Danegeld

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One of the greatest schemes of extortion in history was the blackmail the English were subjected to by the Vikings during the 10th and 11th century. After recurrent attacks for more than two centuries, the Scandinavian pirates, most of them Danes, had control over the North and Centre of England. When the South was pushed against the wall, the English were given the chance of paying tribute, thereafter known as Dane gold, instead of fighting. The Vikings knew it was easier and even more profitable than plunder. So the English yield and paid. And paid. And paid. Until there was no more treasure left and the Danes conquered the land and a Danish king sat on the English throne.
Rudyard Kipling wrote a poem about this, in which I mirror myself completely. The Anglo-Saxons should have chosen to fight, because once they paid the Danegeld they never got rid of the Dane.

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It is always a temptation to an armed and agile nation,
To call upon a neighbour and to say:
"We invaded you last night - we are quite prepared to fight,
Unless you pay us cash to go away."
And that is called asking for Dane-geld,
And the people who ask it explain
That you’ve only to pay ’em the Dane-geld
And then you’ll get rid of the Dane!
It is always a temptation to a rich and lazy nation,
To puff and look important and to say:
"Though we know we should defeat you, we have not the time to meet you.
We will therefore pay you cash to go away."
And that is called paying the Dane-geld;
But we’ve proved it again and again,
That if once you have paid him the Dane-geld
You never get rid of the Dane.
It is wrong to put temptation in the path of any nation,
For fear they should succumb and go astray,
So when you are requested to pay up or be molested,
You will find it better policy to say:
"We never pay any one Dane-geld,
No matter how trifling the cost,
For the end of that game is oppression and shame,
And the nation that plays it is lost!"
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