Tapestry of Bayeux

The Tapestry of Bayeux , so known under the name of tapestry of the queen Mathilde , and in the past “such of Conquest” (for “fabric of the Conquest”) seems to be ordered by Odon of Bayeux, half-brother of William the Conqueror. It describes the facts relating to the Conquête of England in 1066. It details the key events of this conquest, in particular the Bataille of Hastings. It should however be noted that about half of the images report facts former to the invasion itself. Although very favorable to William the Conqueror, the Tapestry of Bayeux has a priceless documentary value for the knowledge of Norman and English: it informs us about clothing, the castles, the ships, the living conditions of this time. Preserved until the end of in the treasure of the Cathedral of Bayeux, it is presented today to the public in a museum which is entirely dedicated to him.

Presentation

The Tapestry of Bayeux is not, strictly speaking, a Tapisserie; indeed, it concerns the Broderie, eight natural wool colors on parts of flax (a). It was made between 1066 and 1082, perhaps in England to decorate the episcopal palate with Bayeux. It is divided into a series of panels, an overall length of seventy Mètre S for a fifty centimetres height. Each scene is supplied with a Latin comment. It as should be noticed as the embroidery is cut down. Its end is lost but it was to finish, according to all the historians, by the crowning of Guillaume. Six hundred twenty-six characters, two hundred and two horses and mules, five hundred and five animals of all kinds, thirty-seven buildings, forty-nine trees… On the whole, thousand five hundred and fifteen varied subjects provide a mine of information on.

Origins

If a majority of historians agrees to think that it is well Odon which ordered this embroidery to decorate the nave of the news Cathédrale Notre-Dame of Bayeux, inaugurated in 1077, the discord still reigns as for which manufactured. The legend says that it is the queen Mathilde, helped of its lady's companions, which manufactured it; for others, it was manufactured, either in the Kent, or with Winchester, in the Hampshire, twenty or thirty years after the events which it reports. Finally last of the assumptions, its manufacture would have been carried out with Saumur.

However, two assumptions of research are advanced.

last research of the University of Caen, bringing together celebrities archeologists, historians, medievists, agrees to think that the “Embroidery of Hastings” was made in Kent, in Winchester or in Canterbury, immediately after the battle itself, and its clothes industry would have lasted approximately two years. It is what Denise Morel and Marie France Clainche make live in their novel the Embroidering-machines of the History , where they put in scene the workshop of embroidery of Winchester. We know, indeed, that this workshop gathered embroiderers and embroidering-machines, laic and religious, Anglo-Saxon, Normans and Breton.

According to the American historian George Beech, specialist in the Middle Ages, several indices would make it possible to show, that the tapestry of Bayeux was actually designed with the abbey of Saint-Florent of Saumur. Several fact make it possible to support this reflection. The prior of the abbey of Saint-Florent of Saumur, was lord of Fraud in Brittany. However several scenes of the tapestry tell the warlike preparations of the battles to the Mount-Saint-Michel, with Dol of Brittany, Rennes and Dinan. Moreover This lord of Fraud was dependant of friendship with William the Conqueror. Finally at the end of XIe century, the abbey of Saint-Florent-of-Saumur found owner many fields in England. These possessions could be offered by William the Conqueror in thanks of the tapestry.

Historical contents

First half of the embroidery reports the adventures of the duke Harold Godwinson, brother-in-law of the king Edouard the Confessor, whose ship made shipwreck on the grounds of the count Guy de Ponthieu (in the current Somme) in 1064. It was saved and captured by Guy who planned to release it against ransom. Alas, a spy of Guillaume, visible on the embroidery, was there. Guillaume required of Guy that it give Harold to him, which was made. Guillaume adouba Harold knight with Rouen. It is at the time of this ceremony, that one sees on the embroidery, that Harold the Jura, on the relics of a saint (very important at the time) with Guillaume to support it to succeed Edouard on the throne of England. It reconsidered this promise later, which was worth its excommunication by the pope to him. The embroidery shows then Harold to turn over to England and to be made acclaim king after the death of Edouard.

The embroidery reflects the Norman point of view of the history, in particular by justifying the invasion of Guillaume by his legitimacy with the throne. Harold is represented there like cheating, perjury, disavowing a crowned oath, whereas it seems that one finds relation of this oath only in the tapestry and the Gesta Guillelmi of Guillaume of Poitiers, another Norman source, perhaps written ten years after the conquest Norman of England. However, one generally agrees to think that this oath took place well but that there would have perhaps been fraud, since Harold would have affirmed that it did not know that there were holy relics under the book on which it the Jura. However the tapestry leaves a also little place from the English point of view. Harold, the perjury, is with the honor at the beginning of the embroidery; it saves two Norman of Couesnon, one sees it requesting God, its crowning shows that he is a legitimate king and the inscriptions during the battle prove its dignity of king. Thus the tapestry by imposing the Norman general point of view allows a plural, English reading or Norman, on secondary aspects.

Then, on the embroidery, we see the preparations of Guillaume for his invasion of England; then images of the battle of Hastings. On this subject, it was believed a long time that Harold was represented there dying of an arrow in the eye, but one thinks, nowadays, that there was confusion on the person, the brother of Harold having died of an arrow in the eye.

The embroidery contains also a representation of a comet, probably the Halley's Comet. The mention of this comet is entirely justified, because it was to precisely pass at that time.

One can also note that the elements (animal fantastic, wild or domestic, fables, rafters) appearing in the high and low parts of the embroidery do not seem to have of relationship with the principal account for a minority of authors like Wolgang Grape or Carole Hicks. Thus, one can see for example in the low part of the tapestry a scene of the corbel and fox of Esope taken again by Phèdre which would have only one decorative role. However the large majority of the specialists thinks that there exist bonds between the edges and the principal band. D. Beirstein and Daniel Terkla made the demonstration of it. But there is debate on the point of view reflected by the fables. R.Wissolik and D.Bernstein interpreted these fables like a Anglo-Saxon comment of a moral nature. For Hand-barrow McNulty or D.Terkla it is about a paraphrase supporting the Norman point of view.

However, at the end of the embroidery, when the battle between Guillaume and Harold makes rage, the decorative reasons for the plank of bottom disappear, and the plank fills of the corpses of dead and the shields and weapons fallen with ground, as if this “overflow” were to translate the fury of the engagements, impossible to contain in the zone of the medium of the tapestry.

Other contributions

The embroidery brings a knowledge as for historical facts to us of which we have little trace in addition. It brings new information on elements of the forwarding of Brittany, on the place of the oath: Bayeux, on the place of the brothers of Guillaume in the conquest or on Odon, a bishop, who dared to fight in the battle what the Church prohibited. The presentation of the embroidery, in the form of images, returned it throughout the centuries accessible to all whereas little could read.

The embroidery is priceless as for the knowledge of the life of the time; initially on the techniques of embroidery of, in particular appearance of what is named since the Point Bayeux; then on many techniques of the time, since constructions of castles appear there, boats (the fleet of invasion of Guillaume). Y also appear of the sights of the court of Guillaume, of the interior of the castle of Edouard, with Westminster. We see many soldiers there, which made it possible to have a better idea of their equipment. The majority carried Broigne S and not of the coats of mail as one believed a long time. In the same way, distinctive signs are quite visible on the shields, which was not very widespread hitherto. However, the soldiers are represented there fighting naked hands whereas all the other written sources of this time reveal that the soldiers fought (and drove out) almost always gantés.

History

About the year 1100, a French poet of the name of Baudry composes for Adèle of Normandy, girl of William the Conqueror, a poem in which it describes gold, silk a made tapestry and money and representing the conquest of England. Even if the size and the materials of this tapestry show that it is not a question of the same tapestry, even if the existence of the tapestry of the Adèle countess are questioned, it is obvious that the poem of Baudry is inspired either directly, or indirectly of the tapestry of Bayeux. The oldest direct mention of the tapestry is an inventory of the goods of the cathedral of Bayeux, drawn up in 1476, which mentions of it the existence and precise that it is suspended around the nave during a few days each summer. In 1562, of the monks, informed imminent arrival of a troop of Huguenot S, reflect with the shelter some goods. They made well, because those reflect with bag the cathedral. Of a notoriety still very local, it started to interest of the nonNorman scholars only at the end of the 17th century.

The French revolution failed to mark the end of the Tapestry. Already, the new capacity recommended destroyed all historical documents. In 1792, France being threatened of invasion, the troops are raised. At the time of the departure of the quota of Bayeux, one warned oneself that one of the carriages in charge of the provisioning did not have a cover. A dedicated participant, proposed to cut out the tapestry preserved at the cathedral to cover the carriage. Defendant tardily, the police superintendent, Lambert Léonard Leforestier, arrived however just in time to prevent this use. He then created for itself an artistic commission which took care of the safety of work during the Revolution. At ends of propaganda against England which it projected to invade, Napoleon made it come to Paris in 1803 when it was exposed to the admiration of Parisian crowd. It went back to Bayeux in 1805. In second half of the 19th century, Mrs. Elisabeth Wardle, woman of a commercial rich person, financed an of the same copy cuts which is now in England.

It was again hidden during the war free-Prussian of 1870 then during the Second world war. At present, it is exposed to the Center William the Conqueror , with Bayeux.

Extracts

Random links:

Brassac (Tarn-et-Garonne) | Ben Crenshaw | The Community of communes of the Three Valleys of Bergeracois | Brown Peak | Ferlo