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

Henry wished that a certain tax, probably a survival of the Danegeld, which was paid to the sheriffs, should be brought into the royal revenue.

From The English Church in the Middle Ages by Hunt, William

The Danegeld, which William imposed after the Domesday survey, was assessed on the hundreds, as though there were no smaller units from which it could be levied.

From The History of England - a Study in Political Evolution by Pollard, A. F. (Albert Frederick)

A new land tax replaced the Danegeld tax.

From Our Legal Heritage by Reilly, S. A.

The same year King Edward abolished the Danegeld which King Ethelred imposed.

From The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle by Ingram, J. H. (James Henry)

It has purchased brief truces at the cost of increasing levies of Danegeld drawn from the diminishing resources of the patient community.

From Outspoken Essays by Inge, William Ralph