Sergey Lvov
He spent his life in the forest. Barons, bishops and abbots feared him. He was loved by peasants and artisans, widows and the poor. (From old chronicles.)
This is what is said about his death. One day, a glorious archer felt: there was not enough strength in his hands to pull the bowstring, and it was difficult for his legs to follow the usual forest path. And then he realized: old age approached ...
He went to the monastery, the abbess of which was known as a skilled healer, and asked to be treated. The nun pretended to be delighted with his arrival, kindly escorted the stranger to a distant cell, carefully laid him on the bed, and with a sharp knife opened a vein on a powerful arm (bloodletting was then considered a good remedy for many ailments). And, saying that she would return immediately, she left.
Time passed slowly. The blood flowed faster. But the nun did not return. The night has come. Dawn followed the night, and then the shooter realized that he had become a victim of betrayal. Above the head of his bed was a window into the forest. But the bleeding man already lacked the strength to reach the window. There was barely enough breath in his chest to blast his curved hunting horn for the last time. Weak, trembling sound, horns sounded over the forest. A faithful friend heard the call signal. Anxious, he rushed to help.
Late! No one could have saved the shooter. So the enemies, who for many years did not know how to defeat Robin Gul either in a hot battle or in a stubborn duel, plagued him with black betrayal.
An ancient historian names the year and day when this happened: November 18, 1247.
Several centuries have passed. Wars have begun and ended. The shortest lasted a few days, the longest - a hundred years. Devastating epidemics swept through the cities and villages of England. Revolts broke out. Kings changed on the throne. People were born and died, generations succeeded generations.
However, a turbulent series of events, as they liked to say in old books, could not erase the name of Robin Hood from the memory of the British.
One day, it was about two hundred and fifty years ago, a heavy carriage drove slowly into a small town near London. The carriage was smart, magnificent: only the most important people of the kingdom rode around in such. Indeed, an important gentleman was sitting in the carriage: the Bishop of London himself! He came to the town to read a sermon to the townspeople. While the carriage was driving from the city gates to the church square, the bishop managed to notice that the town seemed to have died out. The bishop was not surprised by this. This means that the rumor of his arrival preceded the carriage, and the townspeople hurried to the church: they do not often see and hear his Eminence. And he habitually imagined how he would get out of the carriage, how he would slowly climb the steps of the church through the respectfully parting crowd... But the church square was empty. There was a heavy padlock on the church doors. 
For a long time the bishop stood in the empty square, turning purple with anger and trying to maintain a dignified appearance befitting his rank and solemn robes, which was not at all easy before the locked door.
Finally, a passer-by, hurrying by no means to the church, threw out to the bishop on the way:
- Sir, you are waiting in vain, we are celebrating Robin Hood today, the whole city is in the forest, and there will be no one in the church.
What happens next is told in different ways. Some say that the bishop got into the carriage and returned to London, uttering in his mind such words as bishops usually do not utter. Others claim that he went to the city meadow, where the townspeople, dressed in green caftans, depicted scenes from the life of Robin Hood, and joined the audience.
What was this life? Why is her memory preserved for centuries? Why could a whole city remember Robin Hood for many hours in a row and think only about him?
What do you know about Robin Hood, except for those pages of Walter Scott's novel "Ivanhoe", where he is bred under the name of the brave yeoman, the free peasant Loxley? 
Robin Hood has two biographies. One is very short. Scientists have collected it bit by bit in ancient chronicles. From this biography, we can learn that Robin Hood was ruined by wealthy enemies and fled from them into Sherwood Forest, a deaf and thick bowl that stretched for many tens of miles. He was joined by fugitives like him. He united them under his command into a formidable detachment of "forest brothers" and soon became the real ruler of Sherwood Forest. Robin Hood and his shooters, numbering more than a hundred, hunted forbidden royal game, feuded with rich monasteries, robbed passing Norman knights, and helped the persecuted and the poor.
For the capture of Robin Hood, the authorities announced a reward many times. But not a single peasant, whose hut he entered, not a single one of the "forest brothers" was tempted by these promises.
Here is everything or almost everything that is known to historians about Robin Hood.
The second biography of Robin Hood is much more detailed. From it you can find out how he first encountered the royal foresters and how this meeting ended; how he met a fugitive monk - Brother Took - and Little John, who became his assistants, and how Robin Hood won archery competitions, how he was at enmity with the sheriff of Nottingham, who oppressed the peasants, how he refused to serve King Richard the Lionheart.
Where is all this and much more about Robin Hood recorded? Not in historical works, but in folk songs - ballads, as literary historians call them.
They were composed throughout England for many centuries. The author of these songs was the people, and the performers were wandering singers. The songs about Robin Hood were overgrown with various details, several small songs merged into one, or one big one fell apart into several small ones ... The singers who sang these ballads, if they knew how to write, wrote down the words of the song and gave them to those who wished to write them off for a fee. And when the first printing houses appeared in England, songs about Robin Hood began to be printed. At first, these were separate sheets with prints of songs. They were eagerly bought up by residents of cities and villages, who once a year, in the summer, celebrated Robin Hood Day.
It was in these songs that the second biography of Robin Hood gradually developed. In him, he is what the people imagined him to be. If the old Latin chronicle claims that Robin Hood was a nobleman, then the folk song decisively calls him the son of a peasant. The ordinary people of England began to consider the legendary biography of Robin Hood to be his real biography. For many decades and even centuries, everything that was told about Robin Hood in songs was believed by the British as an indisputable historical fact.
There is interesting evidence for this. One of the oldest ballads tells how Robin Hood, at the age of fifteen, went to the city of Nottingham to compete in archery. Halfway through, he was stopped by the royal foresters and began to mock him. "Does this boy, who can barely bend his own bow, dare to appear before the king in a contest!" they exclaimed. Robin Hood made a bet with them that he would hit the target a hundred feet, and he won the bet. But the royal foresters not only did not pay him the winnings, but threatened that they would beat him if he dared to appear at the competitions.
Then Robin Hood, as the ballad reports with delight, shot all the scoffers with his bow. The people did not like the royal foresters, who did not allow the poor to either collect brushwood in the forest, let alone hunt forest game or fish in forest streams and rivers. Not loving the royal foresters, folk singers sang this ballad with delight.
And in April 1796, that is, five centuries after Robin Hood lived, a message appeared in one of the English magazines. Here it is: "While a few days ago, workers were digging in a garden in the town of Coxlein, near Nottingham, they came across six human skeletons that lay close to each other, neatly side by side. It is believed that this is part of the fifteen foresters whom he killed in his time for Robin Hood.
One can imagine how the publisher of the magazine asked the author of the note: "Are you sure that these are the same skeletons?". And the author replied, as journalists of all times answer: "Well, let's put in for caution the word" suggest ". But it never occurred to either the author or the publisher to doubt that Robin Hood really fought with the royal foresters on the way to the glorious city of Nottingham : after all, this is sung in ballads!
Why did Robin Hood become a favorite hero of folk songs? To answer this question, you will probably have to remind you of what you learned in history lessons: in 1066, England was captured by the Normans, led by William the Conqueror. From the indigenous population of England - the Saxons - they took away land, houses and property, imposed their laws on them with fire and sword. An ancient historian calls Robin Hood one of those who were deprived of the land. 
The enmity between the old and new rulers persisted two centuries later. Do you remember what place the feud between the Saxon and Norman nobles occupies in Walter Scott's book "Ivanhoe"? However, the Saxon nobles soon reconciled with the conquerors. But the songs about Robin Hood were not forgotten. They were sung in detachments of peasants who rebelled under the leadership of Watt Tyler. The people felt in their hearts: the struggle of Robin Hood, glorified in songs, is not only the struggle of the Saxons against the Normans, but in general the struggle of the people against the oppressors.
I leaf through an old book that contains one after the other ballads about Robin Hood. Here is a ballad about how Robin Hood fought his other worst enemy - the knight Guy Guysbourne, and how, having defeated him and dressed in his attire - and you need to know that Guy Guysbourne always wore dressed horseskin over armor - he again outwitted Sheriff of Nottingham. Here is the ballad "Robin Hood and the Bishop", which tells how Robin Hood took out his anger against the church on the bishop. Here is a ballad about how Robin Hood saved the three sons of a poor widow - and in each of these ballads he is always the same: brave in battle, loyal in friendship, a joker, a merry fellow, a mocker, a folk hero who does not grow old.
I have told you about Robin Hood, how he was portrayed in folk ballads, and now you can see for yourself how Walter Scott changed this image when he brought him to Ivanhoe.
Walter Scott's yeoman Loxley, the name under which Robin God is bred in the novel, becomes Richard's faithful assistant. Robin Hood, as his people sang, refused to serve King Richard the Lionheart.
The people remember Robin Hood exactly as he is sung in old folk songs. And this is the immortality of Robin Hood.
Drawings by P. Bunin.
As they said in the famous French comedy - "Even if Fantômas does not exist, invent it." It is still not known for certain whether the prototype of the most famous criminal of France, created on the pages of writers Pierre Souvestre and Marcel Alain, existed.
But this is not about him, but about the fact that people at all times believed that evil must be fought by a daredevil who is not afraid to challenge the harsh reality and protect the poor and disadvantaged. Sometimes such heroes really existed, and sometimes someone, fearing to be caught, performed feats of arms against the state under the guise of someone else, invented to avert suspicion. Probably one of the biggest mysteries is in the UK. And her name is Robin Hood.
Robin Hood is one of the greatest legends of this country. A fallen nobleman who was aided by a gang of outlaws who lived in Sherwood Forest and robbed the rich to give to the poor, while at the same time defying a corrupt sheriff and king who, in the opinion of many, had no right to rule England. But what do we know about him? And does it exist at all? Let's try to figure it out.
His legend has been alive for centuries because he is a timeless symbol of a noble, selfless man who brought his own concept of justice to the people. In this case, Robin Hood represents the elimination of the imbalance between the haves and the have-nots (note that Nottingham only benefited from this - thousands of tourists come to this city every year to touch the legend).
Criminal or savior?
The legend of Robin Hood dates back to medieval times, with the oldest references being found not in historical chronicles, but simply as remarks and notes in various writings. Since the beginning of the 13th century, several English judges throughout the country have referred to the names "Robinhood", "Robehod" or "Rabunhod" in their written records. In this case, most likely, there is a place to be a generalized name for all fugitives and criminals. However, the first mention of the alleged historical Robin Hood can be found in a chronicle written around 1420. It also mentions for the first time "Lytil John", who became known to everyone as Robin Hood's assistant - Little John.
An earlier (but therefore not entirely accurate) reference is found in the work of the Scottish chronicler John Fordun, written between 1377 and 1384. The source mentions the year 1266 - a year before that, a conflict occurred between King Henry II and the aristocrat Simon de Montfort, as a result of which the latter wanted to overthrow the king. It was then that the famous killer Robert Hood arose, as well as Little John, along with his accomplices from among the disinherited (for various reasons).
Over time, many ballads and stories about the character of Robin Hood have appeared, but none of them gives a single description of this man, what he actually did. Some of these ballads link Robin to the historical figure Robert Hood of Wakefield who, as a Sherwood hero, may have been an agent of King Edward II. after the Lancaster rebellion of 1322. Other stories say that Robin Hood was actually Robin of Loxley, a Yorkshire nobleman who lost all his lands and wealth as a result of local government intrigues. However, the question is still open - when (at least theoretically) did Robin Hood exist? Under what king did he live and "work"?
The 16th century was marked by the fact that the legend of Robin Hood received a historical setting - the end of the 12th century, namely the 1190s, when the king left to fight in the crusades. The stories were filled with new details, such as the short-sighted and pathetic new King John, who ruled England while Richard was away, and the evil Sheriff of Nottingham appears. The Victorian era even made Robin a national figure, a Saxon leading his brethren against the Norman invaders.
Why Nottingham?
To this day, Nottingham - in particular Sherwood Forest - is the spiritual home of Robin Hood, but there is no real reason for this; although there are references to Nottingham and Sherwood in many ballads composed over the centuries. However, we do not know the real reasons. But here's an interesting detail - there are two Loxleys in England - northwest of the city of Sheffield is a small village called Loxley, which has long been associated with the legends of Robin Hood and the Robin Hood Inn, built in 1799, being an attempt to exploit this glory.
There is also another Loxley in Warwickshire, near Stratford-upon-Avon, and here some historians have traced Robin Hood to an ancestor of one of the Norman invaders who came with William the Conqueror and settled there.
However, Nottingham will always be Robin Hood territory, and the city attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists from all over the world each year to see, among other things, the famous 1000-year-old large oak tree, called the home of Robin Hood in Sherwood Forest.
Now, after so many centuries, it is difficult to say whether Robin Hood really existed, or was it a figment of the imagination of the oppressed people who wanted to believe in a miracle? The combination of various traditions, historical characters and romantic ideals came together in one picture called Robin Hood, the noble robber. And you can finish with a quote from the same famous French comedy: “- I would like him to really exist, and for you to meet him.
-Me too. Do you think I'm afraid of him? This man fascinates me."
Many poems, stories and ballads have been written about the noble robber Robin Hood. But was he a real person, or just a beautiful legend? There have been historical disputes about this for a long time.
Who was the inspiration for Robin Hood?
Probably the earliest source that tells about the deeds of this hero is the Ballad of Robin Hood, written at the end of the 14th century. A proud, fearless robber from Sherwood Forest robs the rich, helps the poor, punishes the evil and greedy...
Later, the name of Robin Hood begins to appear in other sources. For example, in The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer, there is mention of "a thicket of hazel where the merry Robin walked."
Modern researchers believe that several historical figures could be the prototypes of Robin Hood at once.
So, in the census registers for 1228 and 1230, the name of Robert Hood, nicknamed Brownie, is found. According to sources, he came into conflict with the law. In addition, the emergence of an insurrectionary movement led by Sir Robert Twing dates back to approximately the same time. It is known that the rebels plundered the monasteries, took away grain supplies from there and distributed them to the poor.
Another candidate for the role of Robin Hood is Robert Fitzut. The legend says that Fitzut was born into an aristocratic family, lived from about 1160 to 1247 and staged rebellions in order to win the title of Earl of Huntington supposedly due to him. In any case, the dates of Fitzut's life coincide with the dates of the life of Robin Hood, as they are indicated in some sources. However, no mention of Robert Fitzut was found in the official archives. Robin Hood, however skeptics point out that contemporary records do not mention a rebellious noble named Robin Fitzut.
Who was the king of Robin Hood?
In addition to issues related to the time of origin of the stories about Robin Hood, various sources tell us about different kings. The first historian, Walter Bower, confidently placed Robin Hood in the 1265 rebellion against King Henry III, led by Simon de Montfort, the king's son-in-law. After his defeat at the Battle of Evesham, most of the rebels remained in the army and led a life similar to that described in the ballads of Robin Hood. “At that time,” wrote Walter Bower, “the famous robber Robin Hood stepped out among those who were disinherited and expelled for participating in the uprising. These people sang their feats in romances, performances and passages. The main catch in Bower's reasoning is the presence of the bow, which is so common in the ballads about Robin Hood. It had not yet been invented at the time of the rebellion of Simon de Montfort.
A document dated 1322 speaks of a "Robin Hood stone" in Yorkshire. It is assumed that ballads - not human - were already well known by this time. Those who would place the real Robin Hood in this time period suggest that Robin Hood, the owner of Wakefield who took part in the rebellion of the Earl of Lancaster, was the prototype of the rebel hero. The following year, they point out, King Edward II visited Nottingham and took a certain Robin Hood into his service as court valet. He was paid his salary for the next 12 months or until he was fired "because he could no longer work." This evidence is beautifully presented in the third story of Robin Hood's Little Gesture.
The mention of King Edward II places the robber hero in the first quarter of the 14th century. But according to other versions, Robin Hood appears as a supporter of King Richard the Lionheart, who ruled in the last decade of the 12th century, and an opponent of Richard's brother and his successor John the Landless - as he was named for the territories lost in France.
Fictional stories.
What is most obvious about Robin Hood is the development of his legend. In the early ballads, there is no mention of Marian, the hero's girlfriend. It first appears at the end of the 15th century, when folk songs and dances become popular on May holidays. Huge baby John is with Robin Hood at the very beginning, but Father Took appears in the last ballad when he plunges Robin into the raging current. The real Robin Hood is a simple yeoman, later he turns into a rebellious nobleman.
There are so many controversial additions to the Robin Hood legend that it's unlikely that a true hero will ever be found. Most scholars now agree that he represents a type - the rogue hero - that has been described in ballads passed down from generation to generation since the 1300s. Storytellers weave a variety of conflicting stories and real people into their stories and turn it all into a story about a person who may never have existed. As one professor wrote: “Robin Hood is the product of a muse,” the invention of unknown poets who wanted to glorify the common man who sought justice against the pressure of nobility and wealth. This is what glorified him and made him the hero of ballads:
He was a good robber
And did a lot of good to the poor
And for this the Lord spared his soul.
There is also a version that Robin Hood was one of the warriors of King Richard the Lionheart. He ruled England in the last decade of the twelfth century. However, the mentioned monarch almost never visited his state, spending time in foreign military campaigns. And the adventures of Robin Hood unfold in England.
A certain tenant from Wakefield, who in 1322 took part in the uprising of the Earl of Lancaster, could also become the prototype of Robin Hood. This version is supported by documentary evidence that in 1323 the English King Edward II, having visited Nottingham, accepted a man named Robert Hood as his valet. Similar facts are given in The Ballad of Robin Hood.
Historians believe that if Robin Hood really existed, then he performed his exploits in the first quarter of the 14th century. This just coincided with the era of the reign of Edward II.
hooded man
Most researchers still tend to believe that Good is a nickname, not a surname. Hood (Hood) translated from English means "hood". This is a traditional element of clothing of all medieval robbers. By the way, this word could mean several hats at once: a hood, a cap, a cap, a hood, a helmet - the main thing is that it protects the entire head ... And the term also has a figurative meaning: “to hide”. Hence the expression "hoodlum" - "thug", "hooligan" (after all, honest people do not need to cover their faces and heads if they are not warriors). Thus, Robin Hood was understood as a secretive person with hooligan manners...
So, most likely, the image of Robin Hood is collective. Oppressed by the authorities and the rich, the poor dreamed of a folk hero who would fight for justice, protecting the rights of the most disadvantaged.
Robber's grave
Oddly enough, the mythical character has his own grave, next to which there is even a monument to Robin Hood. It is located near Kirkless Abbey in West Yorkshire.
According to legend, the sick Robin Hood came to the abbess of the monastery, having heard that she was very knowledgeable in the medical craft. But she turned out to be loyal to the authorities persecuting the robber and decided, on the contrary, to hasten his death. The woman went to the trick: she made Robin lose too much blood, and so that the patient did not notice this, she passed the blood through a jug with a hole.
Realizing that the end was near, Robin Hood bequeathed to bury himself where the arrow he fired would fall. The arrow fell about 650 meters from the monastery gatehouse, where, according to legend, the robber was overtaken by death. There they set up a memorial.
Meanwhile, researcher Richard Rutherford-Moore doubts that Robin Hood could be buried in this place. After experimenting with a bow and arrows of a medieval type, he concluded that an arrow fired from the window of the gatehouse could fly off from him at most 5 meters. And the archives testify that in the 18th century, in the process of laying pipes next to the notorious gatehouse, the remains of an unknown man were discovered. Maybe these were the bones of Robin Hood? But where they are now - no one knows.
For almost 700 years, there has been a legend about a noble robber. He robbed the rich and gave what he had taken from them to the poor. This man led a gang of "knife and ax workers" numbering over a hundred people. Desperate people lived in Sherwood Forest (Nottinghamshire) and brought a lot of trouble to dishonest, greedy and greedy citizens.
Robin Hood - that was the name of the legendary hero who cares about the welfare of ordinary and honest people. So many laudatory ballads have been written about him that you involuntarily begin to believe in the reality of this person. But did the noble robber really live, or are the legends about him a beautiful myth that has nothing to do with real life?
In the second half of the 15th century, an unknown author wrote 4 ballads dedicated to the brave leader of the forest robbers. In the first ballad tells of how Robin helps a poor knight ruined by a greedy abbot. The poor fellow is borrowed a large amount of money, and the faithful squire of the noble leader of the robbers, Little Joe, is given to help. It was a huge kid, endowed with immeasurable strength. Naturally, the knight takes revenge on the greedy abbot, and good triumphs.
Second ballad is dedicated to the conflict between the sheriff from Nottingham and the noble robber. "Romantics from the high road" staged a deer hunt in the lands of the sheriff, and then, with the help of cunning, they invited the most formidable law enforcement officer to the feast.
Third ballad tells of Robin's meeting with King Edward. He secretly comes to Nottingham to incognito investigate violations of the law by local authorities. The defender of the poor and the storm of the rich enters the service of the king and swears allegiance to him.
Fourth ballad the saddest. It tells about the death of a noble robber. He again begins to engage in dangerous fishing, but catches a cold and goes to Kirklayskoe Abbey to undergo a course of treatment. However, the insidious abbess treats him with leeches. Those suck blood, the noble robber is weakening day by day and, in the end, dies.
This, in brief, is the essence of the legends about a courageous man who faithfully served the common people. A great many such ballads were written. Robin is presented as a proud and independent person who opposes the rich who oppress the people. At the same time, the noble robber was loyal to the king and revered the church. Near him all the time was a cheerful and kind monk named Tak.
As for the origin of the glorious hero, some consider him a free peasant, others believe that he was a petty nobleman. The wife's name was Marian, however, she could not have been a wife, but simply a fighting girlfriend.
Experts studied the census registries of England in the period from 1228 to 1230. In these lists was found a man named Robin Hood, who was on the wanted list for crimes. This time is notable for popular unrest. They were headed by a certain Robert Twing. Under his leadership, the rebels plundered monasteries, and the seized grain was distributed to poor peasants.
Some historians are inclined to believe that the legendary robber was Robert Fitzug. He was born around 1170 and died around 1246. This man was the now wealthy Earl of Huntington. In fact, he was a rebellious aristocrat, but for some reason he did not oppose the king, but only opposed noble nobles.
This is how Robin Hood is portrayed in Hollywood
Who sat on the royal throne during the activities of the noble robber? If you rely on ballads and legends, you can find the names of several crowned persons. In particular, this is Henry III (1207-1272). During his reign, civil war broke out in 1261. The rebels were led by Count Simon de Montfort (1208-1265).
At first, the rebels were victorious with the establishment of the dictatorship of the rebellious count, but then Henry III managed to regain power in 1265. However, some of the rebels did not bow their heads before the king. The nobles went into the forests and became robbers. Among them was our glorious hero. The king took everything from him, but he could not take the noble heart. Some researchers believe that that courageous nobleman from the 13th century became the hero of ballads and legends.
Robin Hood is also associated with Count Thomas Plantagenet Lancaster (1278-1322). He opposed King Edward II (1284-1327) and led the baronial opposition. The reason for the hostility was that the count was not appointed chief adviser at the court. In 1322 there was a rebellion. He was brutally suppressed, and Lancaster himself was beheaded.
Some of the rebels were pardoned by the king. One of them was a man with a legendary name. He was taken into service at court and given the rank of valet. During the year, this gentleman was carefully paid a salary. Then the newly-made valet disappeared, and what happened to him next is unknown. It is possible that for a number of reasons he became a noble robber.
If we consider Edward II as the main royal figure, then we can assume that the "romantic and unmercenary from the high road" did good deeds in the period from 1320 to 1330. However, the famous writer and historian Walter Scott (1771-1832) portrayed the image of a noble robber in his novel Richard the Lionheart. This English king lived from 1157 to 1199. And this indicates an earlier period for the existence of Robin Hood, or rather, at the end of the 12th century.
Nowadays, many researchers believe that a bright and mysterious personality is a composite image. That is, there was no specific person, but there was only a people's dream of a just and honest hero-robber. This is a purely folk creation, born among ordinary people. Since the image was unusually interesting and romantic, it became popular among poets and novelists. Creative nature turned it into a kind of symbol of the eternal struggle between good and evil. That is why it remains not only popular, but also relevant for several centuries..
A romantic hero who robbed the rich to help the poor, or a bloodthirsty bandit who was idealized by later generations? What is the true face of a daring daredevil named Robin Hood?
In the historical chronicles of six hundred years ago, it is possible to find only a brief mention of the rogue of the same name, who hunted in the forests of Central England.
However, it is unlikely that the petty villain would have been awarded the attention of chroniclers if his deeds did not stand out in any way from a number of other events of those troubled times. And yet, when wars, plague and famine were commonplace, the historiography of that time gives him a few lines. The rest was taken care of by popular rumor.
Through the depths of time, numerous legends about a romantic robber have come down to our days, whose name, oddly enough, is now more widely known than during his lifetime. That name is Robin Hood.
Truth and fiction
1988, March - Nottingham City Council, in the east-central part of the UK, released a report on the most famous citizen of the city. Because over the years the council has received thousands of inquiries about Robin Hood and his brave squad, the council decided to make a definite statement on this matter.
Despite the fact that the legends about Robin Hood have a long history, the members of the city council took it upon themselves to question the veracity of the legend of the elusive Robin and find out who Robin Hood was.
After a thorough study of the distant past of Nottingham, the researchers came to the conclusion that the brave hero, who robbed the rich to help the poor, did not even know the maiden Marian - according to legend, Robin Hood's beloved. Monk Tuk, they believe, is a completely fictional person. Little John was a vicious and grumpy man who had nothing in common with a carefree character from folklore. This interpretation was obtained by the results of the research.
Having debunked the legend, the members of the council hoped by this to gain fame for themselves as discoverers. However, they were only the latest in a series of skeptics. Because when studying the history of Robin Hood, it is almost impossible to separate fact from fiction. And before them, many undertook to explore this exciting story, but the image of Robin did not fade from this at all.
So, who is Robin Hood, where is the truth, and where is the fiction about a man whose exploits still excite readers, cinema and television viewers? Some tend to take for granted what serious investigators have uncovered: Robin robbed passers-by on the Great North Road near Barnsdale in South Yorkshire and looted with his gang of outlaws in Sherwood Forest 30 miles from Nottingham. Others are more attracted by the romantic version of the legend that this handsome hero actually robbed, but only the rich, in order to give the stolen goods to the poor.
Facts in history
The first reports that Robin Hood was in charge in the forests and wastelands of England date back to 1261. However, in written sources, he was first mentioned only a hundred years later. This was done by the Scottish historian Fordun, who died in 1386.
The following information about Robin Hood in the chronicles refers to the 16th century.
According to the chronicler John Stowe, it was a robber during the reign of Richard I. He was the leader of a gang, which included a hundred brave outcasts. They were all excellent archers. Although they traded in robbery, yet Robin Hood “did not allow oppression or other violence against women. He did not touch the poor, distributing to them everything that he took away from saints and noble rich people.
We will consider this story from the most benevolent positions. Let's start with the fact that the existence of Robin Hood is documented. He lived in Wakefield, Yorkshire, in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries.
The documents record that the legendary robber was born in 1290 and was named Robert Hood. In the old registers, three spellings of the surname are given: God, Goad and Good. But no one disputes the origin of Robin: he was a servant of the Earl of Warren.
How did the peasant son get on the path of robbers?
1322 - Robin moved into the service of a new owner, Sir Thomas, Earl of Lancaster. When the earl led a rebellion against King Edward II, Robin, like the other servants of the earl, had no choice but to obey his master and take up arms. However, the uprising was crushed, Lancaster was captured and beheaded for treason. His possessions were confiscated by the king, and the count's people who took part in the rebellion were outlawed.
Robin has found the perfect hideout in the wilderness of Sherwood Forest, in Yorkshire.
Sherwood Forest covered an area of 25 square miles and adjoined Yorkshire. Through the Sherwood and Barnsdale woodlands, the Great North Road, laid out by the Romans, passed through, on which there was heavy traffic. This attracted the attention of outcast robbers.
So there was a legend about Robin Hood, a man in green clothes, the color of the forest.
New stories
The legends about Robin abound with many funny stories about his daring adventures and antics. One of them tells how the swaggering and narrow-minded Bishop of Hertsford, on his way to York, met with Robin and his people, who were roasting venison, obtained in the royal hunting forests.
Mistaking Robin's men for simple peasants, the bishop ordered those who killed the deer to be seized. The robbers calmly refused: the deer can no longer be resurrected, and everyone is terribly hungry. Then, at the sign of the bishop, those around the fire were surrounded by his servants. The robbers, laughing, began to beg for mercy, but the bishop was adamant. Robin eventually got fed up with the bickering. He gave a signal, and the rest of the gang arrived from the forest. The dumbfounded bishop was taken prisoner and demanded a ransom.
Wanting to teach his hapless hostage a lesson, Robin made him dance a jig around a huge oak tree. To this day, that place in the forest is called the "bishop's oak."
It is also said that one day Robin, accompanied by his best friend Little John, paid a visit to Whitby Priory. The abbot asked them to show their vaunted skill in archery. It was necessary to shoot from the monastery roof. Robin and Baby John gladly granted his request. They did not shame their glory.
Passed from mouth to mouth, one of the most beloved stories about how Robin met Edward II has been preserved in the people's memory. According to legend: the king, worried that his deer population was melting before his eyes, disappearing into the insatiable wombs of robbers, wanted to clear his forest of poachers once and for all.
The king and his knights, disguised as monks, went to Sherwood Forest, knowing that Robin Hood and a gang were waiting for unlucky travelers there. And they were not wrong. The robbers stopped them and demanded money.
The disguised king declared that he had only 40 pounds (a rather insignificant amount for that time). Robin took 20 pounds for his men and returned the rest to the king.
Then Edward told the leader that he was called to Nottingham to meet with the king. Robin and his men fell to their knees and swore their love and devotion to Edward, then invited the "monks" to dine with them - to taste the king's own venison!
In the end, Edward realized that Robin was simply mocking him. Then he revealed himself to the robbers and forgave them on the condition that they all come to the court for service as soon as he called them.
This story, of course, seems implausible, created by the imagination of fans of Robin Hood. But in the end, maybe not everything in it is fiction.
The fact is that this incident is described in Robin Hood's Little Feat, published in 1459. It is known for certain that the king visited Nottingham in 1332. We also know that a few months after this, the name of Robin Hood is mentioned in reports of Edward's court.
However, he soon suddenly disappeared from the royal court, only to reappear in the forest and in popular rumor.
So, let's continue the story of the daring adventures of Robin Hood. He appeared at the church of St. Mary in Nottingham, where a monk recognized the robber and informed the sheriff. Robin was captured only after he single-handedly killed 12 soldiers with his sword. Even being imprisoned, the fearless leader had no doubt that his true friends would not leave him. Shortly before Robin was due to stand trial, Little John staged a daring attack and returned their leader to the bandit brethren. For complete justice, the robbers tracked down and killed the monk who betrayed Robin.
forest brotherhood
It is impossible to talk about Robin Hood without paying tribute to his cheerful gang and legendary girlfriend, Maid Marian.
Robin's closest assistant was Little John, presumably not a merry fellow at all, but a gloomy and very vulnerable guy. Most likely, he was called the Kid as a joke, since he was quite tall. This was discovered when, in 1784, his grave was opened at Hathersage and the bones of a rather tall man were found.
As for Brother Took, opinions differ about him. Some believe that this legendary character combines the features of two fat monks, others believe that there really was such a cheerful person who loved to have fun and dance in the company of forest brothers. Perhaps it was Robert Stafford, a priest from Sussex (early 15th century), who sometimes, under the pseudonym of Brother Took, participated in the adventures of a gay gang.
Maid Marian as a character also fits well with the theory that the image of Robin came from folk tales of traditional May festivities and games. Marian could simply be a girl chosen for her beauty as the “Queen of May”.
The inconsistency of the image
The legendary adventures of Robin Hood in Sherwood Forest supposedly ended in 1346. It is believed that he died in Kirkless Monastery after a serious illness. The abbess treated Robin with copious bloodletting, as a result of which, weakened and exsanguinated, he never recovered from his illness.
Such is the romantic image of Robin Hood, a daredevil and benefactor. But the Anglo-Saxons have a strange tendency to denigrate their idols, and Robin suffered more than others from this.
Graham Black, director of the Robin Hood Tales exhibition in Nottanham, said: “We have come close to knowing the true identity of Robin Hood.”
According to Black, the real story of Robin dates back to 1261, when William, son of Robert Smith, was outlawed in Berkshire. The law clerk who wrote the decree named him William Robinhood.
Other court documents survive that mention people named Robinhood, most of whom are criminals. Therefore, researchers believe that if Robin Hood actually existed, then he most likely acted before that time.
The most likely candidate for this dubious role, according to Graham Black, is Robert Hod, an inhabitant of the Archbishopric of York, who escaped justice in 1225. Two years later he is mentioned in written documents as Hobhod.
Where does the romantic version of the legend come from?
According to some versions, Robin was a nobleman. But this is an obvious invention of the playwright, who in 1597 wanted to attract the nobility to his theater. Previously, Robin was considered a vassal of the lord.
The glory of Robin Hood as the greatest archer comes from wandering storytellers who passed from mouth to mouth ballads about the legendary robber, recorded in the second half of the 15th century.
As for the girl Marian, it is believed that she was a beauty guarded by the treacherous Prince John. She first met Robin when she was ambushed by his men. However, scholars do not agree with this version, claiming that Marian appeared in a French poem of the 13th century as a shepherdess with her shepherd Robin. Only 200 years after the appearance of this poem, she finally entered the legend of Robin Hood. And the reputation of the immaculate virgin Marian gained much later under the influence of chaste Victorian morality.
According to legend, Brother Tuk was a merry glutton who amused the robbers with his funny tricks and jokes. The monk was unsurpassed in stick fights. In fact, it turns out that Brother Tuk also existed. This name was given to the priest of Lindfield parish from Sussex, in fact a murderer and robber, when in 1417 a royal decree was issued for his arrest, the priest went on the run.
James Holt, Professor of Medieval History at the University of Cambridge and author of a book on Robin Hood, wrote: “Written evidence shows that Brother Took organized his band of robbers two hundred miles from Sherwood Forest, centuries after Robin Hood. In fact, Brother Tuk was quite far from harmless gaiety, for he ruined and burned the hearths of his enemies.
Little John, Robin's right hand, was capable of brutal murders. It was he who killed the monk, suspected of betraying Robin, then beheaded the young servant of the monk, a witness to the murder.
But Little John did a lot of brave things. One of them, which has already been mentioned, is the rescue of Robin Hood from a well-fortified prison guarded by the guards of the notorious Sheriff of Nottingham.
Regarding Robin Hood, Professor Holt wrote: “He was absolutely not the way he is described. He wore a cap like a monastic hood. There is absolutely no evidence that he robbed the rich to give money to the poor. The legend acquired these fabrications 200 or more years after his death. And during his lifetime, he was known as a notorious marauder.”
And yet, following the legends of hoary antiquity, we prefer to see in Robin Hood the protector of the oppressed and disenfranchised, the brave and cheerful chieftain, now and then wiping the nose of those in power.
And we want to believe that, ending his life path, full of various feats, our hero, on the verge of death, blew a horn with his last strength, as if sending news of himself to the future, and we still hear the echoes of this signal with our hearts.
