After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, which
resulted in the successful Norman conquest of England, William the
Conqueror's wife, along with her many ladies in waiting, began working
on a tapestry. The tapestry was designed to tell the story of her
husband's successful invasion of England.
There were 72 scenes. Each scene told one piece
of the story. William's wife and her ladies worked on the tapestry for
10 years. When they were done, the tapestry was 20 inches high, and
250 feet long. The scenes were quite lively. In one, men are standing
in a boat, holding their hands up to their mouths, as if they are
shouting.
Historians can tell a lot about daily life from
the scenes on the Bayeux Tapestry. The tapestry has boats, people,
activities, carts, horses, and so much more. All you can see in one
scene is a group of horse heads sticking out of the top of a boat. But
from this, historians can guess that horses were carried by boats to
the battle.
During medieval times, tapestries were common.
They were used to decorate castles and manor houses. This tapestry was
probably made to fit in a specific place. The wall upon which it hung
was probably right around 250 feet long.
