Bayeux Illuminated

Coronation

Following the oath that he swore in Bayeux, Normandy, Harold returns to England where he is at the aging King Edward’s bedside as he passes away. It is thought that Edward’s final action was to bequeath the English crown to Harold, who willingly accepted, and was crowned the very next day on 6th January 1066. Coronation depicts this moment, as Harold sits on his throne wearing the royal crown and holding an orb and a sceptre, symbols of Christian rule and royal authority. The new King’s loyal subjects offer him praise from the edges of the scene. Beside King Harold stands Archbishop Stigand, the Anglo-Saxon Archbishop of Canterbury who is believed to have officiated the ceremony. Aside from the fact that Harold had broken his sworn oath to William by accepting the English crown, William and the Normans claimed that the Archbishop’s presence invalidated Harold’s coronation as King of England, as Stigand had been excommunicated by the papacy, which refused to recognise his legitimacy.

oATH

Oath depicts the moment that Harold Godwinson, then Earl of Wessex and an English nobleman, swore a sacred oath to support William, Duke of Normandy’s claim to the English throne. Harold is seen in the centre, making his binding promise as he rests his hands upon two holy relics. This was considered an unbreakable oath in medieval law. William sits upon his throne overlooking Harold from a position of power. Holding a sword or a staff in his hand, he compels Harold to swear his fealty. The Latin inscription above the scene reads ‘Harold sacramentum fecit hic Harold Willelmo duci’ (‘Here Harold swore an oath to Duke William’). This moment in the Tapestry marks a dramatic turning point in the narrative, as Harold will later break his oath.

William

As news of Harold’s betrayal is carried across the sea to Normandy, William begins building a large fleet of invasion ships before he sets sail for the southern coast of England. William depicts his army’s passage across the Channel in their Viking-inspired ships. The formidable English fleet that guarded the coast failed to intercept William’s army, who waited for the winds to change and set sail under the cover of darkness. The scene’s Latin inscription, ‘Et venit ad Pevenesae’ translates to ‘and he came to Pevensey’, a village in East Sussex, England, and tells of how William’s armada landed on English soil on 28th September 1066. They marched east along the coast, where, to defend their position, they set about building a fortification at Hastings, the first Norman-style castle to be built in England.

Harrold

Harold is one of the most famous scenes in the entire Bayeux Tapestry, depicting the culmination of the Battle of Hastings and the moment in which Harold is killed. According to myth, Harold was shot through the eye with an arrow, suggesting that he may be the figure seen in the centre. It is possible that this story was a form of Norman propaganda which sought to dramatise Harold’s death and the ultimate revenge for the betrayal of his sacred oath. There is some debate as to whether the figure on the right, who is cut down by a Norman knight, may also represent Harold. The inscription above reads simply, ‘Hic Harold Rex interfectus est’ (‘Here King Harold was killed’). Marking the climax of the battle and the triumph of William over Harold, the lower borders in this scene exhibit the death and destruction of the conflict.

cOMET

According to the Bayeux Tapestry, immediately after the coronation ceremony, Halley’s Comet is witnessed tracing through the sky in the Comet scene. This was the first time that Halley’s Comet was ever depicted in visual art. In ancient and medieval society, sightings of comets were understood as ill omens, often signalling a forthcoming famine, plague, war or the death of a king. On the left of the scene, a group of figures gazes up at the shooting star, pointing with a mixture of awe and terror. The inscription above reads ‘Isti Mirant Stella’, meaning ‘They marvelled at the star’. Harold can be seen sitting on his throne on the right of the scene, as one of his courtiers nervously informs him of the omen, or indeed of the Norman invasion itself. Below, in the borders of the work are a series of ghostly ships, a premonition of an impending Norman invasion. For William, the sighting of Halley’s Comet provided the divine justification that he needed to support his right to take the English throne from Harold.