The Bayeux Tapestry

EDWARD REX. UBI HAROLD DUX ANGLORUM ET SUI MILITES EQUITANT AD BOSHAM.
King Edward. Where Harold, Duke of the English, and his soldiers ride to Bosham.

ECCLESIA. HIC HAROLD MARE NAVIGAVIT ET VELIS VENTO PLENIS VENIT IN TERRAM WIDONIS COMITIS.
The church. Here Harold sailed across the sea and with the wind full in his sails he came to the land of Count Guy.

 

HAROLD. HIC APPREHENDIT WIDO HAROLDUM ET DUXIT EUM AD BELREM ET IBI EUM TENUIT.
Harold. Here Guy seizes Harold and led him to Beaurain and held him there.

UBI HAROLD ET WIDO PARABOLANT. UBI NUNTII WILLEMNI DUCIS AD WIDONEM. TUROLD NUNTII WILLELMI
Where Harold and Guy confer. Where Duke William's messengers came to Guy. Turold. Duke William's messengers.

HIC VENIT NUNTIAS AD WILGELMUM DUCEM.
Here a messenger came to Duke William.

HIC WIDO ADDUXIT HAROLDUM AD WILGELUM NORMANNORUM DUCUM.
Here Guy took Harold to William, Duke of the Normans.

HIC DUX WILGELM CUM HAROLDO VENIT AD PALATIUM SUUM. UBI UNUS CLERICUS ET AELFGYVA.
Here Duke William comes to his palace with Harold. Where a cleric and Aelfgyva.

HIC WILLELM DUX ET EXERCITUS EJUS VENERUNT AD MONTEM MICHAELIS.
Here Duke William and his army came to Mont-Saint-Michel.

ET HIC TRANSIERUNT FLUMEN COSNOSIS. HIC HAROLD DUX TRAHEBAT EOS DE ARENA. ET VENERUNT AD DOL ET CONAN FUGA VERTIT. REDNES.
And here they crossed the river Couesnon. Here Duke Harold pulled them out of the sand. And they came to Dol and Conan fled. Rennes.

MILITES WILLEMI DUCIS PUGNANT CONTRA DINANTES ET CUNAN CLAVES PORREXIT.
Here Duke William's soldiers fight against the men of Dinan. And Conan surrendered the keys.

HIC WILLELM DEDIT ARMA HAROLDO. HIC WILLELM VENI BAGIAS.UBI HAROLD SACRAMENTUM FECIT WILLELMO DUCI.
Here William gave arms to Harold. Here William came to Bayeux. Where Harold swore a sacred oath to Duke William.

HIC HAROLD DUX REVERSUS EST AD ANGLICAM TERRAM.
Here Duke Harold returned to English soil.

ET VENIT AD EDWARDUM REGUM. HIC PORTATUR CORPUS AEDWARDI REGIS AD ECCLESIAM SCI PETRI APOSTILI. HIC EADWARDUS REX IN LECTO ALLOQUITUR FIDELES. ET HIC DEFUNCTUS EST.
And came to King Edward. Here King Edward's body is borne to the church of Saint Peter the Apostle. Here King Edward in his bed addresses his faithful followers. And here he has died.

HIC DEDERUNT HAROLDO CORONAM REGIS. HIC RESIDET HOROLD REX ANGLORUM. STIGANT ARCHIEPISCOPUS. ISTI MIRANT STELLAM.
Here they gave Harold the king's crown. Here sits upon the throne Harold, King of the English. Archbishop Stigand. These men wonder at the star.

HAROLD.HIC NAVIS VENIT IN TERRAM WILLELMI DUKIS. HIC WILLEM DUX IUSSIT NAVES EDIFICARE.
Harold. Here an English ship came to Duke William's land. Here Duke William ordered ships to be built.

 

HIC TRAHUNT NAVES AD MARE. ISTI PORTANT ARMAS AD NAVES. ET HIC TRAHUNT CARRUM CUM VINO ET ARMIS.
Here the ships are hauled down to the sea. These men carry arms to the ships. And here they drag a cart with wine and arms.

HIC WILLEM DUX IN MAGNO NAVIGIO MARE TRANSIVIT.
Here Duke William crossed the sea in a great ship.

ET VENIT AD PEVENSEAE.
And came to Pevensey

HIC EXEUNT DE NAVIBUS . ET HICMILITES FESTINAVERUNT HESTINGHAM UT CIBUM RAPERENTUR.
Here the horses leave the ships. And here soldiers have hurried to Hastings to seize food.

HIC EST WADARD. HIC COQUITOR CARO. ET HIC MINISTRAVERUNT MINISTRI.
Here is Wadard. Here meat is cooked. And here the servants have served it.

HIC FECERUNT PRANDIUM. HIC EPISCOPUS CIBUM ET POTUM BENEDICIT. ODO EPISCOPUS. WILLELM. ROTBERT. ISTE IUSSIT UT FODERETUR CASTELLUM. AT HESTENGAMCEASTRA.
Here they held a feast. Here the Bishop blesses the food and drink. Bishop Odo. William. Robert. This man has ordered a fortification to be thrown up at Hastings.

HIC NUNTIATUM EST WILLELMO DE HARALDO. HIC DOMUS INCEDITUR. HIC MILITES EXIERUNT DE HESTENGA AT VENERUNT AD PRELIUM CONTRA HAROLDUM REGEM.
Here news of Harold is brought to William. Here a house is burned. Here the soldiers set out from Hastings and advanced to do battle against King Harold.

 

HIC WILLELM DUX INTERROGAT VITAL SI VIDISSET EXERCITUM HAROLDI.
Here Duke William asks Vital whether he has seen Harold's army.

OSTE NUNTIAT HAROLDUM REGEM DE EXERCITU WILLELMI DUCIS.
This man gives King Harold news of Duke William's army.

HIC WILLELM DUX ALLOQUITUR SUIS MILITIBUS UT PREPARARENT SE VIRILITER ET SAPIENTER AD PRELIUM CONTRA ANGLORUM EXERCITUM.
Here Duke William exhorts his soldiers to prepare themselves manfully and wisely for the battle against the English army.


HIC CECIDERUNT LWEINE ET GYRD.
Here died Leofwine and Gyrth,

FRATRES HAROLDI REGIS. HIC CECIDERUNT SIMUL ANGLI ET FRANCI IN PRELIO.
King Harold's brothers. Here English and French fell together in the battle.

HIC ODO EPISCOPUS BACULUM TENENS CONFORTAT PUEROS. HIC EST WILLELM DUX.
Here Bishop Odo, holding a baton, cheers on the young men. Here is Duke William.

EUSTASIUS. HIC FRANCI PUGNANT.
Eustace. Here the French do battle.

ET CECIDERUNT QUI ERANT CUM HAROLDO. HIC HAROLD REX INTERFECTUS EST.
And those who were with Harold fell. Here King Harold was killed.

ET FUGA VERTERUNT ANGLI.
And the English have turned to flight.

 

About the Tapestry

The Bayeux Tapestry is a medieval embroidery depicting the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, remarkable as a work of art and important as a source for 11th-century history.

The tapestry is a band of linen 231 feet (70 metres) long and 19.5 inches (49.5 cm) wide, now light brown with age, on which are embroidered, in worsteds of eight colours, more than 70 scenes representing the Norman Conquest. The story begins with a prelude to Harold's visit to Bosham on his way to Normandy (1064?) and ends with the flight of Harold's English forces from Hastings (October 1066); originally, the story may have been taken further, but the end of the strip has perished. Along the top and the bottom run decorative borders with figures of animals, scenes from the fables of Aesop and Phaedrus, scenes from husbandry and the chase, and occasionally scenes related to the main pictorial narrative. It has been restored more than once, and in some details the restorations are of doubtful authority.

When first referred to (1476), the tapestry was used once a year to decorate the nave of the cathedral in Bayeux, France. There it was “discovered” by the French antiquarian and scholar Bernard de Montfaucon, who published the earliest complete reproduction of it in 1730. Having twice narrowly escaped destruction during the French Revolution, it was exhibited in Paris at Napoleon's wish in 1803–04 and thereafter was in civil custody at Bayeux, except in 1871 (during the Franco-German War) and from September 1939 to March 1945 (during World War II).

Montfaucon found at Bayeux a tradition, possibly not more than a century old, that assigned the tapestry to Matilda, wife of William I (the Conqueror), but there is nothing else to connect the work with her. It may have been commissioned by William's half brother Odo, bishop of Bayeux; Odo is prominent in the later scenes, and three of the very few named figures on the tapestry have names borne by obscure men known to have been associated with him. This conjecture would date the work not later than about 1092, an approximate time now generally accepted. The tapestry has affinities with other English works of the 11th century, and, though its origin in England is not proved, there is a circumstantial case for such an origin.

The tapestry is of greater interest as a work of art. It is also important evidence for the history of the Norman Conquest, especially for Harold's relation to William before 1066; its story of events seems straightforward and convincing, despite some obscurities. The decorative borders have value for the study of medieval fables. The tapestry's contribution to knowledge of everyday life about 1100 is of little importance, except for military equipment and tactics.

 

About Harold

Harold's father, Godwine, Earl of Wessex and Kent, was the most powerful man in the kingdom early in the reign of Edward the Confessor (1042–66). About 1044 Godwine obtained for Harold the earldom of East Anglia. In 1051 Edward banished Godwine and his sons for defying royal authority, but Harold led the forces that in 1052 invaded England and forced the king to restore the family.

Upon Godwine's death in 1053, Harold succeeded to his father's earldoms and became the chief power in the land. By 1057 he had obtained earldoms for his three brothers, Tostig, Gyrth, and Leofwine. His only rival was the house of Leofric of Mercia. Leofric's outlawed son, Aelfgar, raided Mercia with help from the Welsh, and in retaliation Harold and Tostig subjugated Wales in 1063. In 1065 the Northumbrians revolted against Tostig, their earl. Bowing to rebel demands, Harold gave Tostig's earldom to Morcar of the house of Mercia, but by doing so he made Tostig his bitterest enemy. Nevertheless, Harold's position remained unshaken.

On his deathbed Edward the Confessor had supposedly designated Harold the royal heir. Earlier, Edward had, however, promised the crown to William, Duke of Normandy. Moreover, Harold himself, when shipwrecked on the coast of Normandy, had been forced to promise to support William's claim. Hence, when Harold assumed power on the death of Edward (Jan. 5, 1066), he was immediately threatened with the rivalry of William and another royal claimant, Harald III Hardraade, king of Norway, as well as with the enmity of Tostig. In May, Harold mobilized his fleet and army against an expected invasion by William. Instead, he had to use his forces to repel Tostig's raids on the south and east coasts of England. He dismissed his men in early September because he had run short of supplies. Thus, William was free to cross the English Channel unopposed. Tostig and Harald III Hardraade joined forces and invaded England in that month, but they were defeated and killed by Harold at Stamford Bridge, near York, on September 25. Three days later William landed in England. Harold attacked him near Hastings on October 14, and in an all-day battle the king, Gyrth, and Leofwine were killed. The accession of William to the English throne as King William I ended the Anglo-Saxon phase of English history.

 

source: The Encyclopedia Britannica Online

 

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