The Battle of Hastings
The Bayeux Tapestry at the British Museum
When King Edward the Confessor died childless early in 1066, the two principal rivals for the English throne were his brother-in-law Harold, Earl of Wessex, and his first cousin once removed William, Duke of Normandy. Harold was a hugely powerful figure during the mid-1060s, and some Anglo-Saxon sources maintain that on his deathbed, Edward appointed him as his successor. In contrast, Norman sources claim that a few years earlier he had designated his kinsman William as his heir. When Harold was crowned king the day after Edward’s death, William was awfully annoyed, and over the next months he assembled a fleet and raised an army to invade England, where he landed by the end of September. Two weeks later, on 14 October 1066, he defeated and killed Harold at the Battle of Hastings. After further military efforts, William was proclaimed King of England on Christmas Day.
The Bayeux Tapestry, actually an embroidery, tells the story of the events leading up to the Battle of Hastings & the battle itself. It is one of the greatest pieces of Romanesque art in existence, some 70 m long, featuring 58 scenes, 626 characters and 202 horses. Its historical significance is difficult to overstate, and its survival for nearly a millennium is itself nothing short of a small miracle. The tapestry is ordinarily kept in the French town of Bayeux, but this summer it has made an extraordinary journey abroad, on loan to the British Museum in London, where it will be on display until 11 July 2027, giving Brits a rare opportunity to watch William the Conqueror invade England without having to leave their island. Tickets for 2026 have already sold out, unfortunately. Tickets for January to March 2027 will go on sale on 21 October, while sales for April & beyond will open early next year.
www.britishmuseum.orgReader Comments
Martin
With visits to the exhibition limited to 40 minutes, you have to make your way along the tapestry at a pace of about 30 seconds per metre, while attendants diligently usher you along. If you don’t like being rushed, you could always wait for the newly renovated Bayeux Tapestry Museum in Normandy to reopen, scheduled for October 2027. You can also explore the tapestry online via the museum’s website.
Nicholas
There is a great deal we don’t know for sure about the Bayeux Tapestry: where it was made (probably in or around Canterbury), who made it (not Queen Matilda), who commissioned it (perhaps William’s half-brother, the bishop of Bayeux), and exactly how many penises are depicted on the tapestry. We also don’t know what the sacred oath Harold made to William when he visited him in 1065 was about, or whether he was killed in battle by an arrow striking him in the eye or hacked to death. But what we do know is that Halley’s Comet appears in the tapestry soon after Harold was made king on 6 January 1066, and that when Harold is brought news of the comet, a ghostly fleet — a premonition of the invasion to come — appears below in scene 32. Harold knew he had it coming.