Shocking detail in penis-filled medieval tapestry could rewrite history

Key Points:

• The Bayeux Tapestry, a nearly 1,000-year-old artwork depicting events leading to the 1066 Norman Conquest of England, contains controversial imagery that may challenge historical narratives about royal legitimacy.
• A particular scene shows a clergyman caressing a noblewoman named Aelfgyva, with a naked man below, which British Museum curator Michael Lewis suggests could reference an alleged affair involving Emma of Normandy, wife of King Aethelred the Unready.
• Emma, also known as Aelfgyva, was the great-aunt of William the Conqueror, who used this family connection to claim the English throne; the alleged affair with Bishop Alfwin could have been intended to undermine William’s legitimacy.
• The true identity of the woman in the tapestry remains uncertain due to the commonality of the name Ælfgyva, with historians proposing other possible figures such as Ælfgifu of York or Ælfgifu of Northampton.
• If Lewis’s interpretation is accurate, the tapestry’s depiction could represent medieval political propaganda aimed at discrediting the Norman claim to the English crown.