Silk bag traced to Medieval England reveals hidden link to Charlemagne

A silk bag dating back to the reign of King Henry III of England appears to have a link to Charlemagne, the first Holy Roman Emperor.

Now on display at Westminster Abbey, the silk’s pattern of white hares and delicate flowers is a match for the burial shroud encasing Charlemagne’s remains at Aachen Cathedral in Germany, Artnet reported, almost certainly meaning the two pieces were made by the same weaver.

Researchers are still puzzling over how the silk, which dates back to 1267 and was likely woven in Islamic Spain or the Eastern Mediterranean, arrived in England. One academic said studying the bags in the Abbey’s collection would “open a new window to historians on the trade and cultural connections of the Middle Ages.”