Danes were Vikings who raided the western and sothern Europe. They set up settlements in Danelaw. Their rule became recognized by Alfred the Great in 954 A.D. The heir of Aflred the Great made his Danes leave. In 978 A.D. Ethelred the unready became the king of England. Once again the Danes came back to England to raid again. At first, Ethelred paid them off with silver, but that was not enough. Later, a Danish king named Knut, or Canute (kuh nut'), conquered a part of England and made it part of the North Sea Empire. Canute brought prosperity to England. After the death of Cunute in 1035, the Danes lost power and lost control of England. Mostly all of the Danes left England, but the few who stayed became part of the English culture. Another type of Danes tried to take over Paris, France, but the French managed to fight them off. In 885 the Danes tried again to conquer Paris, but the French king paid them off to abandon the attack. Led by a warrior by the name of Rollo the Danes began to settle on the French coast. In 911 the French king singed a treaty which gave the Danes land if they promised to be loyal to the French. Also, the Danes were forced to convert to Cristianity. The place where the Danes settled became Norselaw, and the people that live there are know as Normans.