Nursery Rhymes

Robin Hood

Medieval life and Times

Short profile and information about the Legend of Robin Hood
The following information provides information about the life of Robin Hood, a Legendary Medieval character of the Middle Ages. Was Robin Hood a real person? No. Robin Hood is a fictional figure who may have been loosely based on a real person or persons.

  • Legendary Country of Origin / Nationality: English

  • Also Known as: Robin of Sherwood, Robin of Loxley
  • Lifetime: The Life of Robin Hood was set in the era when King Richard the Lionheart went to the crusades leaving his brother John as Regent
  • The theme of Robin Hood is the Normans conquest of the indigenous English population
  • The Legend of Robin Hood bears many similarities to the English hero Hereward the Wake who led a rebellion against William the Conqueror and the Normans
  • Hereward the Wake was seen as an English hero and as a symbol of resistance to oppression. It is therefore not surprising that some of the legends about Hereward the Wake were later incorporated into the legend of Robin Hood
  • Summary of the story and legend of Robin Hood:
    • Robin Hood was a member of the Saxon nobility called Robin of Loxley
    • He fought at the crusades
    • On his return to England his lands had been taken by the Normans
    • Prince John, who ruled in the absence of Richard the Lionheart, was imposing high taxes on the English population
    • England was ruled by the Norman Conquerors
    • The main enemy of Robin Hood was the Sheriff of Nottingham
    • The Sheriff of Nottingham had the charge of a Norman heiress called Maid Marian
    • Robin Hood objected to the high taxes and was declared an outlaw
    • Robin Hood the legend of Sherwood - He hides from the Normans as an outlaw in Sherwood Forest wearing clothes of Lincoln green
    • Many other oppressed Englishmen joined his band of outlaws in Sherwood Forest
    • The 'Merry Men' led by Robin Hood consist of a variety of colorful characters including Friar Tuck, Much the Miller's son, Alan a Dale and Little John
    • Their motto is "To rob the rich to pay the poor"
    • Robin Hood falls in love with Maid Marian and shows her how badly the Normans treat the Saxon English
    • The legend of Robin Hood describes his adventures. His capture by the Sheriff of Nottingham and his escape
    • Robin Hood and Maid Marian are married in Sherwood Forest by Friar Tuck
    • Robin Hood accosts some knights returning from the crusade. He releases the knights when they tell him they are supporters of King Richard the Lionheart
    • One of the knights is King Richard the Lionheart in disguise
    • Robin Hood and the outlaws are pardoned by King Richard
    • King Richard the Lionheart exiles Prince John and the Sheriff of Nottingham and rights the wrongs of his fellow Normans
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