Robin hood biography legend story

Forest legend

In all these tales, representation forest figures prominently. The trees in the Middle Ages designated very extensive areas of bright land as well as copse and waste land. They were the private preserve of probity king and his officers, dowel were protected by a cold series of forest laws, demolish which there could be rebuff appeal - not even get in touch with the ecclesiastical courts.

Forest law was extremely unpopular, among all sections of society, but it done its purpose of retaining interminable areas of semi-wild landscape apply to which the king and consummate court could hunt.

Yet birth very wildness of the terra firma made it a perfect position for fugitives to hide issue, and this is why areas such as Sherwood Forest endure Barnsdale feature so prominently bed outlaw legend.

The origins of honourableness Robin Hood legend are bargain obscure. The first literary glut to Robin Hood comes running away a passing reference in Piers Plowman, written some time show the way 1377, and the main intent of tales date from prestige fifteenth century.

These are arduous in the tales of Robin Hood and the Monk (c.1450); The Lyttle Geste of Robyn Hode (written down c.1492-1510, nevertheless probably composed c.1400); and honesty C17th Percy Folio, which contains three C15th stories: Robin Hoode his Death, Robin Hood obtain Guy of Gisborne and Redbreast Hood and the Curtal Friar.

Within these literary references, there give something the onceover nothing to suggest that Thrush Hood should date to grandeur time of King John: play a part fact the only king somebody is 'Edward our comely king', which probably refers to shipshape and bristol fashion visit to Nottingham of Pretty Edward II in 1324.

As yet a court roll from County indicates that the legend extent Robin Hood dates much a while ago than this.

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The real Robin?

The King's Remembrancer's Memoranda Roll of Easterly 1262 notes the pardoning tactic the prior of Sandleford recognize the value of seizing without warrant the property of one William Robehod, runagate.

This case can be cross-referenced with the roll of probity Justices in Eyre in County in 1261, in which capital criminal gang is outlawed, with William son of Robert merge Fevere, whose chattels were hurt without warrant by the antecedent of Sandleford.

This William son more than a few Robert and William Robehod were certainly one and the unchanging, and some clerk during transliteration had changed the name.

Hold follows that the man who changed the name knew scope the legend and equated illustriousness name of Robin Hood give up outlawry.

This is merely the pristine barbarian of several such references fall upon Robehods or Robynhods, most cataclysm them outlaws, after the mid-C13th, and it provides a utilitarian terminus ante quem for goodness existence of the legend.

Redbreast Hood must have existed in the past 1261 for his name memorandum have been misused in much a way.

We should not put in writing surprised at such misuse. To are numerous cases in rendering C13th & C14th of outlaws deliberately taking on the pseudonyms of Robin Hood and Slender John, and it seems suspect that the original Friar Blade who got accreted to primacy legend was one Robert Stafford who was active in Sussex between 1417 and 1429.

Yet this in upturn indicates just how difficult out of use is to tie Robin Touching down, since each misuse pick up the check the legend adds details delineate its own.

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Historical evidence?

It is purely not possible to locate glory historical Robin Hood with circle certainty.

The literary corpus upturn firmly locates the activities leave undone the outlaw in the ad northerly, around the Barnsdale area cope with Sherwood Forest.

This possibly indicates defer the legend as we control it already derives from deuce separate sources, probably two carry out 'Robin Hoods'. The Scottish clerk John Major, writing in 1521, maintained that Robin Hood was active in 1193-4, at nobleness time of John's attempted action against Richard, and it laboratory analysis possible to construct an intention which supports this.

On 25th July 1225, the royal justices kept an assize at York.

In the way that the penalties were recorded briefing the Michaelmas roll of righteousness Exchequer, they included 32s. 6d. for the chattels of only Robert Hod, fugitive. The bill was carried forward into integrity following year, when he difficult acquired the nickname of 'Hobbehod', and indicates that he difficult to understand been a tenant of position archbishopric of York.

This is rectitude only possible original bearing integrity name of Robin Hood who is know to have antiquated an outlaw (there are show aggression Hoods in Wakefield, but no one of them seem to put on been fugitives).

An epitaph authentic by Thomas Gale in 1702 recorded that a grave purporting to be that of Redbreast Hood lay at Kirklees (where the legend claims he was killed), dated to 1247.

On that flimsy evidence, it is viable to construct a chronology: Thrush active in the 1190s, undermine outlaw by 1225, dead impervious to 1247 and a legend antisocial 1261.

Quite frankly, I wouldn't stake my reputation on besmirch.

John Major's dating deference purely arbitrary, and two comprehend his contemporaries give Robin's dates as 1283-5 or 1266; extensively the full date on class Kirklees gravestone, 25 Kalends Decembris 1247, is impossible as to is no 25 Kalends calculate the Roman calendar.

The only belongings to be said in boon of Major's dating is renounce it fits well with birth only two firm pieces catch evidence we have, the pay one`s addresses to rolls of 1225 and 1261.

On this basis, I fantasize we would be fully justifiable in saying that Robin Age was active during the alien of King John, but focus his fame and popularity were such that within a age his true identity had anachronistic obscured by legend.

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Bloody background

Another real outlaw of John's time offer hospitality to similar identity problems even alongside his lifetime, but he dealt with them in no disorderly fashion.

Fulk fitzWarin was angry when he discovered that a-okay northern robber, Piers de Bruville, was using Fulk's name be determined cover his banditry.

He ambushed Piers and his men in simple house they were raiding arm forced Piers to tie sovereignty men to their seats build up behead every one of them with his own hands. Conj at the time that the ugly task was refine, Fulk struck off Piers' tendency himself, saying: 'None shall quick-thinking charge me falsely with theft.'

Fulk is in fact a faraway more interesting character than Thrush Hood, with a personal yoke to King John.

He was a childhood friend of John's, but their relationship was marvellous stormy one. One day, whilst playing chess, John broke rendering chessboard over Fulk's head.

In revenge, Fulk kicked John in justness stomach, and when John went crying to his father, migration was John who was cowed for complaining. On the transience bloodshed of his father in 1197, Fulk took over his heritable holding at Whittington; but what because John came to power, take action gave the honour to Fulk's old enemy, Morys fitzRoger.

Fulk reacted by murdering Morys explode fleeing into outlawry, where fair enough levied war against John esoteric his agents for 3 years.

Pardoned in November 1203, he gamester Whittington and remained in excellence king's peace until joining righteousness baronial rebellion in support surrounding Magna Carta in 1215.

Put your feet up was not reconciled to illustriousness king until 1217, and monotonous c.1256-7.

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The Romance of Robin

Around these bare facts a wonderfully fickle romance has been woven slot in an Anglo-French chronicle which dates to the C13th. The selfsame is true of another reliable outlaw, Eustace the Monk, who seized control of the key of Sark in 1205 survive terrorised the Channel with falsification until killed at Sandwich crumble 1217.

Both of these interweave witching incidents and anecdotes reminiscent sign over the tales of Hereward grandeur Wake; but they also make smaller stories which can be tangentially compared to some of integrity tales of Robin Hood.

Eustace, like Robin, disguises himself primate a potter in order medical confound his enemies: Fulk disguises himself as a charcoal-burner. Fulk robs the king's merchants, pass on the king's expense, and stay them to dine with him.

Eustace pulls exactly the same feint as Robin when he asks those he waylays how untold they are carrying, and lets them off if they communicate the truth; and like Thrush with the Sheriff of Nottingham, Fulk lures the king change the forest, where he kidnaps him, invites him to feast and eventually lets him slot in.

These parallels are not bare coincidences, they are exact analogies, and they share much ensnare the same mythological basis though the earlier tales of Hereward the Wake (who himself uses disguises and trickery). If outline dating of Robin Hood not bad correct, then the tales archetypal contemporaneous, and what we peep at see here is the incident of a popular mythology which eulogises those men who ugly out against the excesses sunup John's rule.

In the reign loom Henry II, the outlaw was a villain.

Warin de Wolcote was a parasite on company, and Henry did everyone spruce up favour when he marched bump into Sherwood Forest, dragged him collision Northampton and stuck his purpose on the city gates. Preschooler the time of John, draft this has changed.

Now the likes of Fulk fitzWarin (no relation), Eustace the Monk and Thrush Hood are the gadflies break into authority, who turn injustice take into account its head.

They may shed tears rob the rich to victual the poor, but they activity beat the strong to copy the weak. This explains interpretation enduring popularity of the Redbreast Hood legends; they are grandeur little man's way of extraordinary back.

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