TheBayeux Tapestry tituli areMedieval Latin captions that are embroidered on theBayeux Tapestry and describe scenes portrayed on the tapestry. These depict events leading up to theNorman conquest of England concerningWilliam, Duke of Normandy, andHarold, Earl of Wessex, later King of England, and culminating in theBattle of Hastings.
The Bayeux Tapestry, a 70-metre (77 yd) long embroidered-linen cloth which narrates the story of the Norman conquest of England in 1066 has been said to be "one of the most powerful pieces of visual propaganda ever produced, as well as one of the few medieval works of art familiar to almost everyone in the Western world."[1] The tapestry has compelled many people to study and question who commissioned it and for what purpose.[2] The tapestry is currently located in Bayeux, Normandy and is protected by a glass case.[3] The Bayeux Tapestry tituli areMedieval Latin captions that are embroidered along theBayeux Tapestry scenes and describe the portrayed re-enactments on the tapestry. The tituli, comprising 2,226 characters and symbols, is the longest known text of its kind.[4] These depicted events leading up to theNorman conquest of England concerningWilliam, Duke of Normandy, andHarold, Earl of Wessex, later King of England, culminating in theBattle of Hastings.
Manypalaeographers who study manuscripts can distinguish different hands within the writings on manuscripts. In the same way, Bayeux Tapestry scholars have argued that there were different "scribes" at work, as there are subtle differences between similar letters along the entire tapestry.[4] For example, at Scene 17 the 'e' letters, both Roman and uncial, in the top line of the tituli have elegantserifs with tiny points; while those in the lower two lines have straight bars.[4] In scenes 52 to 57, different techniques and colourings similarly suggest different writers.
The Bayeux Tapestry was most likely commissioned by William the Conqueror's half-brother,Bishop Odo, possibly at the same time asBayeux Cathedral's construction in the 1070s, and completed by 1077 in time for display on the cathedral's dedication. It is embroidered inwoolyarn on atabby-wovenlinen ground usingoutline or stem stitch for detailing and lettering. A dark blue wool, almost black, is used for most of the tapestry's lettering but towards the end other colours are used, sometimes for each word and other times for each letter.
The content of the hanging is primarily pictorial but tituli are included on many scenes of the action to point out names of people and places or to explain briefly the event being depicted.[5] The text is in Latin (which for the most part is grammatically correct), and is extremely direct, with each statement being closely tied to the scenes depicted in a given section.[6][7] The text is frequently abbreviated as indicated bytildes placed over words at the place of omission of a letter. The words themselves are often demarcated by two points (whichLucien Musset likens to colons); sometimes, more important section breaks are demarcated by three points. Many personal names, mostly in English, are not Latinised and the same applies for names of places in England and for Beaurain "Belrem" in France. In places the spelling shows an English influence, such as the phrase "at Hestenga ceastra", which in proper Latin would be "ad Hastingae castra".[6] Some French names are either archaic ("Rednes") or anglicised ("Bagias").[8] Sometimes "Franci" is used to describe the Normans and the rest of the host.[9]
The end of the tapestry has been missing from time immemorial and the final titulus "Et fuga verterunt Angli" is said by Lucien Musset to be "entirely spurious", added shortly before 1814 at a time of anti-English sentiment.[10] The first word on the tapestry "Edward" is also a restoration.[11]
Scene 12 is another notable scene, however it is studied because of its tituli. It appears as though "a different writer took over the inscription at this point and saw himself as beginning here; or that the same scribe began a new stint of work here."[4] The upper border has dipped at this point and the birds and beasts depicted in it are large.[3] "The tituli is accordingly forced into smaller letters and is very intermittent, being fitted in round a tree, a sword, hands, spears, and birds’ heads. It seems likely that the first workshop completed the main register and the upper border, leaving the inscription (and possibly the lower border) incomplete."[4]
Another notable event occurs in scenes 29 and 30, the coronation of Harold as king. In this scene, Harold is seated on the throne, with nobles to his left and Archbishop Stigand to his right. The tituli states, "Here they gave the king's crown to Harold" in scene 29, and "Here sits Harold King of the English" in scene 30.[12] The coronation of King Harold is important because as the masses are cheering for Harold,Halley's Comet appears in the sky.[13] This scene also includes a fleet of ships in the lower border, which foreshadows the Norman invasion and the English defeat at the hands of William the Conqueror.[13]
The most famous scene within the Bayeux Tapestry is scene 57, depicting Harold's death. In this scene, the tituli states, "HIC HAROLD REX INTERFECTUS EST"[13] which can be translated to "Here King Harold was slain." Harold's death marks the end of theAnglo-Saxon era in England and births the beginning of Norman rule.[12] Harold appears to be plucking an arrow from his eye in the scene. According to many historians, The Bayeux Tapestry is considered one of the earliest and most convincing pieces of evidence that Harold was killed by an arrow.[3] Scene 57 also holds evidence that there was more than one "writer". Scene 52, within the first new titulus after the sixth seam, the colours change to black and yellow with intermittent red letters.[4] They continue, mostly in letters of alternating colour, until Scene 57, Harold's death. At this point green is introduced to the inscription and there are some words in black, some in the lighter greenish shade, to the present limit of the Tapestry.[4] "The change of colour at Scene 57 may, again, relate to a different production team: The episode of Harold's death also contains a seam, the eighth, although it is invisible from the front of the Tapestry."[4]
The English translation provided here is of a literal nature, to reflect the simplicity of the captions themselves. The numbering scheme uses the scene numbers on the tapestry's backing cloth, which were added sometime around 1800.[5]
| Scene | Text[nb 1] | Translation[14] | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | EDWARD[US][nb 2] REX | King Edward |  |
| 2-3 | UBI HAROLD DUX ANGLORUM ET SUI MILITES EQUITANT AD BOSHAM ECCLESIA[M] | Where Harold, a leader of the English, and his knights ride toBosham Church[15] |  |
| 4 | HIC HAROLD MARE NAVIGAVIT | Here Harold sailed by sea |  |
| 5 | ET VELIS VENTO PLENIS VENIT IN TERRA WIDONIS COMITIS | and with sails filled with wind came to the land ofCount Wido[nb 3] |  |
| 6 | HAROLD | Harold |  Higher resolution detail |
| 7 | HIC APPREHENDIT WIDO HAROLDU[M] | Here Wido seized Harold |  |
| 8 | ET DUXIT EUM AD BELREM ET IBI EUM TENUIT | and led him toBeaurain and held him there |  |
| 9 | UBI HAROLD ⁊[nb 4] WIDO PARABOLANT | Where Harold and Wido confer |  |
| 10 | UBI NUNTII WILLELMI DUCIS VENERUNT AD WIDONE[M] | Where the messengers of Duke William came to Wido |  |
| TUROLD | Turold[nb 5] |  | |
| 11 | NUNTII WILLELMI | The messengers of William |  |
| 12 | † HIC VENIT NUNTIUS AD WILGELMUM DUCEM | †[nb 6] Here the messenger comes to Duke William |  |
| 13 | HIC WIDO ADDUXIT HAROLDUM AD WILGELMUM NORMANNORUM DUCEM | Here Wido led Harold to William Duke of the Normans |  |
| 14 | HIC DUX WILGELM[US] CUM HAROLDO VENIT AD PALATIU[M] SUU[M] | Here Duke William comes with Harold to his palace |  |
| 15 | UBI UNUS CLERICUS ET ÆLFGYVA | Where a cleric and Ælfgyva ...[nb 7] |  Higher resolution detail |
| 16 | HIC WILLEM[US] DUX ET EXERCITUS EIUS VENERUNT AD MONTE[M] MICHAELIS | Here Duke William and his army came to theMount of Michael |  |
| 17 | ET HIC TRANSIERUNT FLUMEN COSNONIS | and here they crossed the riverCouesnon |  Higher resolution detail |
| HIC HAROLD DUX TRAHEBAT EOS DE ARENA | Here earl Harold dragged them from the sand | ||
| 18 | ET VENERUNT AD DOL ET CONAN FUGA VERTIT | and they came toDol andConan turned in flight |  |
| REDNES | Rennes |  | |
| 19 | HIC MILITES WILLELMI DUCIS PUGNANT CONTRA DINANTES | Here the knights of Duke William fight against the men ofDinan |  Higher resolution detail |
| 20 | ET CUNAN CLAVES PORREXIT | and Conan passed out the keys |  |
| 21 | HIC WILLELM[US] DEDIT ARMA HAROLDO | Here William gave arms to Harold |  |
| 22 | HIE [sic][nb 8] WILLELM[US] VENIT BAGIAS | Here William came toBayeux |  |
| 23 | UBI HAROLD SACRAMENTUM FECIT WILLELMO DUCI | Where Harold made an oath to Duke William |  |
| 24 | HIC HAROLD DUX REVERSUS EST AD ANGLICAM TERRAM | Here earl Harold returned to English land |  |
| 25 | ET VENIT AD EDWARDU[M] REGEM | and he came to King Edward |  |
| 26 | HIC PORTATUR CORPUS EADWARDI REGIS AD ECCLESIAM S[AN]C[T]I PETRI AP[OSTO]LI | Here the body of King Edward is carried to theChurch of Saint Peter the Apostle[nb 9] |  |
| 27 | HIC EADWARDUS REX IN LECTO ALLOQUIT[UR] FIDELES | Here King Edward in bed speaks to his faithful followers |  Higher resolution detail |
| 28 | ET HIC DEFUNCTUS EST | and here he died | |
| 29 | HIC DEDERUNT HAROLDO CORONA[M] REGIS | Here they gave the king's crown to Harold |  |
| 30 | HIC RESIDET HAROLD REX ANGLORUM | Here sits Harold King of the English |  Higher resolution detail |
| 31 | STIGANT ARCHIEP[ISCOPU]S | ArchbishopStigand | |
| 32 | ISTI MIRANT[UR] STELLA[M] | These people marvel at the star[nb 10] |  |
| 33 | HAROLD | Harold |  |
| 34 | HIC NAVIS ANGLICA VENIT IN TERRAM WILLELMI DUCIS | Here an English ship came to the land of Duke William |  |
| 35 | HIC WILLELM[US] DUX JUSSIT NAVES [A]EDIFICARE | Here Duke William ordered ships to be built |  |
| 36 | HIC TRAHUNT NAVES AD MARE | Here they drag the ships to the sea |  |
| 37 | ISTI PORTANT ARMAS AD NAVES ET HIC TRAHUNT CARRUM CUM VINO ET ARMIS | These men carry arms to the ships and here they drag a cart (laden) with wine and arms |  |
| 38 | † HIC WILLELM[US] DUX IN MAGNO NAVIGIO MARE TRANSIVIT ET VENIT AD PEVENESÆ | †[nb 6] Here Duke William in a great ship crossed the sea and came toPevensey |  |
| 39 | HIC EXEUNT CABALLI DE NAVIBUS | Here the horses leave the ships |  |
| 40 | ET HIC MILITES FESTINAVERUNT HESTINGA UT CIBUM RAPERENTUR | and here the knights have hurried toHastings to seize food |  Higher resolution detail |
| 41 | HIC EST WADARD | Here isWadard[nb 11] |  |
| 42 | HIC COQUITUR CARO ET HIC MINISTRAVERUNT MINISTRI | Here the meat is being cooked and here the servants have served (it) |  |
| 43 | HIC FECERUN[T] PRANDIUM | Here they have a meal |  |
| ET HIC EPISCOPUS CIBU[M] ET POTU[M] BENEDICIT | And here the bishop blesses the food and drink |  Higher resolution detail | |
| 44 | ODO EP[ISCOPU]S WILLEM[US] ROTBERT | Bishop Odo, William,Robert |  |
| 45 | ISTE JUSSIT UT FODERETUR CASTELLUM AT HESTENGA[nb 12] | He ordered that amotte should be dug at Hastings |  Higher resolution detail |
| CEASTRA[nb 13] | the camp | ||
| 46 | HIC NUNTIATUM EST WILLELM[O] DE HAROLD[O] | Here William was told about Harold |  |
| 47 | HIC DOMUS INCENDITUR | Here a house is burned |  |
| 48 | HIC MILITES EXIERUNT DE HESTENGA ET VENERUNT AD PR[O]ELIUM CONTRA HAROLDUM REGE[M] | Here the knights have left Hastings and have come to the battle against King Harold |  Higher resolution detail |
| 49 | HIC WILLELM[US] DUX INTERROGAT VITAL[EM] SI VIDISSET HAROLDI EXERCITU[M] | Here Duke William asks Vital[nb 14] if he has seen Harold's army |  |
| 50 | ISTE NUNTIAT HAROLDUM REGE[M] DE EXERCITU WILLELMI DUCIS | This messenger tells King Harold about Duke William's army |  |
| 51 | HIC WILLELM[US] DUX ALLOQUITUR SUIS MILITIBUS UT PREPARAREN[T] SE VIRILITER ET SAPIENTER AD PR[O]ELIUM CONTRA ANGLORUM EXERCITU[M] | Here Duke William speaks to[nb 15] his knights to prepare themselves manfully and wisely for the battle against the army of the English |   |
| 52 | HIC CECIDERUNT LEWINE ET GYRD FRATRES HAROLDI REGIS | Here fellLeofwine andGyrth, brothers of King Harold |   |
| 53 | HIC CECIDERUNT SIMUL ANGLI ET FRANCI IN PR[O]ELIO | Here English and French fell at the same time in battle |  Higher resolution detail |
| 54 | HIC ODO EP[ISCOPU]S BACULU[M] TENENS CONFORTAT PUEROS | Here Bishop Odo, holding a club, gives strength to the boys |  |
| 55 | HIC EST WILLEL[MUS] DUX | Here is Duke William |  |
| 56 | E[USTA]TIUS | Eustace |  Higher resolution detail |
| HIC FRANCI PUGNANT ET CECIDERUNT QUI ERANT CUM HAROLDO | Here the French do battle and those who were with Harold fell |  | |
| 57 | HIC HAROLD REX INTERFECTUS EST | Here King Harold was slain |  Higher resolution detail |
| 58 | ET FUGA VERTERUNT ANGLI[nb 16] | and the English have turned in flight |  Higher resolution detail |
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