1066:  The Hidden History In The Bayeux Tapestry, by Andrew Bridgeford

This is the sort of book that is perfectly made for a reader like myself.  On one level this book is a stellar piece of art history [1] examining one of the most famous artifacts of the world, the Bayeux tapestry, one of those artifacts that is so well known that people think mistakenly that everything about it is known and has been said.  On another level, this is a history about the Norman conquest [2] and the way that English society was drastically affected by that conquest in ways that resonate to our times, and on a different level this book is a multi-layered book about how conquered and marginal people make their perspective known when they cannot say it plainly, and how the truth can hide in plain sight and not be understood because others read into it what they want to see rather than follow the brave and even dangerous message of the art that they see and touch and handle and try however unsuccessfully to understand.  All of these layers combine in the roughly 300 pages of this book to make a wonderful account of a well-known tapestry that tells a different story than may first appear to be the case when its subtlety and design are taken into account.

Beginning with a map of Northern France and England and genealogical charts of the royal families of England, Normandy, Blogne/Jerusalem, and Ponthieu, the book immediately sets out to put the reader in a context of the complicated relationships and terrain of the events of 1066.  The author then sets the stage for talking about the tapestry in more detail by discussing its history, the sources that cover the same material, and the importance of the tapestry as a historical artifact of the first order.  After this the author spends several chapters giving a detailed historical background of the various scenes and images portrayed on the tapestry–the strange and deeply unwise journey of Harold Godwinson from the safety of England to Ponthieu and then Norman genteel captivity, the dark meaning of the fox and crow, the English decision to give the throne to Harold despite a large number of possible rulers, the invasion of both the Norwegians and Normans and the long and difficult course of the battle of Hastings.  After this the book, which is about halfway done at this point, takes a decidedly striking turn by examining the tradition of English art and embroidery of which the Bayeux tapestry is the foremost extant remnant, before taking most of the rest of the book to discuss matters of biographical history and intelligent speculation concerning the provenance and origin of the tapestry and its symbolic and politically charged meaning, looking at the connection between the tapestry and Bishop Odo of Bayeux, the symbolism of the Babylonian captivity, the family history of King William the Bastard and his half brothers (including Odo), the heirs of Charlemagne, Count Eustace’s prominence in the death of Harold and his role in the attack on Dover, the downfall of Bishop Odo, and the odd nature of the named people Turold the Dwarf, the possible poet of the chanson de Roland, the scandalous Aelfgyva, and Wadard and Vital, who end up being knights in the retinue of Bishop Odo, as well as the mystery of the tapestry’s survival and a possible story for the origin that shows some possible connections and explanations and a recognition that much remains unknown and, given the state of our knowledge, perhaps impossible to know at this far remove from the events shown.

What makes this book particularly enjoyable is that it recognizes the way that subversive history can survive by allusion and hints that are seldom taken seriously by those who only give a superficial glance to art and read into it what they want to see.  Seen as a tapestry made at the best of Count Eustace in an attempt to get into the good graces of a former enemy and now ally of convenience in a particular historical context and period after 1066, and informed by pro-English sources that cast considerable doubt on the legitimacy of the Norman claim to the throne despite the inability of the English to overthrow the Norman yoke, the tapestry takes on a sort of Greek or biblically tragic aspect in the aftermath of the death and dispossession of the Anglo-Saxon elite, already weakened by generations of efforts to free themselves from Viking invasions and conquest.  The survival of a remarkable piece of embroidery becomes all the more remarkable when one thinks about the political difficulties discussed on it and the bravery of the artist in showing a story that is decidedly less pro-Norman and more pro-English and pro-French than is often recognized, not least by showing the coercion that Harold was under to make a feigned oath of loyalty, and the way that Norman historiographers made a biased case in order to gain papal approval for William’s English adventure.  The result is a piece of art history and criticism that offers a reminder of the wide space between realpolitik and the ideals and ethics of leadership, something as relevant for our corrupt age as in our studies of medieval history.

[1] See, for example:

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2016/01/22/book-review-the-parthenon-code-mankinds-history-in-marble/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2016/07/15/book-review-the-world-of-art/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2016/09/01/book-review-new-found-lands/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2016/08/01/book-review-the-discovery-of-the-greek-bronze-age/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2016/07/28/audiobook-review-the-monuments-men/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2016/05/27/book-review-the-return-of-the-prodigal-son/

[2] See, for example:

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2016/06/22/book-review-domesday/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2016/06/19/non-book-review-medieval-britain-in-100-facts/