Danegeld

American  

[deyn-geld] / ˈdeɪnˌgɛld /

Also danegeld,

noun

1. (in medieval England) an additional tax on land believed to have been levied originally as a tribute to the Danish invaders but later continued for other purposes.

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Danegeld British  

/ ˈdeɪnˌɡɛlt, ˈdeɪnˌɡɛld /

noun

1. the tax first levied in the late 9th century in Anglo-Saxon England to provide protection money for or to finance forces to oppose Viking invaders

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Etymology

Origin of Danegeld

before 1150; Middle English denegeld, danegeld, Old English (Domesday Book) Danegeld. See Dane, geld ²

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Danegeld

A "hide" was the unit of assessment on which the Danegeld was paid in Saxon times— 1 virgate = 1/4 of a hide.

From Lynton and Lynmouth A Pageant of Cliff & Moorland by John Presland

The payment of Danegeld was an old story in English history and the end was not yet.

From Canute the Great The Rise of Danish Imperialism during the Viking Age by Laurence Marcellus Larson

Though there were no Danish invaders now, William continued to levy the Danegeld, and he had rents and payments due to him in many quarters which had been due to his predecessors.

From A Student's History of England, v. 1 (of 3) From the earliest times to the Death of King Edward VII by Samuel Rawson Gardiner

He raised a Danegeld to satisfy his men, and sent his house-carls to force the people to pay the heavy tax.

From A Student's History of England, v. 1 (of 3) From the earliest times to the Death of King Edward VII by Samuel Rawson Gardiner

On the other hand, the fact that Edmund agreed to levy Danegeld in his own kingdom of Wessex looks suspiciously like the recognition of Canute as overlord of the southern kingdom.

From Canute the Great The Rise of Danish Imperialism during the Viking Age by Laurence Marcellus Larson