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Bayeux Tapestry
The Bayeux Tapestry shows in pictures the events leading up to the Norman conquest of England by William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy, and his 1066 defeat of King Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings. It was produced between 1067...
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The Lady and the Unicorn: Medieval Tapestries
The Lady and the Unicorn tapestries, housed at the Musée de Cluny in Paris, are a series of six exquisite medieval tapestries that are renowned for their beauty, craftsmanship, and mysterious symbolism. These tapestries are believed to have...
Definition
Odo of Bayeux
Odo of Bayeux (d. 1097 CE) was the bishop of Bayeux in Normandy and half-brother of William the Conqueror (r. 1066-1087 CE). After the Norman conquest of England in 1066 CE, Odo was given vast Anglo-Saxon estates and made, as the Earl of...
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Bayeux Tapestry: Detail from Battle of Hastings
This detail from Bayeux Tapestry depicts Bishop Odo of Bayeux, half-brother of William the Conqueror, rallying the troops at the Battle of Hastings. The tapestry is believed to date to the eleventh century CE. As can be seen, the artifact...
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Battle of Hastings, Bayeux Tapestry
A scene from the 11th century CE Bayeux Tapestry showing Norman cavalry charging Anglo-Saxon infantry at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 CE. (Centre Guillaume le Conquérant, Bayeux, France)
Definition
Battle of Hastings
The Battle of Hastings in south-east England on 14 October 1066 saw the defeat of the Anglo-Saxon king Harold II (r. Jan-Oct 1066) by the invading Norman army led by William, Duke of Normandy (reigned from 1035). After a day of heavy fighting...
Definition
Norman Conquest of England
The Norman Conquest of England (1066-71) was led by William the Conqueror who defeated King Harold II at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The Anglo-Saxon elite lost power as William redistributed land to his fellow Normans. Crowned William...
Definition
Medieval Knight
Knights were the most-feared and best-protected warriors on the medieval battlefield, while off it, they were amongst the most fashionably dressed and best-mannered members of society. To reach this elevated position, however, became more...
Definition
The Saxons
The Saxons were a Germanic people of the region north of the Elbe River stretching from Holstein (in modern-day Germany) to the North Sea. The Saxons who migrated to Britain in the 5th and 6th centuries CE along with the Angles, Frisians...
Definition
William the Conqueror
William the Conqueror (c. 1027-1087), also known as William, Duke of Normandy, led the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 when he defeated and killed his rival Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings. Crowned King William I of England...