The Story of the Bayeux Tapestry: Unravelling the Norman Conquest

(Hardback)

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Political intrigue and treachery, heroism and brutal violence, victory and defeat - all this is depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry, an epic account of one of the pivotal episodes in English history embroidered on a strip of linen. Famously, it shows the stricken Anglo-Saxon king Harold dying on the battlefield of Hastings in 1066 amid a shower of arrows, as axes clash, spears fly and fallen warriors are trampled beneath charging hooves.

However, there is much more to this remarkable historical and artistic treasure, which tells its tale with an intensity and immediacy that speak to our modern world, almost 1,000 years after its creation. Many mysteries and questions still surround this unique embroidery and not all is as it might appear at first glance. Who made it, when, why, where and what for David Musgrove and Michael Lewis skilfully lead us through the full story of the Tapestry and the history it relates, providing illuminating insight into a world of fascinating details that might otherwise be overlooked or their significance missed. They set the events in the context of the machinations on either side of the English Channel in the years leading up to the Norman Conquest, and tease out what the Tapestry tells us of the deeds of kings as well as aspects of everyday life in medieval Europe.

A complete and accessible up-to-date account, illustrated throughout in colour with new photography, this is the definitive guide to the Bayeux Tapestry and its legacy, exploring the rich narrative behind its stitches and the turbulent times in which it was created.

With 145 illustrations in colour

Reviews

'A superb book that emphasises the importance of the Tapestry as both a historical and artistic treasure' - Dan Snow, author and historian
'Using the latest research, Musgrove and Lewis take us through the Tapestrys brilliantly depicted but still enigmatic story of what happened in the fateful year of 1066. 'The Story of the Bayeux Tapestry' is full of many fresh insights and unexpected discoveries, providing convincing explanations of many of the most notorious riddles left to us by the makers. A must for anyone interested in the history of Britain' - Michael Wood, historian and author
'An excellent frame-by-frame account of the tapestry a sort of written audioguide that forces consideration (and reconsideration) of each scene. This approach throws up curiosities offering unique windows onto the eleventh century' - Times Literary Supplement
'Beautifully illustrated and meticulously researched' - Times Literary Supplement

Author Bio

David Musgrove is Content Director for BBC History Magazine and BBC Science Focus, and author of the bestselling 100 Places That Made Britain. Michael Lewis is Head of Portable Antiquities & Treasure at the British Museum. An expert on the Bayeux Tapestry, he is the author of The Real World of the Bayeux Tapestry. He is a member of the Bayeux Tapestry scientific committee that is advising Bayeux Museum on the reinterpretation and redisplay of the embroidery.