Halley’s Comet depicted on the Bayeux Tapestry, the famous work which retells the history of the Norman Conquest of England 1066 through pictures. Halley’s Comet appeared in the night sky four times larger than Venus, shining and trailing crimson. Astrologers claimed it was a portent of doom.

4 comments
  1. Just after the comet disappeared in late April, Tostig landed with a fleet of 60 ships on the Isle of Wight. This was the first in a serious of naval invasions of England. King Harold repelled his brother Tostig, only for Tostig to invite Norwegian King Harald Hadrada to invade. Even as Harold dealt with the the Norwegians the Normans prepared to invade from the south. If you did want to learn more about the epic story of the Norman Conquest from the perspective of the Normans listen to [the epic episode from The French History Podcast](https://www.thefrenchhistorypodcast.com/73-the-norman-conquest/).

  2. Stupid question, but…

    Why have they depicted it like that? I mean, Halley’s comet, AFAIK, has a quite destinct shape, with a nucleus and a conic ‘tail’ seemingly radiating from it in a conic shape. This depiction looks nothing like it. It even seems like they’ve gone above and beyond to depict it more intricantly on the tapestry. Why?

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