History is not always written.
Surprisingly, the tapestry was made not in France but in England.
The tapestry was produced in several panels separately and then sewn together to create one long piece of narrative.
William and Harold successfully defeats Conan, and Conan is taken prisoner.
In return for his loyalty, William knights Harold and makes him take an oath on saintly relics.
Edward the Confessor meets Harold.
A year later, King Edward dies and the English nobles declare Harold as the new King.
A comet is shown shooting through the sky, a sign of bad things to come.
Betrayed by Harold, William prepares for invasion, and orders a large fleet of ships to be built.
The invaders soon cross the English Channel and start pillaging the English countryside.
Williams and Harolds forces eventually meet at Hastings.
The battle is portrayed in considerable detail.
The English soldiers are shown fighting on foot, whilst the Normans are on horses.
As the battle scene progresses, things get bloodier with troops being slaughtered and dismembered corpses littering the ground.
King Harold is eventually killed and the remaining English troops flee the battlefield.
The last section of the tapestry is missing.
It likely shows the coronation of William.
The death of Harold.
For a long time it was thought that the tapestry was commissioned by Queen Matilda, Williams wife.
The coronation of Harold.
Although the Bayeux Tapestry is a fascinating piece of medieval artifact, its not unique.
Wall-hangings commemorating heroic deeds were common in the 10th and 11th centuries among the English and Normans.
The Bayeux Tapestry is remarkable for being the only surviving example of medieval narrative needlework.
Harold swearing oath on holy relics to William.
The Bayeux Tapestry on display in Bayeux, Normandy.
