The Old Norse name for the Viking settlement that became medieval York was Jórvík.
The Viking army captured York in AD 866, and the city became the centre of a Scandinavian kingdom in northern England. Norse speakers adapted the earlier name Eoforwic, itself derived from the Roman name Eboracum, into Jórvík.
York became a major political, commercial and craft centre under Scandinavian rule. Archaeological excavations have revealed houses, workshops, imported goods, animal remains and everyday objects that show the city’s links with Ireland, the Baltic, the Byzantine world and the Islamic world.
The Viking kingdom in York changed hands several times before the Norman Conquest. The name Jórvík survived in historical usage and inspired the modern name of the Jorvik Viking Centre, although modern York developed through many periods beyond its Scandinavian phase.