History
Romans:
York's multi-tiered history kicks off with the Celtic Brigante tribe, whose presence led to the arrival of the ninth Roman Legion in 71 AD. The Romans erected a walled garrison called Eboracum at the strategically important confluence of the Ouse and Foss Rivers which turned out to be such an effective natural defence that the Roman city became the main military headquarters in the North of England attracting visits by big-name emperors such as Hadrian, Septimius, Severus and Constantine. It's thought that Constantine was proclaimed emperor on the future site of York Minster - spooky, because he went on to become the first Christian emperor. The year 410AD the Roman grip on the north was gradually loosened, the legions were recalled and Eboracum was abandoned. Traces of the Roman era can still be seen around York.
Saxons:
After the Romans abandoned Eboracum, the Saxons sailed from their homes in North Germany up the River Humber and settled in York – known to them as Eoforwic. By the 6th century most of the North of England was in Saxon hands and Eoforwic was the capital of their Kingdom. Unfortunately, as the Saxons generally built in wood, none of their buildings have survived, apart from the remains of some stone fortifications.
During the Saxon period the Christian church was established in England. In 625 King Edwin of Northumbria married Princess Aethelburga, who embraced Christianity. The King was himself baptised into the faith and for the ceremony he hastily erected a modest wooden church on the spot the Minster would later occupy. Hereafter York became the ecclesiastical centre. In Church hierarchy York became the second only in importance to Canterbury, a position the city still occupies today. It was after a fire (one of the many that York had to suffer) that Archbishop Egbert rebuilt the wooden Minster, orientating it north-south as it is today.
Vikings:
In the 9th century York became a target for Viking invaders and in 866 a huge armada sailed up the river Ouse and over-ran the city. The invaders had greater ambitions than the ‘raping and pillaging’ for which they are more often remembered. They strengthened the city’s defences, altered the English-Saxon name Eoforwic to Jorvik and made it the Viking capital of Northumbria. The Viking period lasted less than a century, although their street names have survived down the centuries. The Old Scandinavian for street is ‘gate’ – hence the slightly odd street names in York such as Castlegate or Swinegate. When the Vikings’ grip on England was fully loosened in the 10th century, England became a unified kingdom. Viking kings still ruled from York but their power was diminished.
Normans:
Duke William of Normandy made York his military headquarters, after his victory at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. He built fortifications that have lasted to the present day. William the Conqueror dealt with Northumbria's rebellious spirit in no uncertain terms, setting fire to York and destroying the countryside in a campaign of terror dubbed 'the harrying of the North'. Ironically, the city rose up after William the Conqueror’s Revenge was stronger. York was rebuilt in stone upon the foundations of the Vikings’ less substantial buildings and to repel further attacks the city was encircled by substantial walls, castles and a cathedral, and prospered as a centre of the new trade in wool.
The Civil War:
The wars of the Roses saw the armies of York and Lancaster facing each other across the battlefield. The war with France decimated exports and the city lost what had been its monopoly in the wool trade. With the dissolution of the monasteries York ‘s religious communities lost their power.
Recent History:
York regained some of its former regional glory with the coming of the railways in 1839. The railway boosted the city’s other major industry, which was chocolate and confectionary. During WWII the city was targeted in the Great York air raid of 1942, part of Germany's so-called campaign to destroy Britain's key historic landmarks. The city soon recovered and saw the opening of the University of York, in 1963. Until 1974, York was the country’s administrative centre and only Canterbury has more influence within the church. With its intact city walls and a remarkable collection of historic buildings, York has become a popular tourist destination.