THE DEATH

OF KING
HAROLD
SOURCE A: THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY
SOURCE B:An account of Harold’ death written in
1068 by Guy, Bishop of he French town of Amiens

With the point of his lance the first knight pierced

Harold’s shield and then penetrated his chest,
drenching the ground with his blood - which poured
out in floods. With his sword the second knight cut
off his head where his helmet protected him. The
third cut out his insides with a spear. The fourth
hacked off his leg at the thigh and threw it away.
 SOURCE C:
Written in 1971 by one of Britain’s leading
historians.

Among all the stories that exist about Harold’s

death, the one that I find easiest to believe says
that he died from an arrow fired at random into
the English lines.
SOURCE D: An account of Harold’s death from a
novel written for children in 1973.
One of the arrows struck Harold, putting out one of
his eyes. He then dropped his battle axe to the
ground as he wrenched the arrow from his sightless
eye and broke it in two with his powerful hands.
Then he bent, limp with agony, over his shield.
Twenty knights charged at him. One struck with his
spear, penetrating the King’s shield and breast; a
second knocked Harold to the ground with his
sword. The King, dying, struggled to rise. A third
knight ripped out his vitals with a spear while the
sword stroke of a fourth cut open the King’s thigh.
 THE DEATH OF HAROLD - USING EVIDENCE:
1) Study Source A & write a full account of what you can see in this part of the tapestry

2) Does the Bayeux tapestry give us definite proof of how Harold died? Explain your answer.
4) Having studied all the sources:
a) Which source do you most believe & why?

b) Which source do you least believe & why?

c) Are you now certain of what happened and how Harold died? Explain your answer.