History

Although the Vikings gave York its name, derived from Jorvik, York began as a Roman fortress, built in 71AD by the IX Legion for a campaign against the Brigantes tribe.

The York Minster (cathedral) is located roughly in the center of the long-gone fortress (although fragments of the walls remain), near the remains of the headquarters building. Outside, the fortress grew into a city named Eboracum, which incidently was where Constantine was crowned Emperor in 305AD.

York Minster (the Cathedral of St. Peter) was first established in 627 by the Anglo Saxon king of Northumbria. Minster is a word that roughly translates into teaching, making the Minster the centre for Church teachings. Cathedral comes from the word cathedra, which roughly translates into throne. Hence, the Minster contains the archbishop's throne.

According to excavations that revealed important Christain burials dated to the Viking age by their decorated grave markers, the Vikings apparently maintained this early minster as a church. The present cathedral is the fourth such minster on the site and is the largest medieval structure in the UK. It was started by Archbishop de Grey around 1220--and completed in 1472. Among the many architectural wonders are over 100 stained glass windows dating from the 12th to the 20th centuries.

York Walls

The main center of York, at least for the tourist, exists within part of the medieval walls, which are remarkably intact and run for a good distance along the northwest and southeast side of this area. The outer side show the familiar crenallations, while the inner sides are open--careful! With (thankfully) very few railings in place, if you misstep, you'll end up in someone's backyard.

Taking some measurements of the southeast section (a short block or two walk from the Castle Museum) may give you an idea of the size of the wall, although please note these are estimates only (as I lacked a proper tape measure) and with the realization that modern adjustments over the last few hundred years have probably altered the appearance. Note the person in the photo stands 5 foot 3 inches tall.

Large Wall Photo (109K)

Walk Around York (Part 2)

More York

York Introduction
Jorvik Viking Centre
Castle Museum (part 1)
Castle Museum (part 2)
Walk Around York (part 1)
Walk Around York (part 2)
Map of York (Large: 152K)

This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web.
Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com