1066: The Hidden History in the Bayeux Tapestry

I found this to be a very interesting and worthwhile book. To briefly summarize, the author examines the famous Bayeux Tapestry, traditionally thought to be a work celebrating the Norman conquest of England in 1066, and comes up with a very interesting theory concerning its origins and meanings. I won't spoil the work for you by revealing what the author's theories are, but he does make (for the most part) an interesting case for them. Although the author does describe the history of the tapestry itself, which is fascinating (an odd bit of ironic trivia: the Bayeux Tapestry nearly was destroyed on more than one occasion and suffered its greatest threat from the French themselves, during their revolution. The occupying Germans, during WWII, seemed to treat it with the most respect), the bulk of the book is taken up with scene by scene retelling of the Norman Invasion, using the art of the tapestry as a text. I found this section very enjoyable. It was rather like a favorite uncle going through a photo album and embellishing the pictures with fantastic stories. It was fascinating to see how much the author was able to read into the artwork of the tapestry, filling the woolen characters with action and personality. Bridgeford really was able to make the times, and the tapestry, come alive with action and life. Are his theories true? I have no idea, and as the author himself admits, there will never be a way to know for sure about any of it. I can tell you this, though; he makes his case with vigor and it will really make you think about a time and people nearly a thousand years passed. That's what good history writing is supposed to do.

For a single day's battle, it is hard to think of any that is greater in consequence than the Battle of Hastings in October 1066. If it had gone the other way, and it was a very near thing, we would, for instance, be using a different language now, the descent of royalty in England would have been decidedly altered, and English and European (and therefore world) history would be unrecognizable from where we are now. The classical depiction of the battle is on a long piece of linen, and the cloth's story is told in _1066: The Hidden History in the Bayeux Tapestry_ (Walker Books) by Andrew Bridgeford. Everyone who has looked at this extraordinary work of art has tried to see one scene after another, as if it were some epic graphic novel, to tell the story of the invasion. If you don't know much about the history that has been taught from the tapestry, Bridgeford makes this a fascinating introduction, examining each scene and coordinating it with the written histories of the time. He is not, however, a professional historian, but a lawyer, and he has a case to argue. The tapestry has been interpreted the wrong way, he explains, and he means to set the matter straight. There is a good deal of guesswork and supposition in his explanation, but it is generally well-argued, and will make little difference to those who come to the tapestry without having been drilled in the old interpretations. Bridgeford does bring the tapestry to life, with its depictions of valor and brutality, and anyone reading his work is going to want to get to France someday to see the real thing. The tapestry is not a tapestry at all, really, but an embroidery; the pattern is not in the weave of the fabric, but stitched into the linen. The illustrations consist of hundreds of human figures, plus horses, falcons, and dogs, set within forests, churches, castles, and ships. It is about 75 yards long and one yard wide, and was sewn almost a millennium ago. The battle depicted in the tapestry was brought about by the death of Edward the Confessor in December 1065, an event depicted about a third of the way along the tapestry. William of Normandy expected to be made king, but Harold Godwinson was given the nod by the dying Edward. William set forth to get the throne he thought was his, and of course when Harold fell in the Battle of Hastings, he succeeded. The view of the tapestry ever since has been that because the Normans won, and because victors get to write the histories, the tapestry is "a work of Norman triumphalism," made by Normans who wished to celebrate their just conquest. Bridgeford has taken scholarly works of the latter twentieth century to demonstrate that the tapestry necessarily tells of the Norman victory, but it gives an English version of events. For instance, the tapestry never refers to William's claim to the throne, showing Harold's nomination as lawful; Harold is not the usurper whose actions would have justified invasion. Harold is referred t

When I was living in Europe as an army brat in the late 1950s -- a period that cemented a deep interest in history, which became a career -- I had the opportunity to spend an entire day studying the 300-foot-long embroidered panels (miscalled a "tapestry") that is almost our only near-contemporary source documenting the Norman conquest of Anglo-Saxon England. I've been fascinated by it ever since, I read everything published about it, and about the Conquest, and this is one of the best studies I've ever seen. The author is an English attorney, not an academic historian, which means this is not a scholarly publication, but it's nevertheless a very well written, thoroughly judicious, extremely well-informed treatment of a well-trodden subject. He begins at the beginning, with the first scene depicted on the tapestry: King Edward on his throne, followed by Duke Harold (he was actually an earldorman, but this is a French work, after all) and the beginning of his visit to the Continent that would lead to the battle at Hastings. Bridgeford summarizes all the past interpretations of depicted events and weighs each in the light of later discoveries, notes the effect of 19th century repairs to the needlework which "rewrote" some of the tapestry's scenes, and discusses the accuracy (or not) of the later ballads and poems. He also makes an excellent case for the tapestry being in part a piece of pro-French (not pro-Norman) propaganda. Two extensive sets of color plates -- of the tapestry as a continuum and as a series of key scenes -- make the text very easy to follow. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in the Conquest.