ABSTRACT

A series of documentary references, written in the mid-ninth to mid-eleventh centuries, indicates that York was the most important and enduring focus of Scandinavian interests in England in the early medieval period. Documents and archaeology combine to indicate that, outside London, York was then the largest city in England, with an area of some 100 hectares and an estimated population of 10–15,000. Its Viking Age prominence reflects its geographical significance and earlier history.