**In 1066, the King of England died without an heir.** This led to a power struggle between English nobles and Viking rulers, each vying for the throne. The victor in this battle for the throne was *William of Normandy,** who entered the fray late in the game. While observing the political situation in England from France, he defeated the exhausted English and Norwegian nobles and became King of England. He is the ancestor of all subsequent English Kings and Queens.

In York, you can find traces of this power struggle everywhere. **Clifford Tower and York Minster, both in York, are particularly famous as structures built by William.** This city is full of relics and museums from William’s conquest and other historical events, so I recommend taking a day to explore them. *If you buy a ‘Visit York Pass’ sold by the York local government, you can visit related relics and museums without paying additional entrance fees.**

York Minster

**William became King of England in 1066, but it took a long time to conquer all of England.** York had been Viking territory ever since it was conquered by Vikings in 866. The Vikings resisted William, a French-born King of England, and *York Minster was destroyed during the process of William subjugating them.**

York Minster is believed to have been built around the 6th century AD. Since then, it has been destroyed and rebuilt several times as a result of various events. **The cathedral that remains in York today is based on the one built by William after he conquered the Danes (Vikings).** Over the past 1,000 years, York Minster has undergone numerous renovations and remodeling due to fires, big and small, eventually becoming the structure we see today.

York Minster is so huge that you can see it from anywhere in York. **Its interior is decorated with the largest and most spectacular stained glass in England.** In particular, the cathedral houses statues of all the English monarchs, from William the Conqueror to the most recent deceased, Queen Elizabeth II. *Even after 1,000 years, we can still see William's face in York.**

You can enter York Minster with the York Pass. However, there is an additional entrance fee to climb the tower. The museum in the basement does not require an additional entrance fee. **The museum features exhibits that showcase the history of York Minster from the Roman era to the Viking and William periods.**

It is also a good idea to pass by York Minster late in the evening. **You can hear the huge pipe organ in York Minster playing on the hour.**

Clifford Tower

Immediately after becoming King of England, William built **York Castle, a wooden structure, south of York.** However, this wooden castle was burned down during the Viking rebellion mentioned earlier. William later rebuilt the castle, gradually changing it into the stone structure we see today.

Looking at York Castle, which still exists today south of York, it may seem rather shabby. **But what remains now is only the central structure called ‘Clifford Tower’ among the various structures of the castle.** The bailey, which is part of the castle's annex, and many other structures have disappeared during the modernization process.

You have to climb very steep stairs to enter the tower. Going up the stairs will take you to the tower, where you can see stone structures built in the 13th century and various explanations. (Most of the things mentioned in this article are what I read on those signs.) **When you climb to the top of the tower, you can see the entire city of York at a glance.**

This is another site that can be entered with the York Pass. However, you have to go there early because you can't enter after 5:00 PM. If you visit York in February, you might also experience the Viking Festival. **People dressed up as Vikings will perform a performance attacking the tower.**