Skip to content
History–Tours
866866–954 · York

Viking Jorvik, the Scandinavian kingdom of York

Silver coins, ingots and arm-rings of the Viking-age Vale of York Hoard around a gilt cup
Archival image: Portable Antiquities Scheme. CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

A Viking army captured York in 866, and for most of the next ninety years it was the capital of a Scandinavian kingdom whose rulers struck their own coins. Excavations at Coppergate in 1976–81 uncovered timber houses, workshops and thousands of everyday objects, showing a busy trading town. The last king, Eric Bloodaxe, was driven out in 954.

Sites

  1. Site 1: JORVIK Viking Centre, CoppergateReconstructed Viking street built over the excavation site.Map ↗
  2. Site 2: Yorkshire MuseumViking-age finds from York and Yorkshire, including hoards of silver.Map ↗

Guides who take you there

History-only · order never for sale
We haven't found an independent history guide for this yet. Guide here? Tell us about your tours.

Also in York

More from the Medieval

Read more: reference. Summary written by History-Tours.com.