York

The city of York changed hands many times throughout its long history. From the local Gaelic tribes that first settled down nearby, to the Romans, to the Anglo-Saxons and the Vikings, York was a significant cultural, economic, and religious center. It is located in Northern Britain at the meeting of the Rivers Ouse and Foss. As such it was a cultural economic and military hub that had much influence in the early history of Northumbria. Our first records come from its Roman occupation which began in 71 AD. The Romans called their new outpost Eboracum, which translates vaguely to Place of Yew Trees or estate of Eburos. During the Roman Occupation, Roman mythology, Christianity, Celtic, and Egyptian religions coexisted. They built up its defenses and established a system of roads that survived throughout its history. York was an important economic center for pottery, metalworking, and bone working in the late Roman empire, which contributed to the high quantity of Roman coins.

This map provides a visual representation of where York is located in comparison to the island of Britain.

When the Anglo-Saxons began to take hold in 410 they named it Eoforwic or Eforwic, which translates roughly to boar town. York experienced a decline in the early 5th and 6th century. During this time, the population decreased and economic decline plagued the region. 

It was not until the late 7th to the early 8th century that York was able to recover from its economic depression. During this period the Anglo-Saxons repurposed the previously built Roman fortress for religious purposes and expanded the existing roads to make the city easier to traverse. This period also marked a major development of Christianity in York with the foundation of an important church and the confluence of many ecclesiastical leaders.

York was taken in 866 by three Viking brothers Ivar, Halfdan, Ubba. The capture of York by the Vikings, further expanded York’s trading network into the far east and helped establish the city as the only coin mint in the region. York changed hands between various “Viking”, Anglo-Saxon, and Danish rulers. The Vikings divided york into four distinct tenements each of which housed various craftsmen. During this time religion in York (Jorvik) diversified even more. That said, by the end of the Viking age most Vikings had fully converted to Christianity.

Most of early medieval York’s material culture was found in Coppergate excavations (1976-1981). We can see a development in technology and complexity of materials over time. Hardly anything can be found from the Roman period, but starting from IV century we can find objects of pragmatic and spiritual value, such as pots, the York Helmet, a cross brooch, and burial vessels.We have found a wider range of evidence from viking Jorvik, including items such as clothes, coin stamps, sword pommels, rings etc. The objects from this period are made of gold, amber, silk, tusks and other materials which are often harder to find and use than those incorporated in Anglo-Saxon York.

Read more about York:

Bibliography:

Nilfanion. “York.” Map. Wikipedia. April 14, 2011. Accessed March 10, 2019. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:York_UK_locator_map.svg.

19 Comments

  1. schustero
    ·

    Here is a source that might be very helpful in looking at the urban development and settlement. It is mostly focused on the Anglo-Saxon period in England, however, it provides good information of the Roman period and the Viking period. It also provides many other useful sources.

    Hooke, D. (1988). Anglo-Saxon settlements. Oxford, UK ; New York, N.Y., USA: Blackwell.

    Reply
    1. schustero
      ·

      I forgot to mention that the source I previously attached has some good economic information especially regarding the viking/Anglo-Scandinavian age, especially with trade and the production of goods within tenements of York.

      Reply
  3. sheny2
    ·

    Some Online Sources(links) of Religious life in York

    A couple of wiki links about religious life in York:
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/York#Early_history
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_York
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archbishop_of_York

    General Timeline of York’s history:
    web.archive.org/web/20070314135055/http://www.yorkhistory.com/timeline/index.php

    Websites about York’s History:
    http://www.historyofyork.org.uk/home
    http://www.britainexpress.com/cities/york/saxon.htm
    web.archive.org/web/20080204082639/http://www.york.gov.uk/leisure/Local_history_and_heritage/yorks_history/02_eoferwic/

    Brief history of Christianity in York:
    http://www.viking.no/e/england/york/jorvik_as_a_religious_centre.html

    Religious history and list of archbishops of York:
    http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15733b.htm

    Reply
  5. schultzm
    ·

    Hey everyone,
    Do we all want to meet sometime this weekend to discuss and finalize the wiki site?

    Reply
    1. sheny2
      ·

      Yes. Probably Saturday or Sunday night?
      We should also work on a overview passage or paragraph for the whole section

      Reply
  6. schultzm
    ·

    Based off the responses of the when2meet, I would suggest we meet on Sunday at 7 on 4th Libe.

    Reply
      1. schustero
        ·

        Here is another source that is in the library, or it is online, but it has a good range of information on medieval York.
        Source: Palliser, D. (2014). Medieval York 600-1540 (First ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
        Link: https://books.google.com/books?id=cKbFAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT81&lpg=PT81&dq=alcuin%27s+alma+sofia&source=bl&ots=1nkYrou5X9&sig=ACfU3U3y7UdoO-w6oA_XDRnsjkFLQ8575w&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiXlvj23uzgAhXh64MKHVGLCR4Q6AEwA3oECAcQAQ#v=onepage&q=alcuin's%20alma%20sofia&f=false

        Reply
        1. schultzm
          ·

          I would highly recommend this source! It is truly amazing. I will bring the physical copy Sunday if anyone wants to use it.

          Reply
    1. schustero
      ·

      Thank you! That is a great website.

      Reply
  8. schultzm
    ·

    Hey everyone,
    I think I have book everyone wants, so I will be holding “student hours” tonight in the Libe starting at 8 on 4th libe, so feel free steal Medieval York from me.

    Reply

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