HistoryExtra
type: channel
link: https://www.historyextra.com
description: Home of Britain’s bestselling history magazine and award-winning podcast
date: 2026-02-27T10:15:19.000Z
update period: hourly
update frequency: 1
update base: 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00
items: Is the Bayeux Tapestry in "mortal danger"? I think that's the wrong question to ask
items: The RUDE SECRETS of the Bayeux Tapestry
items: The Bayeux Tapestry is beautiful, but what was its purpose? New research might have the answer
items: 11th-century Europe: not just the Norman Conquest
items: The conqueror’s queen: meet the real Matilda of Flanders
items: William the Conqueror: life of the week
items: King and Conqueror’s most gruesome death should never have happened and would be “totally out of character”
items: Far away from England, the mystery of Harold Godwinson's lost crown might have just been solved
items: Edith the Fair: the life of Harold Godwinson’s first wife
items: How Tostig Godwinson’s brotherly betrayal hastened the fall of the Anglo-Saxons

Is the Bayeux Tapestry in "mortal danger"? I think that's the wrong question to ask
type: item
date: 2026-02-26T17:24:25.000Z
creator: Dr David Musgrove, FSA
subject: Medieval
subject: Norman
subject: Period
subject: Exhibitions
subject: Historical events
subject: Trends-News
description: Rather than focusing on the risk to the Bayeux Tapestry in its forthcoming loan to the British Museum, David Musgrove argues that we should be talking about how the massive media interest in the exhibition will surely be a huge reward for the venerable embroidery – and guarantee its long-term survival
encoded: It’s not often that a medieval embroidery gets broadcast across the huge electronic billboards at Piccadilly Circus. But that’s what happened on the morning of 26 February, as the British Museum made its first big splash to announce details of its forthcoming blockbuster Bayeux Tapestry exhibition (tickets go on sale 1 July). I was there to enjoy the experience, and it was a delight to see an artefact that I’ve spent a long time thinking about getting the full film-star treatment (I’m co-author of The Story of the Bayeux Tapestry). The exhibition is not without controversy. Questions have been raised by French campaigners and one celebrated English artist (David Hockney) on how fit the Bayeux Tapestry is to travel, and whether it’s right to subject this venerable artefact to the rigours of a trip from Normandy to London. These are reasonable concerns, but they miss the point. Yes, there is risk, but what about the reward? What does the Tapestry gain from being transported and displayed in such a high-profile way? I’d argue that, rather than putting the Tapestry at mortal danger of destruction, the loan guarantees its long-term survival and will be a boon for the tourist business in Bayeux to boot. What other medieval artwork or contemporary documentary source could hope to receive the wall-to-wall media exposure that the Tapestry is currently receiving? <img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/7/2026/02/20260226090016-92f3207-rotated-e1772119755759.jpg" width="1500" height="1000" alt="A busy city street with pedestrians and vehicles passes beneath a large digital billboard mounted on the side of a modern building. The billboard displays an advertisement for the British Museum, featuring a scene from the Bayeux Tapestry, with figures in period clothing and the words “REX,” “HAROLD,” and “The British Museum – From Egypt to…”. Surrounding buildings include shops with street‑level storefronts, and a white truck and van are visible in the foregr…

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The RUDE SECRETS of the Bayeux Tapestry
type: item
date: 2026-01-30T12:16:23.000Z
creator: Dr David Musgrove, FSA
subject: Membership
subject: Norman
subject: Period
description: What naughty historical details can be found in the famous medieval embroidery? HistoryExtra's David Musgrove explains all
encoded: You've probably heard of the Bayeux Tapestry that tells the story of the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, particularly the battle of Hastings. But you probably have little idea of the saucy depictions hidden within its stitches. When one academic counted the number of male genitalia that features in the action of the Tapestry, he counted 93. Is it possible that there's a 94th? Find out as HistoryExtra's David Musgrove takes a closer look at the threads' secrets… View Green Video on the source website

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The Bayeux Tapestry is beautiful, but what was its purpose? New research might have the answer
type: item
date: 2025-12-15T16:12:18.000Z
creator: Dr David Musgrove, FSA
subject: Anglo-Saxon
subject: Early medieval
subject: Medieval
subject: Norman
subject: Period
subject: Discover / Apple News
description: A new theory proposes that the Bayeux Tapestry was designed to deliver moral messages to medieval monks over dinner
encoded: The Bayeux Tapestry is one of the most astonishing artefacts to survive from medieval Europe. It tells the story of the end of Anglo-Saxon rule at the hands of Duke William of Normandy, whose victory in 1066 ushered in the Norman Conquest – one of the most significant turning points in British history. But beyond recounting the rise of Norman supremacy, what was the Bayeux Tapestry really for? Was it only an extraordinary work of propaganda, designed as a display of righteous power? Or was it intended to have a more specific and purposeful role? The answer to that latter question is: yes, according to historian Professor Benjamin Pohl of the University of Bristol. He argues that the Bayeux Tapestry was created to be a moral aid viewed by medieval monks while they silently ate their meals in a communal refectory. What was the Bayeux Tapestry for? Professor Pohl explains his argument in a new article 'Chewing over the Norman Conquest: the Bayeux Tapestry as monastic mealtime reading', in which he makes the case that the embroidery was designed specifically to be hung in the monastic dining hall of St Augustine’s Abbey, Canterbury, where it would have accompanied spoken readings and prompted moral reflection. Following the rule of St Benedict, which governed monastic life across much of medieval Europe, medieval monks were expected to maintain complete silence while eating, aside from the voice of the reader delivering the day’s text. These readings delivered moral instruction to the diners, in a setting where any visual imagery would have reinforced spoken words and offered a focus for contemplation. A tapestry made for monks The Bayeux Tapestry famously depicts the events leading up to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 through a series of cartoon-style embroidered scenes, accompanied by short Latin captions. Most scholars agree that the embroidery was probably made in, or near, Canterbury in the 11th century. That conclusion rests on similarities in its style an…

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11th-century Europe: not just the Norman Conquest
type: item
date: 2025-10-22T07:00:39.000Z
creator: Dr David Musgrove, FSA
subject: Medieval
subject: Membership
subject: Norman
subject: Period
description: Charles West explains how the 11th century saw a raft of major changes and a plethora of significant events that extend beyond the Norman Conquest
encoded: When we think of Europe in the 11th century, one date stands out: 1066. However, as Professor Charles West explains, this was a century of great change, and great events, across all of Europe. In conversation with David Musgrove, Charles talks about why we should perhaps be more concerned with the battle of Manzikert than the battle of Hastings, and why the 11th century is a story of cities and popes as much as it is of conquest and the Normans. Charles West is the author of Europe in the Eleventh Century: Beyond Revolution and Reform (Oxford University Press, 2025). <a href="http://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=3041&awinaffid=489797&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FEurope-Eleventh-Century-Revolution-Medieval%2Fdp%2F0198860234%2F%3F_encoding%3DUTF8%26pd_rd_w%3DnAZG5%26content-id%3Damzn1.sym.a7785aa2-ac28-4769-b3eb-cff7b9738627%26pf_rd_p%3Da7785aa2-ac28-4769-b3eb-cff7b9738627%26pf_rd_r%3D130-4414563-4593041%26pd_rd_wg%3DfXSDe%26pd_rd_r%3D5b153ec9-1b16-4286-8ae5-7ff403b76e63&clickref=historyextra-social-histboty.">Buy it now from Amazon

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The conqueror’s queen: meet the real Matilda of Flanders
type: item
date: 2025-09-18T14:53:11.000Z
creator: Tracy Borman
subject: Anglo-Saxon
subject: Medieval
subject: Norman
subject: Period
subject: Trends-Entertainment
description: Matilda of Flanders sits in the shadow of her more famous husband but, writes Tracy Borman, she was an able political player who deserves to be better known
encoded: Matilda of Flanders was the formidable wife of William the Conqueror, the man who toppled Harold Godwinson to usher in the Norman Conquest in 1066. She broke the mould of queen consorts, wielding considerable power on behalf of – and sometimes in direct opposition to – her husband, and establishing an Anglo-Norman dynasty that would endure for centuries. But until the BBC 1066 drama King and Conqueror few people had heard of her, thanks to the male-dominated sources for the period. The Bayeux Tapestry, which depicts the Norman Conquest of England, includes over 600 different men and just three women – Edith of Wessex (who is Edward the Confessor’s wife, and also Harold Godwinson’s sister); an unnamed woman fleeing a building burned by William’s troops (who may or may not be Edith the Fair, Harold’s wife); and a woman the embroidery identifies as Aelfgyva, of whom we know less. What’s certain is that none of them are Matilda. Who was the real Matilda of Flanders? Piecing together the fragments of Matilda’s life before 1066 reveals a woman who was destined to rule – and given her pedigree, she was viewed as a great prize in the international marriage market. Although the records are scarce for Matilda’s years, she was probably born in around 1031. She was the daughter of the future Count Baldwin V of Flanders (then one of the most important principalities in Europe) and Adela, the daughter of King Robert II ‘the Pious’ of France. Matilda had two brothers, Baldwin and Robert. Described by a contemporary chronicler as ‘highly born’, she could trace her descent from the kings of France, the emperors of Germany and even the Anglo-Saxon dynasty. The latter connection would be of great value to her future husband, William of Normandy. Read more | Did Edward the Confessor really murder his mother? There is no surviving likeness of Matilda, but a later chronicler described her as “one of the most beautiful women that could be seen”. Her skeleton was examined in 1961 and recor…

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William the Conqueror: life of the week
type: item
date: 2025-09-02T07:00:18.000Z
creator: Emily Briffett
subject: Anglo-Saxon
subject: Medieval
subject: Membership
subject: Norman
subject: Period
subject: Life of the week (podcast series)
description: David Bates explores the life of the formidable medieval warrior and ruler, who inspired both fear and respect
encoded: In 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, crossed the Channel and changed English history forever. Known to some as a ruthless and ambitious conqueror and to others as a astute and innovative state-builder, his legacy is still debated today, almost a thousand years later. But how much do we know about the man behind this formidable reputation? As new BBC Drama King and Conqueror hits the screens, Emily Briffett speaks to Professor David Bates to chart William's dramatic rise to power and the brutal realities of Norman rule.

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King and Conqueror’s most gruesome death should never have happened and would be “totally out of character”
type: item
date: 2025-08-31T19:58:29.000Z
creator: Kev Lochun
subject: Anglo-Saxon
subject: Medieval
subject: Norman
subject: Period
subject: Trends-Entertainment
description: Historian Tom Licence takes issue with one of King and Conqueror’s most egregious historical liberties
encoded: Bringing the Norman Conquest of 1066 to the small screen, King and Conqueror plays fast and loose with real history to tell the story of how Duke William of Normandy became King William I of England. The eight-part drama begins with the coronation of King Edward the Confessor and ends exactly where you think it would, with King Harold Godwinson, the last crowned Anglo-Saxon king of England, dead on the field at Hastings with an arrow in his eye. That’s a span of more than 20 years – and as such there is a lot of editing of the historical record going on. Some important characters are missing, and not just Edgar Aetheling, the claimant many overlook in the 1066 story. Events happen out of order. And a lot of real historical figures die in times, places and ways that raise eyebrows. But one particular plot point is so shocking, so unexpected, that we put it to medieval historian Tom Licence to get his reaction. And it’s such a massive spoiler that we’ve hidden it after these two images of the show's leads, James Norton as Harold and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as William the Conqueror. Edward the Confessor is portrayed in King and Conqueror as a weak and ineffectual man, touched even – he believes he hears the voice of God whispering to him. If there is anyone whispering in his ear, it is his mother, Emma of Normandy. The real Emma was queen consort to both Aethelred the Unready and Cnut the Great, the only woman to have married two English kings. Two of her sons were also kings, first Harthacnut, and then Edward the Confessor. For her whole life, she had been an able political player. In King and Conqueror, she is vicious and manipulative, a woman who dominates Edward and goads him for his failures. She is the power behind his throne. When Edward finally snaps, he does so totally and utterly. In a moment of red mist worthy of Game of Thrones, he beats his mother to death with his crown. Did Edward the Confessor beat his mother Emma of Normandy to death with this crown? “Be…

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Far away from England, the mystery of Harold Godwinson's lost crown might have just been solved
type: item
date: 2025-08-28T14:00:57.000Z
creator: Isabel King
subject: Anglo-Saxon
subject: Medieval
subject: Norman
subject: Period
subject: Historical people
subject: Medieval kings and queens
subject: Trends-Entertainment
description: New research into the history of a long-lost Belgian church suggests that something very precious may have been sold to fund its upkeep
encoded: Overlooking Bruges’ market square and a few hundred metres away from the neo-Gothic Provincial Palace stands a popular chain hotel, providing accommodation for some of the millions of tourists that visit the Belgian city each year. Looking at this unremarkable redbrick building, it’s hard to imagine that on the same site, an important place of worship once towered over this historic metropolis: the medieval St Donatian’s Church. And a new detail that has emerged from the archives of the church leads us to consider something even harder to imagine: could the crown of England’s last Anglo-Saxon king, Harold Godwinson, have been sold to pay for its upkeep? A church of sanctuary and sacrilege St Donatian’s church – named after the fourth-century French saint, Donatian – was established around AD 950 by Arnulf I, the count of Flanders. Prior to its destruction during the French Revolutionary Wars, the church was a college of canons, built to hold relics of St Donatian brought to Bruges from Torhout (a municipality in West Flanders) in around 870. <img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/7/2025/08/PublicDomainsander-WL-45d2aa1.jpg" width="800" height="534" alt="A sketch of a beige church with many arched windows and a tower in the centre. It has a grey roof and many smaller buildings around it too. In the corner, there is a label reading "ECCLESIA CATHEDRALIS S. DONATIANI"" title="An illustration of St Donatian's in Flandria Illustrata, 1641 (Public domain)" /> Today, the church is best-known for being the scene of the brutal murder of another Flemish count, Charles the Good, who was attacked by a group of knights in 1127. Lesser-known, however, is the fact that the place of worship also played a significant role in the exile of Lady Gunhild – sister of the last Anglo-Saxon king, Harold Godwinson. Read more | Shakespeare didn't do the Norman Conquest, but the Bayeux Tapestry did, so where does that leave the BBC's King and Conqueror? The church b…

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Edith the Fair: the life of Harold Godwinson’s first wife
type: item
date: 2025-08-24T20:08:44.000Z
creator: James Osborne
subject: Anglo-Saxon
subject: Medieval
subject: Norman
subject: Period
subject: Historical people
subject: Trends-Entertainment
description: As seen in King and Conqueror, Edith the Fair was the first wife of Harold Godwinson, and a powerful player in the dynastic struggles of the late-Anglo-Saxon era. But despite her prominence, surprisingly little information about her life remains
encoded: Edith the Fair – also known as Edith Swanneck – is a name that appears only fleetingly in the contemporary records of the 11th century. Yet in her day, Edith was a woman of considerable status and power. As the first wife of Harold Godwinson, the last crowned king of Anglo-Saxon England, she played a part (albeit largely behind the scenes) in the momentous events leading up to the Norman Conquest of 1066. Now she is one of the leading figures in BBC drama King and Conqueror. Read on to discover her role in late-Anglo-Saxon England – and what happened to her after the battle of Hastings. Why is she called Edith the Fair? Edith the Fair is known by the epithet, ‘Swan-neck’, which derives from the Old English ‘swann hnesce’, possibly referencing her graceful physical appearance. While this term is sometimes interpreted romantically in later traditions, it might have served as a distinguishing nickname rather than a comment on her personal relationship with Harold – she was one of many prominent and powerful Ediths on the scene. Who was Edith the Fair? Some evidence points to Edith the Fair being born into a wealthy and influential East Anglian family – but which one, we don’t know. One theory suggests that she might have been a daughter of Thorkell the Tall – a prominent Danish nobleman, military commander and political opportunist active in England throughout the early 11th century, not to mention a possible commander of the Jomsvikings. Thorkell was a powerful figure during the reigns of Aethelred the Unready and Cnut the Great, serving as jarl [Danish lord] of East Anglia under the latter and playing a key role in the shifting power structures of the Anglo-Danish realm. If Edith was his daughter, this would have placed her firmly within the upper tiers of Anglo-Scandinavian nobility, reinforcing her suitability as a consort for a leading nobleman such as Harold Godwinson. The Domesday Book (compiled two decades after the Conquest) records an ‘Eddeva the Fair’ as the…

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How Tostig Godwinson’s brotherly betrayal hastened the fall of the Anglo-Saxons
type: item
date: 2025-08-24T20:04:51.000Z
creator: James Osborne
subject: Anglo-Saxon
subject: Medieval
subject: Norman
subject: Period
subject: Historical people
subject: Trends-Entertainment
description: Though overshadowed by his famous brother Harold, Tostig Godwinson played a small yet crucial part in the dramatic downfall of Anglo-Saxon England as told in the series King and Conqueror. Fuelled by betrayal and ambition, discover how one brother’s quest for power helped to bring about the end of an era
encoded: By the autumn of 1066, the once-mighty Godwin family looked set to crumble – and at the heart of this collapse was a bitter feud between two brothers, Harold Godwinson and Tostig Godwinson. Their competing ambitions and rivalry played no small part in the eventual end of Anglo-Saxon England, and the onset of the Norman Conquest. Tostig, long overshadowed by his brother Harold, would ultimately become both an instigator and a victim of one of the most consequential years in English history – a moment explored in the new BBC series King and Conqueror. Who was Tostig Godwinson? Tostig Godwinson was the younger brother of King Harold Godwinson, the king who lost his crown (and life) to William the Conqueror at the battle of Hastings in 1066. Through his support of the Norwegian king Harald Hardrada, Tostig helped to hurry the two invasions of 1066, that weakened England’s defences and left the country vulnerable to Norman conquest. Tostig as Earl of Northumbria Tostig’s place in the story of 1066 is inseparable from the extraordinary power of his family. His father, Godwin of Wessex, rose from obscurity to become the most influential noble in England: so powerful that when he and his children were exiled by the king, Edward the Confessor, in 1051, popular pressure forced their return within a year. It was a clear signal: the Godwins rivalled the authority of the crown itself. When Godwin died in 1053, Harold took his place as the Earl of Wessex, effectively becoming second in power only to the king. Tostig gained the earldom of Northumbria two years later in 1055, when Earl Siward – a loyal supporter of Edward and a powerful figure of Danish descent – died without an heir. Though a southerner, Edward appointed Tostig to fill the position, likely due to his family’s clout at court rather than local popularity. What is certain is that Tostig’s rule in Northumbria was troubled from the start. The region had strong Scandinavian ties and operated with a degree of autonomy. I…

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