Which waterway did Harald Hardrada's forces sail up to reach York?

• A. The River Ouse.
• B. The River Trent.
• C. The River Humber.
• D. The River Tyne.

Answer: (A)

Movement along waterways often determined how invasions moved inland. Harald Hardrada’s fleet landed at Riccall on the River Ouse and advanced upriver into York, a city that sits on the Ouse. This made the Ouse the natural waterway for reaching York directly from the coast. The other rivers are not aligned with York’s location: the Humber flows toward the estuary further south, the Tyne runs to the northeast, and the Trent lies well to the west, so they wouldn’t provide the same direct route to York.