Same as northern France, England was much affected by Viking raids, too. In the north-east, with the Danelaw and York, there even was a whole territory shaped by Scandinavian rulers and settlers. Their presence resulted in the development of an Anglo-Scandinavian culture. However, new threats from the North around the year 1000 had the English king looking for allies. In 1002, he married the daughter of the Norman Duke: Emma (d. 1052). She became the first Norman queen of England. This liaison had long-term consequences. The close links between England and Normandy formed the basis for Duke William of Normandy’s (d. 1087) claim to the English crown and for the Norman conquest. The Bayeux Tapestry tells the story leading up to the conquest, culminating in the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066. William “the Conqueror” was subsequently crowned king. However, it was to take him another 20 years until Norman rule had become established. This was done with a mixture of violence and integration strategies. Under his successors, an Anglo-Norman realm developed that spanned across the English Channel and benefited from cultural exchange in both directions.
York, anglo-scandinavian, 925–975
Limestone
York, York Museums Trust (Yorkshire Museum), Inv. YORYM: 1993.174
The fragment of the so-called Newgate Cross Shaft from York represents a fusion of Christian and pagan styles and symbols. The “York Master”, a famous stonemason based in York, created the cross. Today, only a part of the cross remains. On the face side, two angels are present in the upper corners, in the centre there are two intertwined Scandinavian-style beasts. The cross fragment thus reflects the melting pot of Viking Age York, where Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian culture mixed and a new hybrid culture flourished.