The Tapestry is amazing. It recounts in vivid images and brief Latin text the process by which William the Bastard, Duke of Normandy, became William the Conqueror, King of England, by defeating Harold Godwinson, who had taken the English throne following the death of Edward the Confessor in 1066. (The aging and childless Edward had actually chosen William as his successor and had sent Harold to tell William of this choice; Harold swore an oath to William, then went back on the agreement by having himself crowned king on Edward’s death; William invades England to correct Harold’s treachery.) The narrative includes details great and small, from nobles taking solemn oaths to chickens being roasted on a spit.
We had to repeat the audio tour to absorb the wealth of detail and to nail down all the players and their relationships. The interpretive exhibits and the film were also excellent. We learned a lot and were delighted that we had seen this.