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.