AHC/WI: Surviving Jorvik

Have Scandinavian York, or Jorvik if you are so inclined, survive as long as possible.

What would be the consequences of a surviving Jorvik?

My scenario is that the Great Heathen Army is more coordinated and scores more victories in both the years of 865-876 and 874-878. If that is not plausible then feel free to supplement your own/
 

Delvestius

Banned
A more coordinated Great Heathen Army might give more of a foothold, but you would need more Norse settlers (which is not ASB whatsoever) and establishment of its own King, independent from Denmark. If done with the cooperation of Denmark, people may still be speaking dialects of a Norse language in England today. If done as an act of rebellion, it would probably be just another interesting footnote in history.
 

Redhand

Banned
I see no reason why William the Conqueror wouldn't simply ethnically cleanse the Norse when he takes over. I don't see Jorvik lasting even with more settlement as even Cnut's accomplishments did not last very long with significantly more resources and skill than what the Great Heathern Army offered.
 
I see no reason why William the Conqueror wouldn't simply ethnically cleanse the Norse when he takes over. I don't see Jorvik lasting even with more settlement as even Cnut's accomplishments did not last very long with significantly more resources and skill than what the Great Heathern Army offered.

With a 9th century POD Willie the Bastard never gets born.
 
That's quite improbable to have a surviving Jorvik as opposed to an unified Anglo-Saxon or Anglo-Dane England (Britain would have a too low population and absence of distinct geographical markers to really remain divided long)

The first issues are demographical and economical : population and ressources are definitely more present in the southern part of Thames and Mercia. At the point someone manages to unify these regions, Jorvik would be eventually under huge pressure, as IOTL.

Then, it's political. The GHA wasn't some nation-state alike army, but a raiding party. Meaning that they fit in the shoes of the previous rulers (as in East-Anglia), a Dane conquest of England certainly wouldn't mean a greater Jorvik except if, ignoring the likely AS rebellions, the kingdom of York manages to unify the Anglo-Dane entities (but frankly, it wouldn't be the more powerful candidate).
And at this point, of course, it would be more a Kingdom of England than a Kingdom of York.

What you could see, would be an Anglo-Dane earl of Jorvik, rather than a blunt reconquest by Anglo-Saxons (you'd need to have Anglo-Danes willing to submit without warring, and AS willing to accept it).
A bit like Scottish islands held their Norse identity even after having lost several part of their political autonomy.

In this case, you may have a, while still *English, more Dane-influenced Northern England, with a more distinctive identity.

Another solution, would be to have Norway hold on the region, as part of the norse kingship. That's doable, but i'll question to the survival potential of such union after some decades.
You'd have the political distinction, granted, but that would be a prime target for any AS king powerful enough.
 
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