The Bayeux Tapestry is a unique work in the world. Over nearly 230 ft (70 m) of embroidery through 58 scenes populated by 626 characters and 202 horses, it tells the story of the conquest of England by William, Duke of Normandy, in 1066. A masterpiece of Romanesque art from the 11th century, the tapestry in woolen threads embroidered on a linen canvas was probably commissioned by Bishop Odon, the half-brother of William the Conqueror, for his new cathedral of Bayeux in 1077. The story of this tapestry rich in longships, long rides, shields, chain mails, fantastic animals, and battlefields began in 1064. At that time, the King of England, Edward the Confessor, charged his brother-in-law, Harold Godwinson, to go to Normandy to propose his succession to the throne of England to his little cousin, William. The Bayeux Tapestry ends with the flight of the Anglo-Saxons at the end of the Battle of Hastings in October 1066.