Scandinavian York or Viking York (Old Norse: Jórvík) is a name historians use for the area now known as Yorkshire. This period lasted from the late 800s until 1066. During this time, Vikings ruled the region. The city of York was especially important, as it was controlled by Viking kings and earls. The Kingdom of Jórvík was also closely linked to the Kingdom of Dublin in Ireland.

History of Viking York

What was York like before the Vikings?

The city of York was first mentioned around the year 150 by a writer named Ptolemy. He called it Eborakon. When the Romans were in charge, it became an important capital city and religious center called Eburacum. The Roman settlement was well-planned and had strong defenses.

Around 407, the Romans left Britain. In the early 600s, the Anglo-Saxons took over the settlement. York was part of the kingdom of Deira. In 655, it became part of Northumbria. An Anglo-Saxon king, Edwin of Northumbria, was baptized there in 627. The city became a busy trading port called Eoforwic.

How did the Vikings take over York?

Vikings started raiding England's coasts in the late 700s. But in 865, a large Viking army arrived. They wanted to conquer land, not just raid it. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle called this army the "Great Heathen Army." They landed in East Anglia. The local people there made peace with them and gave them horses.

This army was led by Ivar the Boneless and his brother Halfdan Ragnarsson. They marched north to Northumbria. At that time, the Anglo-Saxons in Northumbria were fighting a civil war. In 862, King Osberht of Northumbria had been removed from power by Ælla of Northumbria. Ivar the Boneless used this confusion to his advantage. He captured York in 866 or 867.

Viking Rule: 866 to 901

After Ivar the Boneless took York, the two Anglo-Saxon leaders, Osberht and Ælla, stopped fighting each other. They joined forces to try and take back the city. The Vikings hid behind the old Roman city walls. In the battle on March 21, 867, both Anglo-Saxon leaders were killed. The Northumbrians were defeated.

The remaining Northumbrian leaders made peace with the Vikings. The Vikings then put a local prince, Ecgberht, in charge as a puppet ruler. Five years later, in 872, the Northumbrians rebelled and drove Ecgberht out. But the Vikings quickly regained control of York in 873.

In 875 or 876, part of the Great Army returned, led by Halfdan Ragnarsson. York was taken again. Halfdan became King of Northumbria, but he only ruled the southern part, which became known as the Kingdom of York (Jórvík). Halfdan was the first king of Jórvík. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle says he "apportioned the lands of North-humbria: and they thenceforth continued ploughing and tilling them." Halfdan died in 877 while trying to claim the Kingdom of Dublin.

After Halfdan's death, there was a period without a king until Guthred became king in 883. Guthred was the first Christian Viking king of York. Churches in Northumbria had been robbed by the Vikings. However, many religious items found in York show that the cathedral remained important. Guthred died in 895 and was buried at York Minster.

Silver penny of Siefredus, a Viking ruler of York.

Siefredus of Northumbria became the next ruler of Jórvík. We know about him from coins. A large collection of coins, called the Cuerdale Hoard, was found in the 1800s. It contained about 8,000 Anglo-Scandinavian coins. Some of these coins had Siefredus's name on them. This suggests he ruled from about 895 to 900.

Some historians think Siefredus might be the same person as Sichfrith, a Viking leader who raided Wessex. Another idea is that he was the same Jarl Sichfrith who claimed the Kingdom of Dublin.

The Cuerdale Hoard also had coins with the name Cnut (or Knútr). These coins suggest he ruled between 900 and 905. Cnut is listed as a ruler of York, but he is not mentioned in any written records from that time. This has puzzled historians. Some wonder if the coins belong to Guthred, or if Siefredus and Cnut were the same person. Another idea is that Cnut was a Danish noble who had a very short reign.

When a West Saxon Ruled Northumbria

The next ruler was Æthelwold. He was the son of Æthelred, who was king of Wessex from 865 to 871. After his father died, Æthelwold's uncle, Alfred the Great, became king. When Alfred died in 899, Alfred's son Edward the Elder became king of Wessex.

Æthelwold wanted to be king. He took his father's old estate. Edward's forces surrounded him, so he fled to York. The people of York accepted him as their king in 901. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle says he "stole away by night, and sought the army in North-humbria; and they received him for their king, and became obedient to him."

Æthelwold did not stay in York for long. In 903, he started a fight to get the crown of Wessex back. He gathered a fleet and landed in Essex, then went to East Anglia. He convinced their king, Eohric, to help him. Their combined armies raided Wessex. Edward's allies fought Æthelwold's army, and Æthelwold was killed in battle.

Viking Rule Returns: 903 to 926

Edward continued to attack the Viking kingdom. The Vikings fought back the next year. Their new kings, Eowils and Halfdan II, tried to raid Mercia and Wessex. But they were stopped and killed by an army from Wessex and Mercia at the Battle of Tettenhall on August 5, 910.

Ragnall I became York's next ruler. He was the grandson of Ímar and had likely been forced out of Dublin in 902. He fought against Constantín II, the King of Scotland, in the Battle of Corbridge in 918. It is not clear who won, but Ragnall was able to become king in York. The people of York were not happy with Ragnall. They promised to obey Æthelflæd, the Lady of the Mercians, in early 918. But she died in June of that year, ending the talks. Later, Ragnall agreed to accept Edward as his overlord but kept his kingdom. Ragnall had three different types of coins made in York. He died in late 920 or early 921.

The next ruler was Sihtric, a relative of Ragnall. He was another Viking leader who had been forced out of Dublin in 902. Sihtric had returned to Ireland to take back Dublin and become its king. Then, in 920, he came to York and joined Ragnall. When Ragnall died in 921, Sihtric became king.

Sihtric raided Davenport, Cheshire. This went against the peace agreement Ragnall had made with Edward. Edward the Elder died in 924. Sihtric seemed to use this chance to make his kingdom bigger. Coins from this time were made in Lincoln, in the Kingdom of Mercia, as well as in York.

Edward was replaced by his son Æthelstan. Sihtric was not eager to obey Æthelstan, but he finally did so in January 926. As part of the agreement, Sihtric was to marry Æthelstan's sister, Eadgyth, and be baptized. Sihtric was baptized but soon after rejected the Christian faith and his new wife.

West Saxon Rule: 927 to 939

Sihtric died in 927. His brother, Gofraid, left Dublin and went to Northumbria to become king. But King Æthelstan drove him out. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle simply says that Æthelstan became King in Northumbria after Sihtric. It also says Æthelstan met with other kings in Britain and made peace.

A later account by William of Malmesbury tells a different story. He says Gofraid went to Scotland after Sihtric's death. He attended a meeting with Æthelstan, Constantine II of Scotland, and Owen I of Strathclyde. Gofraid and a Viking friend then led an army to York and surrounded the city. Æthelstan attacked, and Gofraid was captured. The Anglo-Saxons then looted the city, and Gofraid was allowed to return to Ireland.

In 937, a group of Vikings (led by Gofraid's son Olaf Guthfrithson), Constantine II of Scotland, and Owain of Strathclyde invaded England. Æthelstan and his allies stopped and defeated them at the Battle of Brunanburh. After this, Æthelstan kept control of Northumbria until he died in 939.

During his rule, Æthelstan made Northumbria part of England. The design of the coins was changed to match the English system. Some coins made in York had Eforwic on them, which was the Old English name for York.

Viking Rule Returns Again: 939 to 944

A penny from York made during Olaf Sihtricsson's time. It shows a raven and a cross.

Even though Æthelstan had united the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, when he died in 939, the Viking leader Olaf Guthfrithson (who had been defeated at Brunanburh) came from Dublin. He took over Northumbria with little trouble. Coins made in York during his rule show a raven.

In 940, his cousin Olaf Cuaran joined him in York. In 941, Olaf Guthfrithson invaded Mercia and East Anglia. The Archbishops of York and Canterbury helped make peace. Edmund I, Æthelstan's successor, gave up much of the south-east Midlands and Lincolnshire.

Olaf Guthfrithson likely died in 942, and Olaf Cuaran replaced him. In 943, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle says that Olaf Cuaran was baptized, with Edmund as his sponsor. That same year, another king of Northumbria, Ragnall Guthfrithson, was also confirmed with Edmund as sponsor. Both Olaf and Ragnall are called king. It is not clear if they ruled together or were rivals.

By 944, all records agree that Edmund was able to force the Viking leaders out of Northumbria.

English Rule: 944 to 947

In 945, Edmund invaded Cumbria. He blinded two sons of Domnall mac Eógain, king of Strathclyde. Then, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle says he "granted" all of Strathclyde to Malcolm king of the Scots. This was in return for an alliance.

In 946, Edmund was killed. Eadred became king. He immediately focused on Northumbria. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle says he "subdued all Northumberland under his power" and got promises of obedience from the Scots.

In 947, Eadred went to Tanshelf. There, Archbishop Wulfan and the Northumbrian leaders submitted to him.

Viking Rule Reestablished: 947 to 954

Eric Bloodaxe took advantage of the problems in York and became king. Eadred responded by raiding Northumbria and driving Eric out. Olaf Cuaran was made king again from 950 to 952. Olaf's rule was short. In 952, Eric removed him and ruled Northumbria until 954.

The Earldom of York: 954 to 1066

Earl of Northumbria|Jarl Viking rule ended when Eadred's forces killed Eric Bloodaxe at the Battle of Stainmore in 954. After this, the area was governed by earls. These were local nobles chosen by the kings of England.

In 975, King Edgar of England died suddenly. His two sons, Edward and Æthelred, fought over who would be king. Edward became king but was killed in 978 under strange circumstances. Æthelred became ruler. In 1002, he was told that Danish men in his land planned to kill him and his advisors and take his kingdom. In response, he ordered the deaths of all Danes living in England. This happened on November 13, 1002, and is known as the St Brice's Day massacre.

This massacre likely caused the king of Denmark, Sweyn Forkbeard, to invade England in 1003. The attacks continued until 1014. Æthelred and his family were forced to leave, and Sweyn became king of England. However, he only ruled for five weeks before he died.

After Sweyn's death, his son Cnut became the leader of the Danish army. Æthelred returned to England. Æthelred drove Cnut out of England and back to Denmark. Then, in 1015, Cnut started his campaign against England again.

Meanwhile, in 1016, Æthelred died. His son, Edmund Ironside, became king. Cnut's forces defeated Edmund and his army at the Battle of Ashingdon. After the battle, Cnut made a treaty with Edmund. Edmund would be king of Wessex, and Cnut would rule the rest of England.

Ironside died just a few weeks after the treaty. Cnut then became king of all England. He divided England into four semi-independent earldoms. He used a system of government similar to the Scandinavian system. He appointed his most trusted followers as earls. The Norwegian Erik of Hlathir was made Earl of Northumbria. The previous Earl of Northumbria, Uhtred, had been murdered, probably by Cnut's orders. Even though a Scandinavian king ruled all of England, Northumbria was not fully part of the rest of the country.

Siward became the last Scandinavian Earl of Northumbria. He took over from Erik around 1033. He ruled for 22 years without problems. When Siward died in 1055, King Edward the Confessor chose a West Saxon to govern Yorkshire instead of Siward's son, Waltheof. Edward's choice, Tostig Godwinson, was not popular with the local people. In 1065, Tostig was removed from power by the northern nobles. They replaced him with Morcar (the brother of Edwin of Mercia). Edward accepted the northerners' choice for the new earl.

After Edward the Confessor died in 1066, Harold Godwinson became King of England. He visited York early in his rule. In September 1066, Tostig returned with his ally, Harald Hardrada of Norway. On September 20, 1066, they defeated the northern earls, Morcar and Edwin, at the Battle of Fulford. The people of York submitted to Tostig and Hardrada, but they did not occupy the city. Five days later, Harold Godwinson defeated and killed Tostig and Hardrada at the Battle of Stamford Bridge. Soon after, William of Normandy landed at Pevensey on September 28. On October 13, Harold of England fought his last battle at Hastings. William won the battle, but it took several years for the Normans to fully control England.

Norman Rule After 1066

Copsi was a supporter of Tostig and from Northumbria. His family had ruled Bernicia and sometimes Northumbria. Copsi had fought with Harald Hardrada's army against Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Stamford Bridge. He managed to escape after Harald's defeat. When Copsi showed loyalty to William in 1067, William made him earl of Northumbria. After only five weeks as earl, Copsi was murdered by Osulf. When Osulf was also killed, his cousin, Cospatrick, bought the earldom from William. He did not rule for long before joining a rebellion against William in 1068.

William responded harshly. In the winter of 1069, he destroyed much of Yorkshire. This event is known as the Harrying of the North. He replaced the local nobles with his own trusted men. The Domesday Book for Yorkshire shows how much the Normans took over. Most of the landowners who survived kept only a small part of their land. They became tenants of a Norman lord. With 25 of William the Conqueror's powerful men holding 90% of the county's estates, the time of English kings appointing Scandinavian Earls of Northumbria was over.

After the Norman conquest, Scandinavian kings tried several times to regain control of England. The last attempt was in 1086. However, raids continued. The last recorded one was in 1152. Eystein II of Norway took advantage of the English civil war and looted places on the east coast of Britain, including Yorkshire.

Trade and Money

How did they use coins?

Small silver coins, called sceattas, were made in England by the early 700s. From the late 700s, these coins were found in York. The economy in Northumbria was not strong. They kept making small silver coins and later copper pennies (called stycas). Other English kingdoms were making larger silver pennies.

The king and the archbishop controlled the making of coins in York. The king stopped making coins around 850, and the archbishop around 855. The Vikings started making coins again in York around 895 or 896. These coins looked similar to European coins. Some had short religious messages, and others had the name of the place where they were made, like EBRAICE for Eboracum (York). A workshop that made and tested the coin designs has been found at Coppergate.

Around 973, King Edgar changed the money system. He wanted all of Anglo-Saxon England to have the same money. About sixty moneyers (people who made coins) worked in different towns. The most important mints were in London, Winchester, Lincoln, Chester, and York. They made coins with a standard design so they could be used anywhere in England. The design was changed about every six years. This way of making money stayed the same until the time of Henry II, about two hundred years later.

What did they trade?

Archaeological finds show that Jórvík had a busy international trade. There were many workshops and busy mints. York was part of a larger Scandinavian trading system. One route went to Norway, and another went to Sweden, then to the Byzantine Empire and the Muslim world.

York was a major manufacturing center, especially for metalwork. Craftspeople in Jórvík got their raw materials from near and far. Gold and silver came from Europe. Copper and lead came from the Pennines. Tin came from Cornwall. Amber from the Baltic Sea was used for jewelry. Soapstone, probably from Norway, was used to make large cooking pots. Wine was brought in from Germany. Silk, used to make caps, came from the Byzantine Empire.

Religion in Viking York

Hogbacks in All Saints Church, Brompton-in-Allerton. These are long, rounded stones with animal carvings.

Christianity was already present in Northumbria by the late 600s. Not much evidence of the old Viking pagan religion has been found in Yorkshire. However, some coins from the 900s, made during Ragnall I's rule, had Thor's hammer on them.

The arrival of the pagan Vikings did not seem to stop Christianity. The Vikings who came to York became Christians within a few decades. They mostly adopted local burial customs. However, some stone crosses and grave markers show Scandinavian designs. They also introduced new forms, like the "Hogback gravestone."

Hogbacks were introduced in the 900s. They are stone grave markers shaped like a house with a curved roof. They often have animal carvings at each end. Many were placed with standing crosses. Most hogbacks in England are found in northern Yorkshire. This suggests they were first made in this region.

Lasting Impact of Viking York

How was the area organized?

Ridings

Viking Yorkshire was divided into three parts for administration. These were called the North Riding, the West Riding, and the East Riding. The name "Riding" comes from the Old Norse word þriðjungr, meaning "third part." Under Viking rule, each Riding was a separate area with its own local meetings. They were created during the Viking period and lasted until 1974. The East Riding of Yorkshire was brought back as a local authority in 1996.

Wapentakes

The word Wapentake comes from the Old Norse vápnatak. It was an administrative subdivision of the Ridings in Yorkshire. The term originally meant the "taking of weapons." Later, it meant the clash of weapons by which people at a local court showed their agreement. In Viking York, Wapentakes were probably first formed by groups of smaller Hundreds. Later, the Wapentake itself was seen as the same as the Anglo-Saxon Hundred. Wapentakes lasted until 1974.

Yorkshire Dialect

"The whole speech of the Northumbrians, especially that of the men of York, grates so harshly upon the ear that it is completely unintelligible to us southerners. The reason for this is their proximity to barbaric tribes and their distance from the kings of the land who, whether English as once or Norman as now, are known to stay more often in the south than the north."
(William of Malmesbury 12th century.)

The English language has hundreds of words that come from Scandinavian languages. But in Yorkshire and northern England, there are thousands of words with Scandinavian roots. A local writing tradition and a large non-Norman population helped create the unique modern Yorkshire dialect.

Examples of words still used
in Yorkshire with Scandinavian roots
Word	Means
addle	to earn
agate	busy with
fall	hillside
barn	child
neave	fist
beck	stream
laike	play
dale	valley
kirk	church
ket	rubbish
lug	ear
haver	oats
lig	to lie down
teem	pour out
wark	ache
tig	to touch
Source: John Waddington-Feather. Yorkshire Dialect.

You can find an example of the Yorkshire dialect in Emily Brontë's book, Wuthering Heights. The servant Joseph's speech is written in dialect. Here is an example from Chapter 2:

What are ye for?' he shouted. 'T' maister's down i' t' fowld. Go round by th' end o' t' laith, if ye went to spake to him.'
'Is there nobody inside to open the door?' I hallooed, responsively.
'There's nobbut t' missis; and shoo'll not oppen 't an ye mak' yer flaysome dins till neeght.'
'Why? Cannot you tell her whom I am, eh, Joseph?'
'Nor-ne me! I'll hae no hend wi't,' muttered the head, vanishing.

In standard English, this means:

'What do you want?' he shouted. 'The master's down in the fold [sheep pen]. Go round the end of the barn if you want to speak to him.'
'Is there nobody inside to open the door?' I hallooed, responsively.
'There's nobody but the mistress, and she'll not open it for you if you make your frightening din [noise] till night.'
'Why? Cannot you tell her whom I am, eh, Joseph?'
'Not me. I'll not have anything to do with it,' muttered the head, vanishing.

Place Names

After the Norman Conquest, many place names in Yorkshire were still Anglo-Scandinavian. This shows that only the top Norman leaders settled there.

Scandinavian place-names
Settlement name ends in	Means	Example
~by	Farm, town	Wetherby
~thwaite	Clearing	Yockenthwaite
~thorpe	Hamlet	Scagglethorpe
~toft	Homestead	Langtoft
Glossary source: A.D Mills Dictionary of English Place-Names

Place names can tell us what an area was used for. For example, in York, the Old Norse place name Konungsgurtha (Kings Court) was likely a royal home. It is now King's Square. New streets with timber houses were added to the city between 900 and 935. We know these dates from tree-ring studies on old wooden posts.

Many street names in York end in "~gate." This comes from the Old Norse word "~gata," meaning street. One famous example is Coppergate, which means "the street of the woodworkers."

What have archaeologists found?

From 1976 to 1981, the York Archaeological Trust dug up parts of the Coppergate street in central York. They found that in the 900s, Jórvík traded with places as far away as the Byzantine Empire. They found a silk cap and even fake coins from Samarkand. These items, along with a large human coprolite (fossilized poop) known as the Lloyds Bank coprolite, were found a thousand years later.

Amber from the Baltic is often found at Viking sites. In Jórvík, an impractical amber axehead was found. A cowrie shell shows contact with the Red Sea or the Persian Gulf. We don't know much about daily life in Jórvík, but we do know that Christians and pagans lived together. Both Christian and pagan objects have been found side-by-side.

After the excavation, the York Archaeological Trust decided to rebuild the excavated part of Jórvík on the Coppergate site. This is now the Jorvik Viking Centre.

Scandinavian York facts for kids

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