One of Those Dates .....

... we all had to remember in school. On this day in 1066, William of Normandy set off from the invasion beaches of Pevensy towards the battlefields of Hastings ... and, ultimately, the title of "the Conquerer." Here is the page devoted to King William I 'The Conqeror' on the Official Web Site of the British Monarchy.Wikipedia has a pretty good write-up on William, his life and his career, with plenty of links for continued, more specific study of a man, a time and a place that all played pivotal roles in the Western world we know today.

For me, of particular interest to this particular point in that career, is the Bayeaux Tapestry, a wonderful document of the year, the prelude to battle, the battle itself, and William's triumph. There are a number of online sources for viewing and learning about the tapestry, This one from the Museum of Reading is one of the more accessible, though - as the site points out - the images are low-quality to keep the site fast-loading.

And via YouTube, here is another, neat way to enjoy the tapestry, a short film by David Newton, with animation, sfx and score.