‘History’s most devastating document of war’: the simple yet graphic details of the Bayeux tapestry
“Angli et Franci” – these Latin words embroidered on the Bayeux tapestry may be the first time those cartoon rivals, the English and the French, were named together.But in one of the shifts from triumph to horror that make this epic work of art still gripping almost a millennium after it was made, the full sentence reads: “Here at the same time the English and French [or Angles and Franks] fell in battle”.Below the black lettering, horses and chainmailed riders are thrown about and upside down in a bloody tangle.In the lower margin lie corpses and a severed head.Now, in an unprecedented piece of cultural diplomacy between the Angli and Franci, this 70-metre long Romanesque wonder, preserved for centuries in Bayeux, Normandy, is to go on show at the British Museum.
In exchange, Sutton Hoo treasures and the Lewis chessmen will go to France.When it opens in September 2026 this will surely be one of the British Museum’s most popular shows ever – for every British schoolchild learns this is not just a work of art, but a document of our history and who we are.It will not disappoint.This is the most engaging depiction ever made of a mighty battle.Beside it, Rome’s Dacian wars on Trajan’s column or the Louvre’s paintings of Napoleon’s campaigns are cold.
Imagine if Ridley Scott in his prime had made a film about the Battle of Hastings with severed body parts flying towards the screen as the Normans unleash hell: it still wouldn’t be as thrilling as the gut-punch of the Bayeux tapestry.These deceptively simple, hand-stitched drawings pull you into a narrative of friendship and betrayal, vengeance and despair, unlocking unfiltered feelings and showing you war as both glorious exploit and futile carnage.One possible reason the Bayeux tapestry sees war so clearly is that it was made by women.Commissioned, it’s believed, by Odo, bishop of Bayeux and William the Conqueror’s half-brother, the work was probably done in Canterbury by Anglo-Saxon noblewomen.When they embroidered a scene in which a woman and child flee a house torched by Norman warriors, it surely reflects a female experience of war.
Yet it is not pacifist, or pro-Saxon,It tells the story of the Norman conquest from the Norman point of view,The Normans had been Vikings a couple of generations back, but by the 1060s they were part of a new European civilisation built on feudalism and chivalry,The tapestry takes you into their world, in which the most important thing you can do is make an oath before God – and the worst is to break it,That is what the Saxon noble Harold Godwinson is shown to do.
In the first scene he’s pally with the childless English King Edward, whom he hopes to succeed,Then he rides, moustache flying, to his manor, where he prays and banquets before starting a French trip,His ships are blown off course, he’s held hostage but rescued by William of Normandy,They become battle brothers, attacking castles together,But not equals.
In a scene fraught with passion, Harold stretches out his arms to touch holy relics as he swears loyalty to William.He swore! On relics! So when William hears that in spite of this ritual of subjection, Harold sits on the English throne, he doesn’t hesitate.Ships are built, loaded with weapons and wine.The Normans come for Harold.The world here is boldly delineated, sharply lived.
These people are so impulsive they don’t worry about contradictions.Bishop Odo blesses the feast, as you’d expect.Then he is seen at the heart of battle.When it’s looking like a slaughter with no winners, it is Bishop Odo who rallies the Normans.Suddenly it all goes their way.
The technically advanced Normans control their horses with the new-fangled stirrup – they can ride and wield javelins at the same time.The Saxon shield wall shatters, the last survivors driven into small bands to be picked off.Harold is hit by that famous arrow, a straight black line sliding in under his helmet.“Harold Rex interfectus est,” King Harold is killed.When the battle’s lost and won, Britain is a different place.
We don’t see what came next, the castles, the harrying of the north, the Domesday Book – but all that, and Britain’s entire future, is implied,William’s steely knights become the architects of a new kind of national state,Sign up to Art WeeklyYour weekly art world round-up, sketching out all the biggest stories, scandals and exhibitionsafter newsletter promotionThe tapestry makes it a human story,William starts out as a generous noble saving his friend Harold,Anger turns him into something colder: his vengeance has a monstrous finality.
Not just Harold but the Anglo-Saxon age has to die, all because of a broken oath and a failed bromance,“Men, eh,” you can hear the women whisper as they create our history’s most beguiling, devastating document,Numbers in brackets can be found on this visual guide,(23) In an emotional rite, Harold reaches wide to touch relics as he swears fealty to William as his overlord,William sits enthroned, commanding him.
It’s like a scene from Shakespeare.(38) You can see how recently the Normans were Vikings as William’s war fleet sails.These longships look like Norse ships that survive at Roskilde, Denmark, as the historian Marc Morris has observed.The artistry is ravishing; each ship and sail is embroidered in coloured stripes.The beasts below are just for fun.
(47) This scene is where the tale of chivalry turns brutally honest.For no apparent reason, the Normans burn a house as a woman and child get out just in time.The mother speaks to them as if asking: why?(51) Look, they’re riding with no hands! In a river of steel, the Norman cavalry charge into action, a disciplined, irresistible force, their feet in hi-tech stirrups that let them concentrate on levelling their spears and using their shields.Even so, the fighting will become a bloody mess.(57) And it’s all over.
Harold stands among his last band of vassals, his hand on the arrow that has hit him in the eye or head.You feel his shock, trying in his final moment to remove the lethal shaft or just grabbing it in disbelief.At his feet, the dead are being stripped of their precious chainmail.
Rukmini Iyer’s quick and easy recipe for cashew rice bowls with stir-fried tofu, broccoli and kimchi | Quick and easy
These were an absolute hit with my children, albeit minus the cashews, and as any parent with toddlers who refuse to let their food touch other food will know, that’s a breakthrough. It’s well worth making the whole quantity here, because any leftovers are perfect for fried rice the next day – just make sure you cool the rice after making it, then refrigerate immediately and reheat until piping hot the next day.Kimchi brings a lovely contrast, so if you have or can get some, do add it.Prep 15 min Cook 20 min Serves 4200g white or basmati rice4 garlic cloves, peeled, 3 finely grated, 1 left whole 75g cashew nuts2 tbsp sesame oil 7-8cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated2 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced1 small head broccoli, roughly chopped into 1cm pieces280g firm tofu, roughly chopped into 1cm cubes1 tsp flaky sea salt½ tsp turmeric Juice of 1 limeTo serveKimchiSliced red chilli (optional)First, cook the rice, and this is my magic microwave method: you’ll need a large Pyrex bowl and a plate that will neatly cover the top and act as a lid. Put the rice, 400ml just-boiled water and the whole garlic clove in the bowl, cover with the plate and cook on medium (that is, if your microwave’s maximum power setting is 1,000W, you want to cook it at 800W) for 11 minutes
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When I visited Hanoi a decade ago, I was living in Hackney, east London, an area with a large Vietnamese community, so I felt, if not quite an expert, at least a little familiar with the cuisine. But it turned out no number of nights out on Kingsland Road could prepare me for the assault on the senses that was my first meal in the city, crouched on a plastic stool by the roadside and enjoying what Uyen Luu describes as “the irresistible sweet, treacly smell of barbecued patties and caramelised pork”, all mingled with traffic fumes.The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more
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This spring, something strange started happening at the Fillmore Bakery in San Francisco, which specializes in old-school European desserts.Excited customers kept asking the bakery’s co-owner, Elena Basegio, “Did you see about the princess cake online?”The dome-shaped Swedish layer cake, topped with a smooth layer of green marizipan, had suddenly gone viral, increasing sales of the bakery’s already-bestselling cake.After nearly a century of demure European popularity, “prinsesstårta” suddenly seemed to be everywhere: on menus at hip restaurants in Los Angeles and New York, trending on TikTok, even inspiring candle scents at boutique lifestyle brands.The Swedish consulate in San Francisco confirmed the phenomenon, telling the Guardian that the trend appears to be driven by innovative American pastry chefs such as Hannah Ziskin, whose Echo Park pizza parlor has offered up a sleek redesign of the palatial pastry, as well as by online food influencers, some of whom have offered American bakers more “accessible” versions of the elaborate dessert.The reinvention of one of Sweden’s most cherished desserts as a trendy indulgence might seem like just another retro fad, like the renewed popularity of martinis or caviar
Benjamina Ebuehi’s recipe for passion fruit jaffa cakes | The sweet spot
I don’t buy jaffa cakes nearly as often as other biscuits, but when I do, I’m reminded how much I love them. They’re surprisingly easy to make from scratch, too. The base is an incredibly light genoise sponge that’s topped with a layer of jelly, and it’s this section that allows for some creativity. I chose to go down a summery route with passion fruit. Juicing enough passion fruit to get 200ml of liquid is tedious (and expensive), so by all means use a carton of juice instead
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