England's most audacious outlaw: the true story of Robin Hood -

The legend of Robin Hood, the English, forest-dwelling outlaw who stole from the rich and gave to the poor, is one of the most often told stories in history. From ballads dating back to the 14th century, to plays, novels, and films that have sustained popularity up through the 21st century, the skilled and principled hero of the people is familiar to all. But what do we really know about the origins of the legendary Robin Hood, and how many of these valiant tales of adventure and intrigue are based in historical fact?

Read on to learn everything you need to know about Robin Hood.

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The legend of Robin Hood -

The (often) green-clad, forest-dwelling vigilante Robin Hood is one of the most famous folk legends in history. He is also one of the oldest.

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The legend of Robin Hood -

The first definitive mention of Robin Hood as a character appeared around the 1370s, in William Langland's narrative poem 'Piers Plowman,' in which Langland references the "rhymes of Robin Hood."

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The origins of Robin Hood -

This implies that stories of a man called Robin Hood must have started even earlier than the late 14th century, if his tales were already legendary by that time.

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The origins of Robin Hood -

Historians have worked for innumerable years trying to discover the true origins of Robin Hood. Was Robin Hood a figment of early Britain's collective imaginations? Or was he a real person, whose life has been passed down through oral tradition over the centuries?

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The real Robin Hood -

There are, at the very least, certain aspects of Robin Hood's lore that are based in reality. Many of the other common characters in the songs and tales of Robin Hood are true historical figures, all of whom existed around the same time, meaning historians at the very least have a concrete time period during which Robin Hood could have lived.

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The real Robin Hood -

Almost all historical and modern accounts and retellings of Robin Hood place the hero in the 12th century, during the reign of King Richard the Lion Heart and the tyranny of his brother, John.

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King Richard -

King Richard the Lionheart was crowned King of England in 1189 and ruled until his death 10 years later. Although much beloved by the people, King Richard was absent for much of his rule as he went to fight in the Third Crusade, earning him the title Richard the Lionheart.

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Prince John -

While Richard was absent, his greedy and envious brother John snaked his way into de facto power over England. In history, as in his depictions in Robin Hood, John was known for his decadence and love of excess. This made him unpopular amongst both Robin Hood and the common folk whom he served.

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Little John -

Little John, who was most likely not so little, standing around seven feet (2.1 m) tall by most accounts, is also elusive in most empirical accounts, although the case made by enduring folk lore is still quite strong.

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Little John -

Little John was Robin Hood's second-in-command, and presumably the oldest of Robin Hood's gang of Merry Men. While his origins are unknown, even in most historical accounts, he is widely believe to have been buried in a cemetery in Derbyshire, England. Other accounts claim he was hung in Dublin, Ireland.

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The real Sherwood Forest -

Sherwood Forest is widely known as the safe haven for Robin Hood and his Merry Men, where they would frequent the Major Oak (pictured), an ancient, old-growth oak tree that still stands today.

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The real Sherwood Forest -

So Sherwood Forest does in fact exist, and draws visitors from around the world to see the wooded paradise where Robin Hood and co. hid from the law.

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Nobleman or Yeoman? -

As the ballads, plays, and poems of Robin Hood developed, discrepancies began to appear regarding Robin Hood's upbringing. The history of his childhood and social status changed as he transitioned from an unsympathetic outlaw to a hero of the poor and foe to the greedy and powerful.

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Nobleman or Yeoman? -

In the first and earliest ballads that mention Robin Hood, he and his posse of outlaws belonged to the yeoman class, or rather, the lower class of those who owned and farmed their own small, modest pieces of land. In later stories, he was described as a nobleman in disguise.

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The first evidence of Robin Hood -

As previously mentioned, the first reference made to Robin Hood in literature appeared in the 14th century. However, the name "Robin Hood" and variants of the name show up in court documents much earlier than that.

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The first evidence of Robin Hood -

As early as the 12th century, there are English court records of people either named or described as "Robin Hood," "Robert Hood," and even "Robehod." These records span centuries, but which should be afforded the most legitimacy?

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Likely suspects -

Many historians over the centuries have put names in the hat for who the one, true Robin Hood might have been. They vary in likelihood, but with as murky a past as Robin Hood's it could be anyone's guess.

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Piers Venables -

One early guess regarding the true identity of Robin Hood is a man named Piers Venables, hailing from Derbyshire. He was described in a parliamentary paper from 1439 as an outlaw who "gadered and assembled (sic)... many misdoers" and "went into the woods."

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Roger Godberd -

One of the most popular candidates for the true Robin Hood was one Roger Godberd, an outlaw whose existence has been historically proven and who was known to hide in Sherwood Forest.

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Roger Godberd -

Roger Godberd's timeline defies that of Robin Hood's in that he was active nearly 50 years after the reign of King Richard, but there are striking similarities between the heroic battles of Godberd and Robin Hood.

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John Major's Robin Hood -

In the 16th century, a new history of Robin Hood was penned by historian John Major (pictured), who claimed, as did earlier historians, that Robin Hood was an active supporter of King Richard and a foe of his gluttonous brother John.

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John Major's Robin Hood -

Majors' descriptions were also some of the first to paint Robin Hood as not a common outlaw but as a principled hero, who only stole from the rich and gave to the poor to help them pay their crippling debts to their lords and the crown.

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Robert Hod of York -

In 1226, the first known mention of an outlaw truly named Robin Hood (more accurately, Robert Hod) can be found in official court documents. In that year, his property was confiscated under suspicious circumstances and he was forced into a life of crime.

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Robert Hod of York -

From 1226 to 1234, people suspected of all being the same Robert Hod appear nine times in documents from across England, all related to the man's illegal activities.

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John Deyville -

John Deyville and his brother, Robert Deyville, are recorded to have fought in the Second Baron's War of the mid-13th century. After their service, they are expected to have hid among the forests of England as outlaws.

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John Deyville -

Some historians draw direct links between the events of John and his posse's life to that of Robin Hood and the Merry Men. They are both said to have fought in the Battle of Evesham in 1265, and led the lives of outlaws directly afterwards.

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One man or many men? -

With no empirical evidence of the one true Robin Hood, combined with the prevalence of the name at the supposed time of his existence, the theory that Robin Hood is in fact simply an amalgamation of many men has also become popular.

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One man or many men? -

The surname "Hood" was commonly used as a descriptor, referring to those who donned hoods, as many outlaws did. It is possible that "Robin Hood" was the Middle English equivalent of our "John Doe," and the myth of Robin Hood is the work of innumerable outlaws, revolutionaries, and gift-givers who operated on the outskirts of society.

Sources: (National Geographic) (History) (Third Eye Traveller)

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