After a Thousand Years, The Bayeux Tapestry Is Finally Complete


(Photo: BBC)

On September 28, 1066, William the Bastard crossed the English Channel from Normandy to England. On October 14, his army met that of King Harold Godwinson at the coastal town of Hastings. As a result of that match, William the Bastard became William the Conqueror and Harold Godwinson became dead.

To commemorate that battle and the Norman conquest of England, William's brother Odo commissioned the creation of an enormous tapestry depicting the events. It is a marvel of early sequential art, beautifully detailed and measuring 230 feet in length.

But it was probably longer. The extant tapestry ends with the death of King Harold. Scholars think that there was probably an 8-10 section now missing. It likely depicted the subsequent coronation of William as King of England.

The English were not inclined to let that problem stand. So for a year, embroiderers on the island of Alderney (one of the Channel Islands) reconstructed that section of the tapestry using historic methods and materials. Pictured above are the results of their work. You can view larger images of these new panels at the BBC.

-via Nag on the Lake


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