From the Middle Ages to World War II, Bayeux was greatly affected by history.
Bayeux's rich heritage undoubtedly lies in its Gothic cathedral, Notre-Dame de Bayeux and in its famous tapestry recounting the conquest of England by William the Conqueror.

During the Roman era, religious draperies would often cover castle walls and were as common as paintings are nowadays. But due to their fragility they were not able to survive the centuries to be admired today. The Bayeux tapestry, a piece of wool embroidery that is said to have been woven by Queen Matilda of Flanders herself, is consequently a rare example of this type of art.
Dating back to the 6th century and 70 meters long, the tapestry depicts the epic of the Norman Conquest and is at the same time a historical piece of work as it gives an account of medieval life.
In 1064, the King of England, Edward the Confessor, decided that William, Duke of Normandy, would be his successor to the throne. He sent Harold II, chief magnate of the Kingdom to announce the news to William.

In Normandy, he helped William in the battles against the Bretons and was made a knight. In the Cathedral of Bayeux, Harold recognised William as future King of England and swore allegiance on sacred relics that "death only would stop him from keeping his promises".
But in 1066, after King Edward's death, Harold took power which triggered off the invasion of England by the Normans. On the 14th of October 1066, the battle of Hastings took place in which Harold II was killed and the English put to rout. A few weeks later, William the Conqueror was crowned in Westminster and reigned over England until his death in 1087.

The Bayeux tapestry was made to decorate the Cathedral of Bayeux which was built in 1077 under the command of the bishop Odon de Conteville, a comrade-in-arms of William.
Today, the tapestry can be seen in the William the Conqueror centre in Bayeux.
You can also visit, in Caen, the Abbaye-aux-Hommes and the Abbaye-aux-Dames both of which William and his wife Matilda built to atone to the Church for the irregularity of their inbred marriage.

Bayeux was also the first town to be liberated by the allies on the 8th of June 1944. General de Gaulle victoriously entered the town on the 14th of June and came back two years later, on the 16th of June 1946, to give a speech in which one can see the germinating ideas of the 1958 French Constitution.

For more information on the Bayeux tapestry:
The Regional Council of Lower Normand'ys website gives a short history of the tapestry and useful information about the William the Conqueror Centre.