| The Bayeux tapestry's
depiction of King Harold with an arrow in his eye at the Battle of Hastings
may not be reliable.
Over the past nine centuries the tapestry has been hidden,
stolen, damaged and restored. Although
its original embroiderers were thought to have been English, once it
was moved to France it was cared for by local French women. From the
19th century onwards the Bayeux needlewomen included hotel chambermaids
who made sure that this very special tourist attraction showed visitors
the romantic picture they wanted to see.
We have images that show how it looked in 1729, 1819 and 1872 and there
are 379 differences between them. For example,
in 1729 Harold grasps at a spear shaft that he could have been trying
to throw or, alternatively, pull out of his forehead. In 1872 the arrow
points into his right eye.
The more likely account of his death, written
in 1067 by Guy, Bishop of Amiens, describes
a Norman knight striking him through the breast, another cutting off
his head, a third disembowelling him and a fourth doing what the bishop
called "cutting off the king's leg". (This was probably the
battlefield custom of a full castration).
William of Normandy was reportedly furious that his victory was so dishonoured
by this last act, and the knight was disgraced.
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