[2] In the 11th century, three courts outside Scandinavia were particularly prominent in recruiting Scandinavian troops:[3] Novgorod-Kiev (Kievan Rus') c. 980–1060,[3] Constantinople (the Varangian Guard) 988–1204,[3][4] and England 1018–1051.
[1] In 1012 King Æthelred the Unready of England ended several years of devastating attacks by a Danish army led by Thorkell the Tall by making a huge payment of Danegeld.
When Æthelred was restored to power in England in 1014, after the death of Swein, he retained or regained the services of Thorkell and his men, who continued to receive large sums of money.
According to a later saga tradition this defection was due to the massacre of a separate force of Danish troops brought to England by Swein and commanded by Thorkell's brother Hemming.
[8] The chronicle of Florence of Worcester claims that the 40 ships which deserted Æthelred to join Cnut's invasion force after its arrival in England, under the leadership of Ealdorman Eadric Streona of Mercia, were manned by Danish crews.
[11] After this proclamation, those who were less affluent retired while the successful warriors, who had gathered considerable amounts of spoils of war, used their wealth to embellish their weaponry with gold and silver.
[11] Under Cnut, the system of direct taxation in silver, based on an assessment of land value, which had been used as an occasional expedient by Æthelred to raise individual lump sums of Danegeld, became a regular annual form of levy to support this standing force, a payment now known as heregeld (army-tax).