So what's so special about this tapestry versus all the others that decorate French castles? I talked to Dr. Jesse Hurlbut in the French Department about this very question. First off it's not really a tapestry. The images, instead of being woven into the piece, are actually embroidered. Very few embroideries survive from this period, and there certainly aren't any on the remarkable scale of the Bayeux Tapestry (rumor has it that it's still called a tapestry because nobody has heard of the Bayeux Embroidery?). The Tapestry measures nearly 70 meters in length, and that's with a piece missing at the end. It's huge.
The tapestry tells the story in a linear, comic book style, with stunning images and Latin text to keep the narrative going. It starts with Harold's arrival in France, his oath to William promising the English throne, the death of Edward the Confessor and Harold's succession, William's preparations for war, and last (but not least) the Battle of Hastings where William of Normandy became William the Conqueror. I won't try to summarize everything on the tapestry, but I highly recommend this website, which includes images, narrative, and translations of the Latin text for the entire tapestry.
Don't be fooled by the stylized figures and proportions; whoever made this tapestry paid great attention to detail. The borders are lined with all kinds of decorations, some purely ornamental, others contributing to the narrative. Dr. Hurlbut's favorite example of this is at Harold's coronation. As Harold sits in his throne, a crowd of frightened onlookers see Haley's Comet in the sky, unsure whether it is an omen of good or evil. If you look at the border, though, you can see a small fleet of Norman ships, a foreshadowing of the invasion to come.
David Newton and Mark Sylvan made this animated version of the tapestry (it includes the Battle of Hastings, so it is a little violent) which basically rocks my socks. And on a humorous note, the London Times has often recognized the Battle of Hastings by publishing an obituary for poor King Harold II on October 14th.
