The Bayeux Tapestry - A medieval masterpiece Quiz

Answer: Normandy

Normandy is a large region of what is now northern France. In the 11th Century, however, it was an entirely separate kingdom. It takes its name from the fact that it was populated by Vikings or Norsemen who had settled there during the period known as the Dark Ages. At this time, to have referred to a Norman as French was a great insult and would almost certainly have resulted in death or serious injury! The principal cities of modern Normandy are Rouen, Caen, Le Havre and Cherbourg.

Answer: Seventy metres

Although the tapestry is only 50cm in height, it is almost 70 metres in length. It was thought for a long time that it was composed of eight separate sections, but recent investigations have concluded that it is, in fact, constructed from nine sections all of varying lengths, the longest at 13.9 metres and the shortest at 2.43 metres.

The tapestry consists of needlework in coloured wools on a backing of finely textured linen. Although this masterpiece is called a tapestry, it should be referred to more accurately as an embroidery, as the word tapestry should be used to describe a woven work with a wholly unbroken surface.

Answer: Matilda, Queen of England; Duchess of Normandy

On the death of Bishop Hugo II of Bayeux in 1049, Duke William of Normandy succeeded in having his half-brother, Odo de Conteville, appointed as the new bishop. This appointment proved to be a master stroke on the part of William as in subsequent years, Odo gave William unfailing support and made a number of important decisions in his favour. It is uncertain as to when Odo was born, but on his appointment as bishop of Bayeux some sources put him at 19 years of age whilst other sources state that he was as young as 14.
Matilda was the wife of William of Normandy and the tapestry was, at one stage, known as the Tapestry of Queen Matilda. It is said that the tapestry was entirely her own work but it is more likely to have been made with help from her ladies-in-waiting!
Emma of Normandy was queen consort of England on two occasions due to successive marriages. Two of her sons, two step-sons and one great nephew became kings of England.
Tiphanie de Raguenel was the mistress and later became the wife of the famous French knight, Bertrand du Guesclin who became the Constable of France during the 14th century.
Eleanor of Aquitaine, as she is more widely known in modern times was a very wealthy and powerful woman and she is the only woman ever to have become queen of both France and England. Queen Eleanor was the mother of one of England's greatest warrior kings, Richard I, Coeur de Lion.

Answer: At the ceremony for the consecration of Bayeux cathedral

The tapestry was first exhibited as a decoration for the nave at the dedication ceremony for the cathedral at Bayeux. However, the tapestry had another more subtle purpose.

"Ubi Harold sacramentum fecit Willelmo duci" - "There Harold swore fealty to William".

Although the tapestry narrates the story of the events leading to and the invasion of England, the scene to which this quote refers gives us an insight to the medieval mind and to an event of major significance in the story. In this scene Harold swears fealty to William of Normandy at Bayeux while placing his hands on holy relics - those of martyrs Rasilph and Raven that were held within the cathedral at Bayeux. The gravity of this oath can be emphasised by the figures of the witnesses stood with raised fingers and from their posture and expressions. On his return to England, Harold breaks his oath and takes the crown of England for himself. It is this act that gives William of Normandy his justification for the invasion and conquest of England. To an illiterate society this pictorial representation of Harold's oath drives home the seriousness with which the swearing of an oath was viewed.

Answer: Fifteen

Of the fifteen characters named on the tapestry, the most important on the Saxon English side are Edward the Confessor (1005-1066), King of England from 1042 and Harold Godwinson (1022-1066).
There are a greater number named on the Norman side but the two most important are William of Normandy (1028-1087), King William I of England and better known as William the Conqueror (he was also known William the Bastard!) and Odo de Conteville (c.1036-1097) Bishop of Bayeux who also became the Earl of Kent after the conquest.

Answer: Halley's Comet

Halley's Comet is a well known celestial body which appears in the skies once every 75 or 76 years. During this period the appearance of a comet was considered to be a bad omen, and so it was for the Saxon English but clearly not for the Normans! This comet is also thought to be the same one that gave rise to the story of the star of Bethlehem.

Answer: Between Seven and Eight Hundred

The figure of between seven and eight hundred ships is the one readily accepted by scholars today. The horses and horsemen would have crossed in the heavier transport ships which would have been surrounded and escorted by lighter fighting vessels. It is important to remember that by this period in English history there was already an English naval force and it would have been foolish of the Normans to have ignored this fact. If we look at the ships embroidered on the tapestry it is quite clear that the design and style of the ships used by the Norman force harkened back to the days of their ancestors, the Vikings. The vessel used by William himself, called the 'Mora', was a gift from Matilda his wife.

This vessel carried a cross blessed by Pope Alexander II giving his campaign the feel of a crusade many years before this term came into use.

Answer: Pevensey

The Normans landed at Pevensey, a small port in Sussex on Michaelmas Eve, the 28th of September 1066. Duke William had gone so far in advance of the remainder of his fleet that when dawn broke he found himself alone and this must have worried him greatly. To his relief, a short time later, his lookout shouted that he could see the sails of the fleet following along behind.

As soon as the Normans had unloaded their horses and equipment, groups of soldiers made their way towards Hastings in search of supplies.

The Normans later fortified Hastings in case of a surprise attack by their enemy, although this would be unlikely as Harold was fighting an invasion by Norwegians at Stamford Bridge near York.

Answer: As a bishop, he was forbidden to spill blood by the sword

The mace is one of the simplest of weapons. The military mace came in many forms and in numerous sizes but all were capable of dealing a fatal blow. During the period that the tapestry was produced, the mace was also a symbol of authority as well as being a weapon, and in some countries, the mace is still used today to represent the power of government.

In the UK, parliament is only considered to be in session when the ceremonial mace is present within the chamber. The decorated staves that can be seen carried by Drum-Majors at the head of military bands are also considered to be descendants of the military mace.

Answer: Senlac Hill

Senlac Hill can still be visited today at Hastings, East Sussex. It takes its name from 'Sanguelac' or 'Blood Lake', a name that was given to it by the Normans, although prior to this it was known to the Saxon English as 'Santlache' or 'Sandy Stream'.
It was on this hill that Harold Godwinson set his banner and which gave him some considerable advantage over the attacking Normans. It was only after the Normans feigned a retreat that the English were enticed to come down the hill and, once they were on level ground, the Norman cavalry turned and cut the Saxon infantry to pieces.
The site is now occupied by Battle Abbey, a Grade 1 listed building, the construction of which was started by William the Conqueror in 1070 under the orders of Pope Alexander II, as a penance for the brutality shown to the Saxon English in the years immediately after the invasion. William died in 1087 before the abbey was completed in 1094.

Answer: Malefosse

It was at this stage in the battle that the Norman army was very nearly defeated. Bishop Odo shows his mettle by rallying the retreating and, by this time, panicking Normans. Odo was well aware of the danger to the Norman centre and deliberately raised his mace and acted as leader to draw the enemy away from this collapsing formation. Rumour was spreading that Duke William had been killed until he was pointed out to the army by his standard bearer, Eustace of Boulogne. William then stood in his stirrups and tipped his helmet backwards to show himself to his men. By this time the soldiers of Harold are fighting hand-to-hand over open ground and it is now that the encouraged Normans begin the total destruction of Harold's army.

Answer: He was hit in the right eye with an arrow

At the top of Senlac Hill, Harold watches his soldiers being cut to pieces by the Normans. He himself, is resisting along with his Housecarls - his elite troops and bodyguard - in formation surrounding his dragon standard.

William orders his archers forward and orders them to aim high so as not to have their arrows fall uselessly against the leather shields of the enemy. King Harold is hit in the right eye, the arrow hitting with such force that it penetrates deep into his skull, he tries to remove it but is instantly cut down and killed by a Norman horseman. With this the English army are put to rout. On the evening of the 14th of October 1066 Duke William of Normandy returns victorious to Hastings as William the Conqueror.

Answer: Latin

Although the Normans had their own language, the tapestry is narrated in Latin. An Anglo-Norman dialect developed in the years following the conquest but Norman itself, is still in very limited use in the United Kingdom today this only being for very formal legal purposes such as royal ascent to acts of parliament.

Answer: Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey as we know it today was begun by King Henry III in 1245 but was founded as a Benedictine monastery in 960 during the reign of Edgar the Peaceful. It has been the church where the kings and queens of England, and more recently of Great Britain, have been crowned since 1066 and contains the tombs of seventeen of our monarchs.

The abbey is home to the tomb of the Unknown Soldier as well as the final resting places and commemoration of some of Britain's greatest historical figures including Geoffrey Chaucer, Sir Winston Churchill, David Livingstone and Sir Isaac Newton. King William I died in Rouen on the 9th of September 1087 and was buried in the Abbaye-aux-Hommes in Caen, Normandy.

His burial was an unpleasant affair, his bloated body bursting open due to warm weather and the length of time between his death and burial.

Answer: Napoleon Bonaparte

The Bayeux tapestry was removed from its home for the first time in November 1803 at the request of Napoleon Bonaparte. It has been on permanent display since 1842 except during the period of the Second World War when it was held in store at the Chateau de Sourches for safekeeping. It spent another very brief period at the Louvre until it was again returned to Bayeux in March 1945.