danegeld

In English history, a tax imposed from 991 onwards by Anglo-Saxon kings to pay tribute to the Vikings. After the Norman Conquest (1066), the tax was revived and was levied until 1162; the Normans used it to finance military operations.

Danegeld was first exacted in the reign of Ethelred (II) the Unready (978–1016). This payment was distinct from the tax known as heregeld, which was levied annually between 1012 and 1051 to pay for a mercenary squadron of Danish ships in English service and to maintain a standing army.