The Bayeux Tapestry and written sources
Bouet, Pierre
The Bayeux Tapestry and written sources - 2019.
6
The comparison of the Bayeux Tapestry with written sources contemporaneous to the embroidered work highlights significant differences between these two mediums of communication. Some of these differences stem from their very nature: as the British and continental fighters had the same weapons, it was difficult to differentiate them visually. The designers of the embroidery therefore chose to represent William’s men as knights armed with spears and the English as infantrymen with swords, in this way suggesting the idea of a clash between two armed forces of opposite natures. But the most significant differences are a result of ideological ambition or aesthetic choice. Thus, the Bayeux Tapestry makes no mention of the military intervention, however essential, of Harald Hardrada, nor the transfer of the Norman army from Dives-sur-Mer to Saint-Valery-sur-Somme. On the other hand, the Tapestry offers a wealth of valuable information on subjects that written sources ignore: civilian and military buildings, clothing, the living conditions of armies in the field, and incidents during the Battle of Hastings.
The Bayeux Tapestry and written sources - 2019.
6
The comparison of the Bayeux Tapestry with written sources contemporaneous to the embroidered work highlights significant differences between these two mediums of communication. Some of these differences stem from their very nature: as the British and continental fighters had the same weapons, it was difficult to differentiate them visually. The designers of the embroidery therefore chose to represent William’s men as knights armed with spears and the English as infantrymen with swords, in this way suggesting the idea of a clash between two armed forces of opposite natures. But the most significant differences are a result of ideological ambition or aesthetic choice. Thus, the Bayeux Tapestry makes no mention of the military intervention, however essential, of Harald Hardrada, nor the transfer of the Norman army from Dives-sur-Mer to Saint-Valery-sur-Somme. On the other hand, the Tapestry offers a wealth of valuable information on subjects that written sources ignore: civilian and military buildings, clothing, the living conditions of armies in the field, and incidents during the Battle of Hastings.
Réseaux sociaux