How does the tapestry reveal the bravery of harold

The chief beneficiary of this apparent generosity is the aforementioned Harold Godwinson later King Harold II , who would famously lose his life at the battle of Hastings. Shortly after his church visit, Harold embarks on an expedition overseas on the orders of his king, Edward the Confessor.

The tapestry does not tell us what that expedition was, but it appears it was to negotiate a treaty with Duke William of Normandy. Harold was now living as a guest of his future nemesis, the man who would end his life. But the tapestry is in no rush to rubbish him. On the contrary, it depicts Harold rescuing two men from the river Couesnon while supporting William on a military campaign against Conan, a rebellious Breton lord.

William was, it seems, grateful — which is perhaps why the tapestry depicts him conferring arms on the English earl. Soon after, we arrive at one of the most intriguing scenes of the entire tapestry — one in which Harold is shown swearing a sacred oath upon holy relics. William of Poitiers was in no doubt as to the answer. You might expect the Bayeux Tapestry to take a similar line to William of Poitiers, and accuse Harold of making a promise he had no intention of keeping.

In fact, if a scene showing a meeting between King Edward and Harold on his return home is anything to go by, the tapestry is more aligned with the English version of events. That scene seems to depict Edward admonishing Harold.

Whatever Harold did or did not promise William during his sojourn in Normandy, the two were set on a collision course by the death of the ageing English king, Edward, in January Among the companions gathered around the ailing king is his queen, Edith.

But it is not his wife to whom Edward holds out his hand. That honour is bestowed on Harold. Norman chroniclers suggest that Edward was delirious at the point of death, his words frightening those around him. Once more, the tapestry takes an alternative view. He promised them land and positions within his new kingdom, which they in turn could grant to their followers in return for loyal service.

In May , Tostig made his first, abortive, attempt to invade England. Harold called out the English levy the fyrd , which was an army of English peasant farmers obliged to fight for their king when required to do so, and kept it out. He wanted to be ready to face the invasion fleet that William had built and mustered at Rennes on the Norman coast. But William did not come.

Instead, William watched, and he waited, and he made his meticulous preparations. These included the gathering of all the great magnates of Normandy, called to attend the dedication of his wife Matilda's new abbey at St Etienne, in Caen, on 18 June There William asked for the blessing of God on his invasion plan, and ensured that he also had the backing of man.

The sources say that the leader was waiting for fair weather, but he may equally have been awaiting news that Tostig had made his move. Either way, it was a perfect strategy. The English fyrd was a levy of peasant farmers, who by August were clamouring to be released so that they could take in their harvest.

Harold had no option but to let them go. On 20 September , Harald Hardrada and Tostig sailed up the Ouse, with more than 10, men in longships, to launch their long-awaited invasion of Northumbria. Earls Edwin and Morcar came out to meet them with a hastily assembled levy that consisted mainly of their own personal retainers. They were defeated at Fulford outside York, and their forces were so decimated that they were unable to play any further part in the campaigns of that year.

Harold reacted by scraping together a scratch force of his own, made up largely of his own housecarls and his 'thegns'. He raced north, calling up all the shire levies he could muster on the way. In four days he marched miles - to surprise Hardrada and Tostig, east of York, at Stamford Bridge, on 25 September. Before the battle began, Harold offered Tostig his earldom back if he would change sides, but Tostig threw the offer back in the king's face.

The Norwegians held a strong position, defending the bridge on the north-eastern shore of the River Derwent. Legend has it that a lone axeman held the bridge against all-comers for hours, until a sneaky Englishman paddled under the bridge in a barrel and thrust a spear up through the wooden slats.

Once the bridge fell, the battle was a foregone conclusion. Both Hardrada and Tostig fell beneath the Raven Banner in a last, desperate stand. Harold had won the day, but at a price. His army was tired and badly mauled, and he had lost the forces of both the Earl of Northumbria and the Earl of Mercia.

His fleet consisted of almost ships of classic Norse design, headed by the Mora , which is depicted on the Bayeux tapestry with a carved dragon figurehead on its prow, and a trumpeter sounding signals at its stern. Most sources claim that William's forces made landfall at Pevensey, but this may just be because Pevensey was the best-known port on the southern English shore.

Recent work by amateur archaeologist Nick Austin suggests he may have found the actual site of William's landing, and first encampments, at Wilting Manor, outside Hastings. Once ashore, William ordered that some of his boats be symbolically burnt, while the rest were dismantled and pulled ashore. An earth embankment was built across the harbour mouth to protect the ships from the weather, and a castle was constructed at the top of the hill.

The remnants of these may still be seen today. Then the Normans pillaged and burned the surrounding area, in order to force Harold to come south and defend his people.

Harold did not hesitate. Having heard of William's landing while at York, he raced his army down the old Roman road of Ermine Street, stopping on the way at his foundation of Waltham Abbey, to pray for victory. By 12 October, he was back in London and gathering what forces he could to face William. By the 14th, he was on the way to Hastings. William received news of Harold's approach from Vitalis - a prominent vassal of Odo of Bayeux, who is depicted on the Bayeux tapestry bringing the message - and marched out to face the English king.

Listen to the series now, exclusively on HistoryExtra. Here David Musgrove, content director of HistoryExtra, answers some of the biggest questions surrounding about the Bayeux Tapestry…. The upshot of that conversation is that Harold sets off on a ship to France. He is shipwrecked and captured by a local nobleman there, and then is transferred into the hands of the powerful Duke William of Normandy.

Curiously, they then head off together on a military adventure in Brittany, which Harold seems to enthusiastically take part in.

Harold then goes back to England and has another meeting with Edward the Confessor. Then Edward dies, and Harold is declared king by the English nobles.

A comet shoots through the sky, which is deemed to be a bad omen for Harold. Then the action swings back to Normandy. The ships cross the Channel and the Norman army establishes itself on English soil.

They are shown pillaging, feasting and fortifying their position. Then we get to the battle of Hastings itself, which is portrayed in considerable detail. The upshot of course is that King Harold is slain, with the defeated Englishmen being shown fleeing the field in the last scene of the tapestry. The ending is abrupt and many people have pondered on whether the tapestry was not actually finished, or has lost its final frames at some point over the centuries.

If so, the end panels might have shown William being crowned king of England , as that was the ultimate consequence of the Conquest. The tapestry contains a considerable amount of information not only about the political events surrounding the Conquest story, but also about other aspects of military, social and cultural history.

Military historians have studied the arms and armour shown in the tapestry and analysed the battle scenes to learn more about military techniques and practice at the time.

Architectural experts have also been able to interrogate the tapestry for information about building types and materials in the 11th-century from the portrayals of the various structures shown in the story. So the tapestry is a rich source of information on many aspects of Anglo-Norman life, society, culture and history. Its significance derives as much from that as from what it tells us when we study it. We do not have a precise date for when the Bayeux Tapestry was created but the academic consensus is that it must have been produced very soon after the events it depicts.

This means that it is a key primary source for students of the Conquest period.