Bayeux Tapestry tituli facts for kids

The Bayeux Tapestry in its museum in Bayeux, France.

The Bayeux Tapestry tituli are Medieval Latin captions that are embroidered on the Bayeux Tapestry and describe scenes portrayed on the tapestry. These depict events leading up to the Norman conquest of England concerning William, Duke of Normandy, and Harold, Earl of Wessex, later King of England, and culminating in the Battle of Hastings.

Description

Detail of embroidered lettering

The Bayeux Tapestry was probably commissioned by William the Conqueror's half-brother, Bishop Odo, possibly at the same time as Bayeux Cathedral's construction in the 1070s, and completed by 1077 in time for display on the cathedral's dedication. It is embroidered in wool yarn on a tabby-woven linen ground using outline 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. 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. The text is frequently abbreviated as indicated by tildes placed over words at the place of omission of a letter. The words themselves are often demarcated by two points (which Lucien 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"). Some French names are either archaic ("Rednes") or anglicised ("Bagias"). Sometimes "Franci" is used to describe the Normans who at that time certainly did not regard themselves as French.

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. The first word on the tapestry "Edward" is also a restoration.

Latin text with English translation

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.

Scene	Text	Translation	Image
1	EDWARD[US] 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 to Bosham Church
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 of Count Wido
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 to Beaurain and held him there
9	UBI HAROLD ⁊ 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
11	NUNTII WILLELMI	The messengers of William
12	† HIC VENIT NUNTIUS AD WILGELMUM DUCEM	† 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 ...	Higher resolution detail
16	HIC WILLEM[US] DUX ET EXERCITUS EIUS VENERUNT AD MONTE[M] MICHAELIS	Here Duke William and his army came to the Mount of Michael
17	ET HIC TRANSIERUNT FLUMEN COSNONIS	and here they crossed the river Couesnon	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 to Dol and Conan turned in flight
	REDNES	Rennes
19	HIC MILITES WILLELMI DUCIS PUGNANT CONTRA DINANTES	Here the knights of Duke William fight against the men of Dinan	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] WILLELM[US] VENIT BAGIAS	Here William came to Bayeux
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 the Church of Saint Peter the Apostle
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	Archbishop Stigand
32	ISTI MIRANT[UR] STELLA[M]	These people marvel at the star
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	† Here Duke William in a great ship crossed the sea and came to Pevensey
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 to Hastings to seize food	Higher resolution detail
41	HIC EST WADARD	Here is Wadard
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	He ordered that a motte should be dug at Hastings	Higher resolution detail
	CEASTRA	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 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 PREPAREN[T] SE VIRILITER ET SAPIENTER AD PR[O]ELIUM CONTRA ANGLORUM EXERCITU[M]	Here Duke William speaks to 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 fell Leofwine and Gyrth, 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 are fighting and have killed those who were with Harold
57	HIC HAROLD REX INTERFECTUS EST	Here King Harold was slain	Higher resolution detail
58	ET FUGA VERTERUNT ANGLI	and the English have turned in flight	Higher resolution detail