15,697
edits
Changes
no edit summary
<youtube>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7M1YcwrKGo</youtube>
__NOTOC__
[[File: Robin Hood one.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Statue of Robin Hood in Nottingham, England]]
Robin Hood is one of the most recognizable characters in popular culture. He has been the hero of countless books, comics, plays , and of course , motion pictures. Everyone has read or seen tales of the outlaw's adventures of the outlaw and his band of ‘Merry Men.’ He has become a by-word for a popular hero who takes from the rich and gives to the poor.
It is often assumed that he is only a legend, but others contend that he was a historical character. There has been a great deal of debate on the historicity of the famous outlaw. This article examines some of the latest research and theories on this question and tries to determine if there was a real Robin Hood?
====The What is the story of Robin Hood==? ==The story of Robin Hood is so well known. The story was set in 13th century England, and Robin Hood was the alias of Robin of Locksley and an Earl. He was a follower of King Richard I (the Lionheart) , who when he went on Crusade had his throne usurped by his brother Johnwhen he went on Crusade. Robin is forced to become an outlaw by the evil King John , who was a cruel tyrant. The Sheriff of Nottingham, the King's agent of the King, attempts to capture and kill the brave Robin.
However, he defies him , and in a series of adventures , he escapes the clutches of the Sheriff and his henchmen. Robin assembles a number of several colorful outlaws such as Will Scarlett, Little John, and Friar Tuck. The hero is concerned for the welfare of the poor, and he is opposed to the corrupt aristocracy and clergy. He is a great archer and is a thorough gentleman. The outlaw is typically shown to be in love with the beautiful Maid Marian.
[[File: Robin Hood 2.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Effigy of Richard I the Lionheart]]
At the end of the tales of Robin Hood, he manages to outwit the Sheriff of Nottingham and helps the rightful king , Richard the Lionheart , reclaim the throne of England. This monarch pardons Robin and even marries him to Maid Marion. However, this is the modern version of the outlaw's tale of the outlaw, and there have been many earlier versions of the outlaw adventures of the outlaw , and these are often very different from the one that we all know so well.<ref> Kennedy, D.N. 'Who was Robin Hood?', Folklore, vol. 66 (1955), pp. 413-415</ref>.
====The development Who created the story of the legend==Robin Hood? ==The name Robin Hood or similar names seems seem to have been as terms to describe outlaws, who were engaged in crimes such as poaching, which was a capital crime in England. There are many references to Robe Hood or Robehod, who were bandits and outlaws. It appears that it was part of the oral tradition , and many tales of him were told in the Shires of England in the Middle Ages.<ref>Kennedy, p 410</ref>
The first literary reference to the outlaw was in the classic Medieval epic poem Piers Ploughman, written in the mid-to-late 14th century. The first stories of Robin Hood were narrated in some ballads that date from the 15th century. In some, he He is a great hero, but in others, he is involved in comic adventures. Unlike the modern version in these ballads, the outlaw is a member of the Yeoman class, who were mainly small landowners.
[[File: Robin Hood three.jpg|250px|thumb|left|The alleged burial site of Robin of Locksley, often believed to be the historical Robin Hood]]
Robin was very popular in English folklore, and his life and adventures were the subjects of many plays. However, there is no one definitive version of the tales. In one story Maid Marion is shown to be a witch and the enemy of the great bowman. By the 15th century, the stories of Robin and his ‘Merry Men’ stories had become associated with May Day festivities. <ref>Kennedy, p 413</ref> May Day marked the beginning of summer, and it was for centuries more popular than Christmas.
There were many portrayals of and references to Robin in Elizabethan and Jacobian dramas. Shakespeare referred to the ‘good’ bandit and his band in several of his dramas. For example, in one of his comedies , he has one of his characters say, ‘By the bare scalp of Robin Hood’s fat friar/This fellow were a king for our wild faction!’ <ref> Shakespeare, William, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Act 2, scene 3</ref>
By the end of the 16th century, the development of printing made Robin known to a wider audience. During the 18th century, the standard version of Robin coalesced because of the English writer Ritson. He compiled an anthology of medieval ballads on the outlaw's life and adventures of the outlaw and his fellow bandits.
It was only in the 19th century that the present version of Robin Hood was fully developed, and this was mainly thanks to the depiction of the character in the novel ‘Ivanhoe’ by Sir Walter Scott. Scott's book was based on the compilation of stories by Ritson. This version was then popularized by the The authors of children’s booksthen popularized this version. These sanitized versions of the medieval folktales were popular on the stage, and later Hollywood made motion pictures based on them.
====Who was Robin of Locksley==in real life? ==In the The modern version of Robin Hood centers around Robin of Locksley, the Earl of Huntingdon. Robin went on a Crusade with the great heroic king King Richard the Lionheart. However, he returned to England only to find King John had seized the throne of his brother Richard the lawful monarch.
Robin of Locksley is a historical figure who was the Earl of Huntington. Robin Locksley's grave is often referred to locally as the grave of the Robin Hood. But there are some problems with this theory, . Locksley was from Yorkshire and not in Nottinghamshire, the setting of the Robin's legend of Robin. Additionally, there is entirely no evidence that the Earl was an outlaw or bandit.<ref>Kennedy, p 412</ref> Moreover, it is highly unlikely that an aristocratic figure such as Locksley would ever have used a bow and arrow. The bow was a weapon that was used primarily by soldiers who were yeomen, not the nobilitynobiles. Furthermore, in the earliest ballads, the hero is referred to as a commoner and most definitely not a noble, like the Earl of Huntingdon.
====Other Who are the other candidates for the real Robin Hood==? ==
There was an outlaw called Robin Hood who had been outlawed in Yorkshire and not in Nottingham. He was known as Robin Hood of York. There are many references to him in local court records. However, this figure was not a great archer, and he did not steal from the rich and gave it to the poor. In reality, this Robin was outlawed because he owed money to the Church.
<dh-ad/>
Another theory is that Robin de Deyville (or De Vile) was the real Robin Hood. He was an adherent of Simon de Montfort, an aristocratic rebel who sought to curb royal power. After Montfort’s defeat at the Battle of Evesham, de Deyville fled to the forests and became a bandit. There are some similarities between this historical figure and the legendary outlaw, and some Early Modern writers believed that he was the historical character upon which the outlaw was based.
Another theory potential candidate to be the ‘real’ Robin Hood is that Robin de Deyville (or De Vile) Roger Godberd. He was from the Nottingham area and lived in the real Robin Hood13th century. He was an adherent initially a friend of the Sheriff of Simon de MontfortNottingham, an aristocratic rebel who sought but the two fell out after a local power struggle. Godberd was prosecuted by the Sherriff and took to curb royal powerthe forests, and lived a life outside of the law. After Montfort’s defeat at the Battle a series of Eveshamadventures as a bandit and robber, de Deyville fled to he was eventually pardoned by the forests King and became a banditlocal landowner. There However, while there are some undoubtedly similarities between this historical figure Godberd and the legendary outlawRobin Hood's well-known adventures, and some Early Modern writers believed but there is no evidence to suggest that he was the historical character upon which the outlaw was basedever known as Robin Hood.
====Further Reading====
Dobson, R.B., ed.; Taylor, J., ed. [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0750916613/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0750916613&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=457672e512b801fcd7aad75b32f1decc Rymes of Robyn Hood: An Introduction to the English Outlaw] (London, 1976). Evans, Michael R. 'Robin Hood in the landscape: place-name evidence and mythology', in: Phillips, Helen, ed. Robin Hood: Medieval and Post-Medieval (Dublin, 2005), pp. 181-87.
Graves, Robert, ed. English & Scottish Ballads (London: Melbourne; Toronto, 1957), pp. xvi-xvii, 149-60
====References====
<references/>
[[Category:Wikis]][[Category:English History]] [[Category:Medieval History]] [[Category:Historically Accurate]] [[Category:Fact or Fiction]]