I spy with my little eye, something beginning with A...

If you haven't seen it, a witty animated version of the Bayeux Tapestry is worth a look on Youtube, complete with appropriate sound effects and Hollywood-style background music in the battle scenes.
More seriously, military historian Gary Smailes asks Should we trust the Bayeux Tapestry?
He also has produced a map of the Battle of Hastings using Google Maps...nifty.

Arnulf III the Hapless becomes Earl of Flanders. 17th July, 1070

For today's post, we celebrate all those rulers with unfortunate names. In addition to Arnulf the Hapless, I have come across.....

Charles the Stout (conquered Nijmegen in 1473)
Philip III, the Stout, King of France (1270-85)
Ethelred the Unready (king of England 979-1016 )
Charles the Bare (king of Lotharingen, 869)
Robert II, the Vrome (sounds painful)
Louis VI the Fat One, King of France, 1108 (his coronation pictured in the rather nice painting above).
Bertha "with the great feet", wife of French king Pippin III (died 783)
Charles, The Angry One, King of Navarra (1349-87)
Louis X, the Stubborn, King of France (1314-16)
Charles II, the Bald, King of France (843-77)
Louis II, the Stutterer, King of France (877-79)
Charles III the Plain, King of France (893-929)

French monarchs in the majority......and one wife.

Jon Linin has kindly supplied these additions to the post...
Magnus Barelegs - yes he's got a website. Magnus Barefoot (aka "Barelegs"), Viking King of Norway, was killed in battle near Downpatrick in the year 1103.
Niall of the Nine Hostages - Irish ironage king (4th Century)
Charles the Simple, 9th Century king of the Franks.

Lady Godiva rides through Coventry (10th June,1057 or thereabouts)

On the 10th of June, 1057 (or thereabouts), Lady Godiva rides through Coventry to lower taxes.
Could not resist this one. It may even get a few hits by those interested in adult material. The exact date is open to question, but the story goes as follows..
Lady Godiva was the good wife of tough Leofric, Earl of Mercia, and lived in Coventry UK. She is mentioned in the Domesday Book.
Leofric raised the oppressive Heregeld tax from the people of Coventry in order to pay for Danish king Canute's bodyguard [schoolchildren know Canute mainly for his unsuccessful attempt to reverse the tide, when he got his feet wet].
Godiva pleaded with her husband to relieve the taxes, which he famously agreed to do if she rode naked through the town. She ordered doors and windows to be shut, but was spotted possibly by some monks and a man named Tom (hence "Peeping Tom"). In any case her exploits were recorded in Roger of Wendover's medieval chronicle.
This week the free Godiva music festival takes place in Coventry, complete with Mercian version of the Rio carnival - see this link
More information on the BBC history site