Tobias Capwell: A Tale of Threads and Steel: The Bayeux Tapestry and the Advent of Chivalry
February 4, 2027 @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
The Norman Invasion of England in 1066 is often characterised as the stage on which the medieval knight made his spectacular debut, fighting on horseback with spear and sword, trampling “The Dark Ages” under hooves of his horse and ushering in “The Age of Chivalry”.
Although there is some truth in this idea, the reality is more complex. The Normans fielded armoured cavalry very effectively, but it was their use of the image of the mounted knight in their art, foremost in the Bayeux Tapestry, that really mattered.
This epic embroidery employs armoured horseman as one of its most important visual elements even though the Battle of Hastings was fought largely by infantry archers. This lecture delves down into the realities of war at the time of the Conquest in order that we may better appreciate the ways in which the Bayeux Tapestry was intended to be “read” and understood.
Dr Tobias Capwell FSA is an independent scholar and leading authority on Medieval and Renaissance arms and armour. Over the last 30 years he has worked with many of the world’s great museum collections including the Imperial Armoury in Vienna, the Liverustkammeren in Stockholm, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Getty Museum in Los Angeles. He has served as curator of Glasgow Museums (2003-2006) and the Wallace Collection (2006-2023).
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