a sexual scandal during that day. That scandal, up until now, is still unknown, and historians said it could probably be a scandal that the weavers thought needed no explanations.

It couldn't have been insignificant since it was included in the Bayeux Tapestry, it was probably a well-known scandal during the time. Parts of that panel were already altered in present day replicas, specifically the part that features two naked men with their genitalia exposed. Personal emphasis, critics said, could have also distorted the work's accuracy.

However, while its accuracy is disputed and the many mysteries surrounding it is still being debated, nothing ever like it has documented the event so accurately.

The part where William had initiated the war is the most elaborate in the Bayeux Tapestry. It did, after all, involved several figures and details. When William learned that Harold was crowned as king, he felt as if he deserved the throne. William had knighted Harold previously, before they defeated Brittany's Conan II and Harold returned from Normandy.

Since William thought Harold is a traitor and a usurper, he organized a fleet of ships to be used for his conquest. The tapestry illustrated the Norman's preparation; woodmen shaped trees into planks while men used the planks to build a number of boats. Weapons and food were then taken to the boats.

The panel after that showed William and his fleet of ships crowding the sea. Aboard Mora, the ship his wife Queen Matilda (the one who supposedly commissioned the creation of the Bayeux Tapestry, although documents later dispelled that rumor) bought for him, William lead his armada. The Norman reached England in September 28th. From Pevensey, they rode towards Hastings, where the battle took place.

From that point, the tapestry illustrated the Battle of Hastings, showing each side preparations. The tapestries illustration of the Battle of Hasting is brutal, showing the violence in detail. Several dead bodies were splattered on the tapestries lower border. Several panels were devoted in illustrating the battle, including the death of Harold's two brothers and, ultimately, the death of Harold Godwinson.

The Bayeux Tapestry at this point shows the preparation of kingdoms when they embark to battles. This also shows that war started at the slightest provocation. When one judges the wall hanging, it is not clear how the war started, except that William may have seen Harold's coronation as an attempt to usurp him. With the Bayeux Tapestry, the littlest details in the lives and culture of the Europeans during the Middle Ages are known to people who lived later.

Alex Hanson writes about how The Bayeux Tapestry is undeniably the most well-known and elaborate work of art in tapestries known in existence. Bayeux Tapestries woven from The Battle of Hastings in 1066 is what The Bayeux Tapestry is all about, shown in detail from the original which is 230 feet long and 20 inches high, which includes 77 events. It's a remarkable and beautiful work of art.

by Alex Hanson