The Death of Harold, Bayeux Tapestry
The scene from the Bayeux Tapestry inscribed 'Harold rex interfectus est' — King Harold is killed — embroidered within a generation of Hastings.
The tapestry is the closest thing we have to a contemporary newsreel of 1066, and it is Norman propaganda: seventy metres of wool on linen making the case that Harold was an oathbreaker and William the rightful heir. Whether the figure with the arrow in his eye is Harold has been argued for two centuries. What is not in doubt is that the English king died on the field and the crown changed hands that day. Read the full story in our article on The Norman Conquest of 1066: How William the Conqueror Reshaped England.
Public domain — source (Wikimedia Commons). Free to reuse under the stated licence.
