Was the Bayeux Tapestry Made in France?: The Case for St. Florent of Saumur (The New Middle Ages) - Hardcover

Beech, G.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1403966702 ISBN 13: 9781403966704

Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005

Synopsis

This book presents the hypothesis that the Bayeux tapestry, long believed to have been made in England, came from the Loire valley in France, from the abbey of St. Florent of Saumur. This is based on a number of different kinds of evidence, the most important of which is signs of a St. Florent/Breton influence in the portrayal of the Breton campaign in the tapestry, about a tenth of the whole.

About this title

About the Author:

GEORGE BEECH was formerly Professor of Medieval History at Western Michigan University, USA, where he taught since 1960. In his scholarly research and publications, Beech has concentrated on eleventh-century France (Aquitane) and its relations with England, Italy, Muslim Spain, and the crusader Middle East. He is currently completing a biography of the first troubadour poet, Duke William IX of Aquitane. Beech has also specialized in the study of early eleventh-century pre-epic Latin literature and the history of eleventh-century Muslim Saragossa. He was a co-founder, and is still a co-editor, of the journal Medieval Prosopography.

Review:

'Beech...argues that the genius and craft behind the tapestry were most likely French...he suggests the tapestry may have subsequently left Blois and reached Bayeux in the middle of he 15th century as a gift passed between a succession of aristocrats.' - Steve Farrar, The Times Higher Educational Supplement

'Beech is to be commended for his courage, his fresh perspectives, and the solid investigation offered here.' - Prof. Dr. Albrecht Classen, Mediaevistik

About this edition

• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 1403966702
• ISBN 13: 9781403966704
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 154