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 William Hunt

Danegeld was also regarded as fixed revenue, though after the accession of Henry II. it was not frequently levied.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 1 "Evangelical Church Conference" to "Fairbairn, Sir William" by Various

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

A new land tax replaced the Danegeld tax.

From Our Legal Heritage by S. A. Reilly

Various conjectures have been hazarded, and the unit is undoubtedly older than the Danegeld.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 4 "Hero" to "Hindu Chronology" by Various