Ancient–500: Hen Ogledd Early: Celtic Brigantes and Parisi By the late Iron Age, the inhabitants of what became Yorkshire were
Hen Ogledd Brythonic Celts (old north British Celts), who formed separate tribes, the
Brigantes (known to be in the north and western areas of historic Yorkshire) and the
Parisi (present-day
East Riding). The Brigantes controlled territory that later became all of
Northern England and more territory than most Celtic tribes on the island of
Great Britain. Six of the nine Brigantian described by
Claudius Ptolemaeus in the
Geographia fall within the historic county. The Parisi, who controlled the area that would become the East Riding, might have been related to the
Parisii of ,
Gaul (known today as
Paris in France). Under Roman rule, their capital was at
Petuaria (modern
Brough), close to the Humber Estuary.
43–400s: Britannia Inferior outside
York Minster Although the
Roman conquest of Britain began in AD 43, the Brigantes remained in control of their kingdom as a
client state of
Rome for an extended period, reigned over by the Brigantian monarch
Cartimandua and her husband
Venutius. Initially, this situation suited both the Romans and the Brigantes, who were known as the most
militant tribe in Britain. Disputes between the two rulers, however, culminated in Cartimandua delivering the defeated British warlord
Caratacus to Roman authority and her leaving Venutius for his armour bearer,
Vellocatus. Cartimandua's positive relationship with the Romans allowed her to maintain control of the kingdom even as Venutius staged a rebellion against her and her Roman allies. On his second attempt, however, during the AD 69
Year of the Four Emperors, Venutius managed to seize control of the Brigantes, leading to the Roman conquest of Yorkshire, under general
Petillius Cerialis, in AD 71. Under Roman rule, the Brigantian tribal centre moved from the large
hillfort at
Stanwick to a newly built capital, or
civitas, at
Isurium Brigantum (modern
Aldborough), on the river
Ure. The fortified city of
Eboracum (now York) was named as capital of
Britannia Inferior and joint capital of all
Roman Britain. The emperor
Septimius Severus ruled the
Roman Empire from Eboracum for the two years before his death. Another emperor,
Constantius Chlorus, died in Eboracum during a visit in 306 AD. Thereafter his son
Constantine the Great, who became renowned for his acceptance of Christianity, was proclaimed emperor in the city. In the early 5th century,
Roman rule ceased with the withdrawal of the last active Roman troops. By this stage, the Western Empire was in intermittent decline.) consolidated (merging
Ebrauc) under Deira, with York as capital. This in turn was grouped with
Bernicia, another former
Celtic-
Brigantes kingdom that was north of the
River Tees and had come to be headed by
Bamburgh, to form
Northumbria. Elmet had remained independent from the
Germanic Angles until some time in the early 7th century, when King
Edwin of Northumbria expelled its last king, Certic, and annexed the region to his Deira region. The Celts never went away, but were assimilated. This explains the existence of many Celtic placenames in Yorkshire today, such as
Kingston upon Hull and
Pen-y-ghent. As well as the Angles and Geats, other settlers included
Frisians (thought to have founded
Fryston and
Frizinghall),
Danes,
Franks and
Huns. At its greatest extent, Northumbria stretched from the
Irish Sea to the
North Sea and from
Edinburgh down to
Hallamshire in the south.
800s–900s: Jórvík Scandinavian York (also referred to as '
) or Danish/Norwegian York' is a term used by historians for the south of
Northumbria (modern-day Yorkshire) during the late 9th century and first half of the 10th century, when it was dominated by Norse warrior-kings; in particular, used to refer to
York, the city controlled by these kings. Norse monarchy controlled varying amounts of Northumbria from 875 to 954, however the area was invaded and conquered for short periods by
England between 927 and 954 before eventually being annexed into England in 954. It was closely associated with the much longer-lived
Kingdom of Dublin throughout this period. An army of
Danish Vikings, the
Great Heathen Army as its enemies often referred to it, invaded Northumbrian territory in 866 AD. The Danes conquered and assumed what is now York and renamed it
Jórvík, making it the capital city of a new Danish kingdom under the same name. The area which this kingdom covered included most of Southern Northumbria, roughly equivalent to the borders of Yorkshire extending further West. The Danes went on to conquer an even larger area of England that afterwards became known as the
Danelaw; but whereas most of the Danelaw was still English land, albeit in submission to Viking overlords, it was in the
Kingdom of Jórvík that the only truly Viking territory on mainland Britain was ever established. The Kingdom prospered, taking advantage of the vast
trading network of the Viking nations, and established commercial ties with the
British Isles, North-West Europe, the
Mediterranean and the Middle East. Founded by the Dane
Halfdan Ragnarsson in 875, ruled for the great part by Danish kings, and populated by the families and subsequent descendants of Danish Vikings, the leadership of the kingdom nonetheless passed into Norwegian hands during its twilight years.
1000s–1400s: Normans 1000s–1100s: Harrying of the north In the weeks leading up to the
Battle of Hastings in 1066 AD,
Harold II of England was distracted by pushing back efforts to reinstate the kingdom of Jorvik and Danelaw. His brother
Tostig and
Harald Hardrada,
King of Norway, having won the
Battle of Fulford. The King of England marched north where the two armies met at the
Battle of Stamford Bridge. Tostig and Hardrada were both killed and their army was defeated decisively. Harold Godwinson was forced immediately to march his army south, where
William the Conqueror was landing. The King was defeated in what is now known as the
Battle of Hastings, which led to the
Norman Conquest of England. The people of the North rebelled against the Normans in September 1069 AD, enlisting
Sweyn II of Denmark. They tried to take back York, but the Normans burnt it before they could. What followed was the
Harrying of the North ordered by William. From York to
Durham, crops, domestic animals, and farming tools were
scorched. Many villages between the towns were burnt and local northerners were indiscriminately murdered. During the winter that followed, families starved to death and thousands of peasants died of cold and hunger.
Orderic Vitalis estimated that "more than 100,000" people from the North died from hunger. In the centuries following, many
abbeys and
priories were built in Yorkshire. Norman landowners increased their revenues and established new towns such as
Barnsley,
Doncaster,
Hull,
Leeds,
Scarborough and
Sheffield, among others. Of towns founded before the conquest, only
Bridlington,
Pocklington, and
York continued at a prominent level. In the early 12th century, people of Yorkshire had to contend with the
Battle of the Standard at
Northallerton with the
Scots. Representing the
Kingdom of England led by
Archbishop Thurstan of York, soldiers from Yorkshire defeated the more numerous Scots.
1300s: Scottish War of Independence and Mass Deaths The population of Yorkshire boomed until it was hit by the
Great Famine of 1315. When King
Richard II was overthrown in 1399, antagonism between the
House of York and the
House of Lancaster, both branches of the royal
House of Plantagenet, began to emerge. Eventually the two houses fought for the throne of England in a series of civil wars, commonly known as the
Wars of the Roses. Some of the battles took place in Yorkshire, such as those at
Wakefield and
Towton, the latter of which is known as the bloodiest battle ever fought on English soil.
Richard III was the last Yorkist king.
Henry Tudor, sympathiser to the House of Lancaster, defeated and killed Richard at the
Battle of Bosworth Field. He then became King
Henry VII and married
Elizabeth of York, daughter of Yorkist
Edward IV, ending the wars. The two roses of white and red, emblems of the Houses of York and Lancaster respectively, were combined to form the
Tudor Rose of England. This rivalry between the royal houses of York and Lancaster has passed into popular culture as a rivalry between the counties of Yorkshire and
Lancashire, particularly in sport (for example the
Roses Match played in
County Cricket), although the House of Lancaster was based in York and the House of York in London.
1500: Catholic–Protestant dissolution The
English Reformation began under
Henry VIII and the
Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536 led to a popular uprising known as
Pilgrimage of Grace, started in Yorkshire as a protest. Some
Catholics in Yorkshire continued to practise their religion and those caught were executed during the reign of
Elizabeth I. One such person was a York woman named
Margaret Clitherow who was later
canonised.
1600s: Civil war During the
English Civil War, which started in 1642, Yorkshire had divided loyalties;
Hull (full name
Kingston upon Hull) famously shut the gates of the city on the king when he came to enter a few months before fighting began, while the
North Riding of Yorkshire in particular was strongly
royalist. York was the base for Royalists, and from there they captured Leeds and
Wakefield only to have them recaptured a few months later. The royalists won the
Battle of Adwalton Moor meaning they controlled Yorkshire (with the exception of Hull). From their base in Hull the Parliamentarians ("Roundheads") fought back, re-taking Yorkshire town by town, until they won the
Battle of Marston Moor and with it control of all of the
North of England.
1500s–1900s: Industry 1500–1600s: Explorative growth In the 16th and 17th centuries Leeds and other wool-industry-centred towns continued to grow, along with Huddersfield, Hull and Sheffield, while coal mining first came into prominence in the
West Riding of Yorkshire. The
wool textile industry, which had previously been a cottage industry, centred on the old market towns moved to the
West Riding where entrepreneurs were building mills that took advantage of water power gained by harnessing the rivers and streams flowing from the
Pennines. The developing
textile industry helped
Wakefield and
Halifax grow.
1800s: Victorian revolution under
Leeds railway station. The 19th century saw Yorkshire's continued growth, with the population growing and the
Industrial Revolution continuing with prominent industries in coal, textile and steel (especially in
Sheffield,
Rotherham and
Middlesbrough). However, despite the booming industry, living conditions declined in the industrial towns due to overcrowding. This saw bouts of
cholera in both 1832 and 1848. However, advances were made by the end of the century with the introduction of modern
sewers and
water supplies. Several
Yorkshire railway networks were introduced as railways spread across the country to reach remote areas. Class A4 4468
Mallard built in
Doncaster is the current confirmed record holder as the fastest steam locomotive at on 3 July 1938. Canals and
turnpike roads were introduced in the late 18th century. In the following century the
spa towns of
Harrogate and
Scarborough flourished, due to people believing
mineral water had curative properties. When elected county councils were established in 1889, rather than have a single Yorkshire County Council, each of the three ridings was made an
administrative county with its own county council, and the eight larger towns and cities of Bradford, Halifax, Huddersfield, Hull, Leeds, Middlesbrough, Sheffield and York were made
county boroughs, independent from the county councils.
Twentieth century to present During the
Second World War, Yorkshire became an important base for
RAF Bomber Command and brought the county and its productive industries into the cutting edge of the war, and thus in the targets of
Luftwaffe bombers during the
Battle of Britain. From the late 20th century onwards there have been a number of significant reforms of the local government structures covering Yorkshire, notably in 1968, 1974, 1986, 1996 and 2023, discussed in the
governance section below. For most administrative purposes the county had been divided since the Middle Ages; the last county-wide administrative role was the
Sheriff of Yorkshire. The sheriff had been a powerful position in the Middle Ages but gradually lost most of its functions, and by the twentieth century was a largely ceremonial role. It was abolished as part of the 1974 reforms to local government, which established instead
high sheriffs for each modern county. ==Geography==