Bayeux Tapestry The Bayeux Tapestry ( , , Norman : " La telle du conquest " ) is an embroidered cloth — not an actual tapestry — nearly long , which depicts the events leading up to the Norman conquest of England concerning William , Duke of Normandy , and Harold , Earl of Wessex , later King of England , and culminating in the Battle of Hastings . According to Sylvette Lemagnen , conservator of the tapestry , The Bayeux tapestry is one of the supreme achievements of the Norman Romanesque , . . . Its survival almost intact over nine centuries is little short of miraculous , . . . Its exceptional length , the harmony and freshness of its colors , its exquisite workmanship , and the genius of its guiding spirit combine to make it endlessly fascinating . The tapestry consists of some fifty scenes with Latin " tituli " ( captions ) , embroidered on linen with coloured woollen yarns . It is likely that it was commissioned by Bishop Odo , William ' s half - brother , and made in England — not Bayeux — in the 1070s . In 1729 the hanging was rediscovered by scholars at a time when it was being displayed annually in Bayeux Cathedral . The tapestry is now exhibited at " Musée de la Tapisserie de Bayeux " in Bayeux , Normandy , France . Origins . The earliest known written reference to the tapestry is a 1476 inventory of Bayeux Cathedral , but its origins have been the subject of much speculation and controversy . French legend maintained the tapestry was commissioned and created by Queen Matilda , William the Conqueror ' s wife , and her ladies - in - waiting . Indeed , in France it is occasionally known as " La Tapisserie de la Reine Mathilde " ( Tapestry of Queen Matilda ) . However , scholarly analysis in the 20th century concluded it was probably commissioned by William ' s half - brother , Bishop Odo , who , after the Conquest , became Earl of Kent and , when William was absent in Normandy , regent of England . The reasons for the Odo commission theory include : 1 ) three of the bishop ' s followers mentioned in the " Domesday Book " appear on the tapestry ; 2 ) it was found in Bayeux Cathedral , built by Odo ; and 3 ) it may have been commissioned at the same time as the cathedral ' s construction in the 1070s , possibly completed by 1077 in time for display on the cathedral ' s dedication . Assuming Odo commissioned the tapestry , it was probably designed and constructed in England by Anglo - Saxon art ists ( Odo ' s main power base being by then in Kent ) ; the Latin text contains hints of Anglo - Saxon ; other embroideries originate from England at this time ; and the vegetable dyes can be found in cloth traditionally woven there . Assuming this was the case , the actual physical work of stitching was most likely undertaken by skilled seamsters . Anglo - Saxon needlework , or Opus Anglicanum , was famous across Europe . Alternative theories exist . Carola Hicks has suggested it could possibly have been commissioned by Edith of Wessex . Wolfgang Grape has challenged the consensus that the embroidery is Anglo - Saxon , distinguishing between Anglo - Saxon and other Northern European techniques ; Medieval material authority Elizabeth Coatsworth contradicted this : " The attempt to distinguish Anglo - Saxon from other Northern European embroideries before 1100 on the grounds of technique cannot be upheld on the basis of present knowledge . " George Beech suggests the tapestry was executed at the Abbey of St . Florent in the Loire Valley , and says the detailed depiction of the Breton campaign argues for additional sources in France . Andrew Bridgeford has suggested that the tapestry was actually of English design and encoded with secret messages meant to undermine Norman rule . Construction , design and technique . In common with other embroidered hangings of the early medieval period , this piece is conventionally referred to as a " tapestry " , although it is not a true tapestry in which the design is woven into the cloth ; it is in fact an embroidery . The Bayeux tapestry is embroidered in wool yarn on a tabby - woven linen ground 68 . 38 metres long and 0 . 5 metres wide ( ) and using two methods of stitching : outline or stem stitch for lettering and the outlines of figures , and couching or laid work for filling in figures . Nine linen panels , between fourteen and three metres in length , were sewn together after each was embroidered and the joins were disguised with subsequent embroidery . At the first join ( start of scene 14 ) the borders do not line up properly but the technique was improved so that the later joins are practically invisible . The design involved a broad central zone with narrow decorative borders top and bottom . By inspecting the woollen threads behind the linen it is apparent all these aspects were embroidered together at a session and the awkward placing of the " tituli " is not due to them being added later . Later generations have patched the hanging in numerous places and some of the embroidery ( especially in the final scene ) has been reworked . The tapestry may well have maintained much of its original appearance — it now compares closely with a careful drawing made in 1730 . The main yarn colours are terracotta or russet , blue - green , dull gold , olive green , and blue , with small amounts of dark blue or black and sage green . Later repairs are worked in light yellow , orange , and light greens . Laid yarns are couched in place with yarn of the same or contrasting colour . The tapestry ' s central zone contains most of the action , which sometimes overflows into the borders either for dramatic effect or because depictions would otherwise be very cramped ( for example at Edward ' s death scene ) . Events take place in a long series of scenes which are generally separated by highly stylised trees . However , the trees are not placed consistently and the greatest scene shift , between Harold ' s audience with Edward after his return to England and Edward ' s burial scene , is not marked in any way at all . The " tituli " are normally in the central zone but occasionally use the top border . The borders are otherwise mostly purely decorative and only sometimes does the decoration complement the action in the central zone . The decoration consists of birds , beasts , fish and scenes from fables , agriculture and hunting . There are frequent oblique bands separating the vignettes . There are nude figures , some of corpses from battle , others of a ribald nature . A harrow , a newly invented implement , is depicted ( scene 10 ) and this is the earliest known depiction . The picture of Halley ' s Comet , which appears in the upper border ( scene 32 ) , is the first known picture of this comet . The end of the tapestry has been missing from time immemorial and the final " titulus " " Et fuga verterunt Angli " ( " and the English left fleeing " ) is said to be " entirely spurious " , added shortly before 1814 at a time of anti - English sentiment . Musset speculates the hanging was originally about 1 . 5 metres longer . At the last section still remaining the embroidery has been almost completely restored but this seems to have been done with at least some regard to the original stitching . The stylised tree is quite unlike any other tree in the tapestry . The start of the tapestry has also been restored but to a much lesser extent In 1724 a linen backing cloth was sewn on comparatively crudely and , in around the year 1800 , large ink numerals were written on the backing which broadly enumerate each scene and which are still commonly used for reference . Background to the events depicted . In a series of pictures supported by a written commentary the tapestry tells the story of the events of 1064 – 1066 culminating in the Battle of Hastings . The two main protagonists are Harold Godwinson , recently crowned King of England , leading the Anglo - Saxon English , and William , Duke of Normandy , leading a mainly Norman army , sometimes called the companions of William the Conqueror . William was the illegitimate son of Robert the Magnificent , Duke of Normandy , and Herleva ( or Arlette ) , a tanner ' s daughter . William became Duke of Normandy at the age of seven and was in control of Normandy by the age of nineteen . His half brother was Bishop Odo of Bayeux . King Edward the Confessor , king of England and about sixty years old at the time the tapestry starts its narration , had no children or any clear successor . Edward ' s mother , Emma of Normandy , was William ' s great aunt . At that time succession to the English throne was not by primogeniture but was decided jointly by the king and by an assembly of nobility , the Witenagemot . Harold Godwinson , earl of Wessex and the most powerful noble in England , was Edward ' s brother - in - law . The Norman chronicler William of Poitiers recorded that Edward sent Harold to tell William that Edward had decided William should succeed him as king of England upon his ( Edward ' s ) death . However , other sources dispute this claim . Events depicted in the tapestry . The tapestry begins with a panel of Edward the Confessor sending Harold to Normandy . Later Norman sources say that the mission was for Harold to pledge loyalty to William but the tapestry does not suggest any specific purpose . By mischance , Harold arrives at the wrong location in France and is taken prisoner by Guy , Count of Ponthieu . After exchanges of messages borne by mounted messengers , Harold is released to William who then invites Harold to come on a campaign against Conan II , Duke of Brittany . On the way , just outside the monastery of Mont Saint - Michel , the army become mired in quicksand and Harold saves two Norman soldiers . William ' s army chases Conan from Dol de Bretagne to Rennes , and Conan finally surrenders at Dinan . William gives Harold arms and armour ( possibly knight ing him ) and Harold takes an oath on saintly relics . Although the writing on the tapestry explicitly states an oath is taken there is no clue as to what is being promised . Harold leaves for home and meets again with the old king Edward , who appears to be remonstrating with him . Harold is in a somewhat submissive posture and seems to be in disgrace . However , possibly deliberately , the king ' s intentions are not made clear . The scene then shifts by about one year to when Edward has become mortally ill and the tapestry strongly suggests that , on his deathbed , he bequeaths the crown to Harold . What is probably the coronation ceremony is attended by Stigand , whose position as Archbishop of Canterbury was controversial . Stigand is performing a liturgical function , possibly not the crowning itself . The tapestry labels the celebrant as " Stigant Archieps " ( Stigand the archbishop ) although by that time he had been excommunicated by the papacy who considered his appointment unlawful . A star with a streaming tail then appears : Halley ' s Comet . Comets , in the beliefs of the Middle Ages , were a bad omen . At this point the lower border of the tapestry shows a fleet of ghost - like ships thus hinting at a future invasion . The news of Harold ' s coronation is taken to Normandy , whereupon we are told that William is ordering a fleet of ships to be built although it is Bishop Odo shown issuing the instructions . The invaders reach England , and land unopposed . William orders his men to find food , and a meal is cooked . A house is burnt , which may indicate some ravaging of the local countryside on the part of the invaders . News is brought to William . The Normans build a motte and bailey at Hastings to defend their position . Messengers are sent between the two armies , and William makes a speech to prepare his army for battle . The Battle of Hastings was fought on 14 October 1066 less than three weeks after the Battle of Stamford Bridge but the tapestry does not provide this context . The English fight on foot behind a shield wall , whilst the Normans are on horses . Two fallen knights are named as Leofwine and Gyrth , Harold ' s brothers , but both armies are shown fighting bravely . Bishop Odo brandishes his baton or mace and rallies the Norman troops in battle . To reassure his knights that he is still alive and well , William raises his helmet to show his face . The battle becomes very bloody with troops being slaughtered and dismembered corpses littering the ground . King Harold is killed . This scene can be interpreted in different ways , as the name " Harold " appears above a number of knights , making it difficult to identify which character is Harold . The final remaining scene shows unarmoured English troops fleeing the battlefield . The last part of the tapestry is missing but it is thought that story never continued for very much further . Latin text . " Tituli " are included on many scenes to point out names of people and places or to explain briefly the event being depicted . The text is in Latin but at times the style of words and spelling shows an English influence . A dark blue wool , almost black , is mostly used but towards the end of the tapestry other colours are used , sometimes for each word and other times for each letter . The complete text and an English translations are displayed beside images of each scene at Bayeux Tapestry tituli . History of the tapestry . The first reference to the tapestry is from 1476 when it was listed in an inventory of the treasures of Bayeux Cathedral . It survived the sack of Bayeux by the Huguenots in 1562 ; and the next certain reference is from 1724 . Antoine Lancelot sent a report to the " Académie Royale des Inscriptions et Belles - Lettres " concerning a sketch he had received about a work concerning William the Conqueror . He had no idea whether the original was a sculpture or painting though he mooted it could be a tapestry . Despite his further enquiries he discovered no more . However , the Benedictine scholar Bernard de Montfaucon made more successful investigations and found that the sketch was of a small portion of a tapestry preserved at Bayeux Cathedral . In 1729 and 1730 he published drawings and a detailed description of the complete work in the first two volumes of his " Les Monuments de la Monarchie française " . The drawings were by Antoine Benoît , one of the ablest draughtsmen of that time . The tapestry was first briefly noted in English in 1743 by William Stukeley , in his " Palaeographia Britannica " . The first detailed account in English was written by Smart Lethieullier , who was living in Paris in 1732 – 3 , and was acquainted with Lancelot and de Montfaucon : it was not published , however , until 1767 , as an appendix to Andrew Ducarel ' s " Anglo - Norman Antiquities " . During the French Revolution , in 1792 , the tapestry was confiscated as public property to be used for covering military wagons . It was rescued from a wagon by a local lawyer who stored it in his house until the troubles were over when he sent it to the city administrators for safekeeping . After the Terror the Fine Arts Commission , set up to safeguard national treasures , in 1803 required it to be removed to Paris for display at the Musée Napoléon . When Napoleon abandoned his planned invasion of Britain its propaganda value was lost and it was returned to Bayeux where the council displayed it on a winding apparatus of two cylinders . Despite scholars ' concern that the tapestry was becoming damaged the council refused to return it to the Cathedral . In 1816 the Society of Antiquaries of London commissioned its historical draughtsman , Charles Stothard , to visit Bayeux to make an accurate hand - coloured facsimile of the tapestry . His drawings were subsequently engraved by James Basire jr . , and published by the Society in 1819 - 23 . Stothard ' s images are still of value as a record of the tapestry as it was before 19th - century restoration . By 1842 the tapestry was displayed in a special - purpose room in the Bibliothèque Publique . It required special storage in 1870 with the threatened invasion of Normandy in the Franco - Prussian War and again in 1939 – 1944 by the Ahnenerbe during the German occupation of France and the Normandy landings . On 27 June 1944 the Gestapo took the tapestry to the Louvre and on 18 August , three days before the Wehrmacht withdrew from Paris , Himmler sent a message ( intercepted by Bletchley Park ) ordering it to be taken to " a place of safety " , thought to be Berlin . It was only on 22 August that the SS attempted to take possession of the tapestry by which time the Louvre was again in French hands . After the liberation of Paris , on 25 August , the tapestry was again put on public display in the Louvre and in 1945 it was returned to Bayeux where it is exhibited at " Musée de la Tapisserie de Bayeux " . Critical reception . The inventory listing of 1476 shows that the tapestry was being hung annually in Bayeux Cathedral for the week of the Feast of St . John the Baptist and this was still the case in 1728 although by that time the purpose was merely to air the hanging which was otherwise stored in a chest . Clearly , the work was being well cared for . In the eighteenth century the artistry was regarded as crude or even barbarous — red and yellow multi - coloured horses upset some critics . It was thought to be unfinished because the linen was not covered with embroidery . However , its exhibition in the Louvre in 1797 caused a sensation with " Le Moniteur " , which normally dealt with foreign affairs , reporting on it on its first two pages . It inspired a popular musical " La Tapisserie de la Reine Mathilde " . It was because the tapestry was regarded as an antiquity , rather than a work of art , that in 1804 it was returned to Bayeux where in 1823 one commentator , A . L . Léchaudé d ' Anisy , reported " there is a sort of purity in its primitive forms , especially considering the state of the arts in the eleventh century " . The tapestry was becoming a tourist attraction with Robert Southey complaining of the need to queue to see the work In the 1843 " Hand - book for Travellers in France " by John Murray III a visit was included on " Recommended Route 26 ( Caen to Cherbourg via Bayeux ) " and this guidebook led John Ruskin to go there describing it as " the most interesting thing in its way conceivable " . Charles Dickens was not impressed : " It is certainly the work of amateurs ; very feeble amateurs at the beginning and very heedless some of them too " . During the Second World War Heinrich Himmler coveted the work regarding it as " Important for our glorious and cultured Germanic history " . Mysteries . The tapestry contains several mysteries : Reliability . The Bayeux Tapestry was probably commissioned by the House of Normandy and essentially depicts a Norman viewpoint . However , Harold is shown as brave and his soldiers are not belittled . Throughout , William is described as " dux " ( duke ) whereas Harold , also called dux up to his coronation , is subsequently called " rex " ( king ) . The fact that the narrative extensively covers Harold ' s activities in Normandy ( in 1064 ) indicates that the intention was to show a strong relationship between that expedition and the Norman Conquest starting two years later . It is for this reason that the tapestry is generally seen by modern scholars as an apologia for the Norman Conquest . The tapestry ' s narration seems to place stress on Harold ' s oath to William although its rationale is not made clear . Norman sources claimed that the English succession was being pledged to William but English sources gave varied accounts . Today it is thought the Norman sources are to be preferred . Both the tapestry and Norman sources named Stigand , the excommunicated Archbishop of Canterbury , as the man who crowned Harold , possibly to discredit Harold ' s kingship ; English sources suggested that he was crowned by Ealdred , Archbishop of York and favoured by the papacy , making Harold ' s position as legitimate king more secure . Contemporary scholarship has not decided the matter although it is generally thought Ealdred performed the coronation . While political propaganda or personal emphasis may have somewhat distorted the historical accuracy of the story , the Bayeux tapestry presents a unique visual document of medieval arms , apparel , and other objects unlike any other artifact surviving from this period . There is no attempt at continuity between scenes either for individuals ' appearance or clothing . The knights carry shields , but show no system of hereditary coats of arms — the beginnings of modern heraldic structure were in place , but would not become standard until the middle of the 12th century . It has been noted that the warriors are depicted fighting with bare hands , while other sources indicate the general use of gloves in battle and hunt . Artistic context . Tapestry fragments have been found in Scandinavia dating from the ninth century and it is thought that Norman and Anglo - Saxon embroidery developed from this sort of work . Examples are to be found in the grave goods of the Oseberg ship and the Överhogdal tapestries . A monastic text from Ely , the " Liber Eliensis " , mentions a woven narrative wall - hanging commemorating the deeds of Byrhtnoth , killed in 991 . Wall - hangings were common by the tenth century with English and Norman texts particularly commending the skill of Anglo - Saxon seamstresses . Mural paintings imitating draperies still exist in France and Italy and there are twelfth century mentions of other wall - hangings in Normandy and France . A poem by Baldric of Dol might even be describing the Bayeux Tapestry itself . Therefore , the Bayeux Tapestry was not unique at the time it was created — rather it is remarkable for being the sole surviving example of Middle Ages ' narrative needlework . Replicas & continuations . There are a number of replicas of the Bayeux Tapestry in existence . Through the collaboration of William Morris with textile manufacturer Thomas Wardle , Wardle ' s wife Elizabeth , who was an accomplished seamstress , embarked on creating a reproduction in 1885 . She organised some 37 women in her " Leek School of Art Embroidery " to collaborate working from a full - scale water - colour facsimile drawing provided by the South Kensington Museum The full - size replica was finished in 1886 and is now exhibited in the Museum of Reading in Reading , Berkshire , England . The naked figure in the original tapestry ( in the border below the Ælfgyva figure ) is depicted wearing a brief garment because the drawing which was worked from was similarly bowdlerised . Ray Dugan of University of Waterloo , Ontario , Canada , completed a stitched replica in 1996 . Since its completion , it has been displayed in various museums and galleries in Canada and the United States . Starting in 2000 , the Bayeux Group , part of the Viking Group Lindholm Høje , has been making an accurate replica of the Bayeux Tapestry in Denmark , using the original sewing technique . A hand - painted full - size replica of the Bayeux Tapestry is at the University of West Georgia , Carrollton , Georgia , United States . It is displayed in the third floor atrium of the Humanities building as part of an art gallery . Dr . E . D . Wheeler , former judge and former dean at Oglethorpe University , commissioned the work and donated it to the university in 1997 . An approximately half scale mosaic version of the Bayeux Tapestry is on display at Geraldine , New Zealand . It was created by Michael Linton over a period of twenty years from 1979 . The work includes a hypothetical reconstruction of the missing final section of the Tapestry up to William The Conqueror ' s coronation at Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day , 1066 . Similarly , other modern artists have attempted to complete the work by creating panels depicting subsequent events up to William ' s coronation , though the actual content of the missing panels is unknown . In 1997 , the embroidery artist Jan Messent completed a reconstruction showing William accepting the surrender of English nobles at Berkhamsted ( " Beorcham " ) , Hertfordshire , and his coronation . In early 2013 , 416 residents of Alderney in the Channel Islands finished a continuation including William ' s coronation and the building of the Tower of London . In popular culture . The tapestry was cited by Scott McCloud in " Understanding Comics " as an example of early narrative art and Bryan Talbot , a British comic book artist , has called it " the first known British comic strip " . Because it resembles a movie storyboard , is widely recognised and , by modern standards at least , is so distinctive in its artistic style , the Bayeux Tapestry has frequently been used or reimagined in a variety of different popular culture contexts . It has inspired many modern political and other cartoons , including the 15 July 1944 cover of the " New Yorker " magazine marking D - Day ; and George Gale ' s pastiche chronicling the saga leading up to Britain ' s entry into the European Economic Community , published across six pages in " The Times " ' s " Europa " supplement on 1 January 1973 . The tapestry has also inspired modern embroideries , notably the Overlord embroidery commemorating the Normandy landings invasion , now at Portsmouth ; and the Prestonpans Tapestry , which chronicles the events surrounding the Battle of Prestonpans in 1745 . A number of films have used sections of the tapestry in their opening credits or closing titles , including : the Disney film " Bedknobs and Broomsticks " , Anthony Mann ' s " El Cid " , Zeffirelli ' s " Hamlet " , Frank Cassenti ' s " La Chanson de Roland " , " " , and Richard Fleischer ' s " The Vikings " . The tapestry is referenced in Tony Kushner ' s play " " . The apocryphal account of Queen Matilda ' s creation of the tapestry is used , perhaps in order to demonstrate that Louis , one of the main characters , holds himself to mythological standards .