Robin Hood: The Truth Behind The Legend | Fact Or Fiction | Timeline 

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When I grew up, Robin Hood was a fox.

My dad's name was Robin Hood. In the late 1960's, I remember him trying to cash a check in a store, they asked his name. He had to show his driver's license to prove it. Also, about the same time, he heard they supposedly were offering people with that name a trip to England. For something, maybe a festival/ celebration??? Not sure, too many years ago. Dad passed at the age of 92 in Jan. 2000. He was an incredible man. Miss you pop.

I love the way he pulls out "photos" of the 2 possible Robin Hoods.

I remember being a young lad once and being in the supermarket, I was reading an article from the National Enquirer that they’ve “discovered “ the remains of Robin Hood in Sherwood Forest. Little did I know I was so entrenched in reading the article that I walked out of the store without paying for it. I guess there’s a little bit of RH in all of us. Cheers, from 🇺🇸

I'm a history teacher, but focus primarily on American History. I am just now discovering Tony Robinson's documentaries. These are wonderful!

I was Robin Hood....for about four years of my life, from 7 until 11. Those were the days, playing with my brother and a Maid Marion in the little forest at the bend in the road. Ahhhhh to have childhood back again.

I’m a big fan of Tony Robinson he makes documentaries really interesting.

My grandmother had a lot of classic novels. I read that novel of Robin Hood when I was 8 years old. I have never forgotten that book. It was nothing like the modern movies etc.

"This I have to tell you is a Baldrick"...well done Baldrick.

The tales of Robin Hood filled my early childhood with joy, wonder, and imagination. In my pre-teen years this same love brought me into a Dungeons & Dragons game with some neighborhood kids. Before I knew it I was reading stories like The Hobbit, and Lord of the Rings, and growing an admiration for Legolas. It's been nearly three decades since I first heard the tale of Robin, and I can say without a doubt, these tales and many like it shaped the person I grew up to become.

As a child I was so in love with Richard Green's portrayal of Robin Hood. Sigh! Only a few years ago I bought a complete box set of those programmes. Ah, nostalgia. 💗

Romance, fairy tale, fact or fiction, history or myth? Most intriguing for me is the association with the Olde Worlde Spirit of the Forest - the Green Man. Congratulations on an excellent documentary.

I love Tony Robinson. He is such a great presenter no matter what the subject is, he always delivers an awesome documentary. Kudos to you Tony!

Of all the legends and myths, Robin Hood is the one I really want to be real.

I grew up with Richard Green as Robin Hood TV series. I still watch it at times.

Based on the evidence presented here it appears that the Robin Hood story is based on 3 historical figures whose story were so similar seeing that they lived within a century of each other that they got intertwined over the Centuries to give us the legendary Robin Hood that we have today.

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1410">23:30</a> '...is, I have to tell you, a Baldrick' Nobody but Tony Robinson could have said it that way.

Fact or fiction, it doesn't matter. What counts is this English legend has given so much pleasure to young and old alike for nearly 700 years. From Disney to the earliest ballads from Errol Flynn to Kevin Costner I know my childhood would have been a less exciting without Robin Hood.

"Everyone knew the system was rotten; only an outlaw would do anything about it." There's a message there, kids. (Gee, I wish the background sound didn't overpower the foreground dialog.)

Last of the Summer Wine character "Billy Hardcastle" claimed to be descended from Robin Hood, and proudly declared that Robin was a Yorkshireman.

The story of R.H. Instilled the idea of looking out for the little guy and looking out for the less fortunate, in me. It became part of my design. Real or not, a great story that plants seeds of selflessness. Wonderful stuff.

It's really amazing how little Tony aged between the scene where he has dialup internet, and the scene where he's driving a car with a 2017 plate

I love English history , I have some of this thing called “ Anglo Saxon “ in my family history. So Robin Hood is kind of an interesting and enigmatic figure in Medieval English literature and history, and believe me I could learn about this kind of stuff all day and not get bored. I just wish there was more information on Robin Hood’s life . I hope people never stop looking for more .

The home where Robin supposedly died is in shambles. Unbelievable! It is historical and should be preserved.

I recall reading in the foreword to a book about some cavers in the Nottinghamshire area who found a blocked cave containing a small number of skeletons, some barrels and primitive arrows. In chalk on the wall, someone had scrawled 'Michael Tuck. I was the last.". When they returned with a camera, the roof had caved in, blocking access. Probably an urban myth, but I thought it was interesting. x

I love that it may all go back to Robin Goodfellow.....rooted in our deep history, our folk memory.

BBC Robin Hood T.V. Series was awesome, the actor who played him was the best Robin Hood ever seen.

Don’t forget the aliases robin used such as Diccan bend-the-bow. There may be many more robins contributing to the stories than you’ve found already. Some of the stories even implied that Robin, Diccan, Longstride, and Locksley were all aliases- that his real name was never shared to anyone after he was branded an outlaw.

Wakefield born and bred, amazes me how much history my small city has seen, even the maternity hospital I was born in and my high school are on the likely battlefield from the War of the Roses

Lovely to see Stephen Knight, who taught me Medieval History at the University of Sydney in the early 1980s. His lectures were so fantastic that students who were not even enrolled in the subject attended, out of interest.

I used to visit the visitors centre, the oak etc plenty of times when I lived in Mansfield my born and bred town. I remember the first time I visited was when my grandad tuck me and he told me a story that years ago there used to be a round table inside the tree to show that there was/is room for Robin Hood and his merry men to hide inside. A grandad entertaining his 4 year old granddaughter.

Prince of Thieves, Men in Tights, BBC Robin Hood and one movie with jamie foxx "now its a jacket." The story that never gets old.

The old British series with Richard Greene was the first I remember of hearing of Robin Hood. That was 60 years ago.

Wow!!! One of my favorite legends, really brought to life and possibility! Robin seems to be needed in every generation, an Everyman hero. Thanks, Tony. Beautiful work.

If it's fact or if it's fiction doesn't much matter to me it's tale of man looking out for those who are less fortunate something we should all try do do. I can't imagine my childhood without Robin Hood what a wonderful tale true or not. It's the principle behind the story that really matters. Thank you people for uploading this and all of the wonderful Time line and Absolute history videos what a treat they are to me. Especially in the middle of covid-19

I remember when my dad told me he was based on a historical figure, from that day forward, Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman ruled

I will say I'm impressed with the detail of this investigation, but feel sincerely disappointed that Robin Hood is not an archery skilled fox with a green hat. I will also say that I'm going to continue enjoying Mel Brooks - Men in Tights. Thank you Timeline!

What a fantastic documentary. Tony Robinson really brings the past to life with his wonderful narration.

The first known literary reference to Robin Hood and his men was in 1377, and the Sloane manuscripts in the British Museum have an account of Robin’s life which states that he was born around 1160 in Lockersley (most likely modern day Loxley) in South Yorkshire. Another chronicler has it that he was a Wakefield man and took part in Thomas of Lancaster’s rebellion in 1322.

Lovely presentation thanks Tony. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Uncertainty creates fascination! ... historical investigations are a pleasure in their own right! Cheers all!

Awww Tony on his dial up 🥰🥰

There is a fascinating traditional Korean story about Hong Gildong which has many parallels (outlaws turned heroes of the common folk etc). This makes me even more curious about the way these sorts of stories and parallels developed.

A absolutely wonderful documentary leaving the viewer with hauntingly valid hopes amidst a somewhat disappointingly possibility of emptiness and yearning.

Robin and Marian is the best Robin Hood film I've seen.

Like all heroes he's based on a few men who lived at different times. He's a legend changed to suit the times of the day over many years.

The sound of dial up internet, that just catapulted me back to my childhood!

I really like the description of historians "scurrying off" to find more information.

Greetings from Santa Fe, ARGENTINA 🇦🇷 I enjoy your vídeos very much. ROBIN HOOD is one of my favourite heroes, since I was 4, si en I saw Erroll Flynn 's film. I don't care much ir he has existe or not . The importante thing is the values that ROBIN had , his courage, his honesty, his care for the people, victims of the powerful, ruthless authorities. In this present world where injustice reigns everywhere, hundreds of corageous modern ROBINS are needed.

There’s always some truths to legends and myths and folklore.

HOLY SMOKES dial-up modem to get onto Internet; good times.

With the sound of the internet connecting, this documentary feels like a relic itself...Histoy telling history...

Beautiful Historical detective work. I love your RU-vid stuff A LOT more than when I watched your shows on History Channel here in Canada. You have more control over your work it seems. Cable TV was already dying off at the time though. Glad to see you still at it. Was a much bigger fan of your shows over that reality tv nonsense.

Damn Tony Robinson, he walks miles in every documentary!! Well done m8!

Excellent documentary with in-depth research about the myth, the man - or the men. Nicely edited with just the right mixture of wonder and speculation mixed with the fact and the prosaic, and equally enchanting location-work and lighting. Full marks, Tony. Others have suggested that the incidental music was excessive, but I experienced no problems with the balance in this regard.

Rocket Robin Hood was a Saturday morning cartoon back in the 70's that was full of awesomeness.

Excellent and highly entertaining documentary. It manages to be both rigorous and enjoyable to watch. Great stuff at the end, when we learn that there actually IS a basis for a late 12th century nobleman-turned-outlaw in the time of Richard the Lionheart. Thumbs up for this one!

Windows Media Player, the sound of a dial-up modem? Going for historical accuracy here, are we?

I used to watch Maid Marion and her merry men religiously when I was a kid. I miss it.

The idea of Robin Hood is more important than the actual facts, just like King Arthur.

Robin Hood was Disney's best animation. The music by Roger Miller, the voice characters, Phil Harris, Sir Hiss, Andy Divine, Clucky, and Phony John. Best ensemble cast for then❤❤❤❤ such creative lines and characters.

All good myths have a kernel of truth to them. Robin Hood may have been a composite of several historical characters,

Richard Green played my favorite Robin. As a kid, I never missed a show.

Brilliant!! My heart leapt when Richard Greene appeared. The music and the sound of that arrow thunking into the tree took me back over 60 years. :-) I remember Tony's version as well :-) :-)

*"In Robin's day, religious communities were notorious for their greed, lax morals, and hypocritical lifestyle."* I suppose we are still living in Robin Hood's day.

Anyone remember the British Robin Hood series that was broadcast on PBS in the US in the mid 1970's? I watched that religiously as a kid, as I did "Poldark" and "I, Claudius" slightly later. Another favourite was "Meeting of Minds", in which historical figures gathered at a table to talk about their lives and discuss various themes that affected each of them in different ways. One episode I remember featured Thomas Jefferson, Karl Marx, Sun Yat-Sen, Gandhi and M.L. King discussing forms of civil disobedience and revolution Such incredible television back then!

One of my most funny encounters was with a very beatiful British girl whose friend introduced her as Maid Marion. It happenned that she had a while before worked at a Robin Hood tourist theme centre and had plaiyed the part of the famouse bandits girlfriend. Truly, she was a star casting for that role.

Almost all legendary figures started around a real person around whom stories were told. Stories about one person in a pre-literate age became tangled with stories about similar people. And so the legends grow and at some stage become written down -- usually with embellishment from the writer.

I remember a sketch from Dave Allen At Large, Robin and one of the merry men step up to a tree, pause for a moment obviously doing what one would expect travelers to do when pausing by a tree, and as they walk away, Robin (Dave Allen) says, "I always wondered why they call you Little John."

In a truly fairer world, I hope their would be no need for a Robin Hood at all! Thanks for a great show, Tony Robin's son. 🙋🏻‍♀️LL

Great video, Tony Robinson always produces great historical videos....thanks.

Robin Hoods adventures were a well known story As a child I grew up in Derbyshire..my great Grandmother told his story with out books or films it was oral tradition..yes books and films were made..I remember them well little John is buried in Hathersage Derbyshire his cap and bow hung for centuries in a local church. Untill it was stolen in the late 19th century His grave is well known in Hathersage Derbyshire England his grave is 7 feet long marked by two stones .thanks for reading.

Really interesting insights and well documented without opinion. Terrific documentary.

A close parallel that helps to explain the Robin Hood legends is the name "Dutch Schultz," which was apparently used by many criminals in the New York City urban area between sometime in the late nineteenth century and the 1920s and 30s. The individual we now remember as "Dutch Schultz" had a completely unrelated real name; he was a bootlegger and gambler of Jewish origin in the New York and Newark of the 1920s and thirties. But he always insisted on being known as "Dutch Schultz," or 'the Dutchman," although he had no known German or Dutch ancestry; he just borrowed the pseudonym from a long line of New York gangsters who had used it. I don't know whether historians have everidentified the original 19th-century "Dutch Schultz." There is even a sort of "Sheriff of Nottingham" in the Dutch Schultz story; Manhattan district attorney and future New York governor and presidential candidate, Thomas Dewey. "Dutch" was murdered by his associetes when he conspired to assassinate Dewey. His 'colleagues" knew that if he did that the wrath of the whole government establishment would come down on the "mob." And there is even still a mystery connected with "Dutch Schultz;" the location of a treaure that he is said to have buried somewhere in upstate New York, but has still not been found. Like the treasures of the Pirates of the Caribbean. I guess with bandits, facts and fiction are always mingled.

i love the fact that Disney turned Robin hood into a fox

Thoroughly interesting and absorbing. Well done.

Seeing Tony hunched over his laptop as he waits for the dial-up internet connection! 😂🤣 love it!

OMG it's Baldrick. Makes this whole documentary much better :D

Tony's the Best ! Thank You Tony for all your endless works !!!

Robin Hood was one of the first TV programs I watched as a kid and role played him and his merry men with making bows and arrows. I mean, we even have the same initials. Ha.

The Robin Hood legend is embraced in the Nottinghamshire culture alot and I mean alot

As a child, I read my Mum's copy of ROBIN HOOD. I really don't remember most of it, but the death-scene made me cry. and I've never forgotten the tale. THANKS FOR POSTING! cheers

Robin hood the most skilled archer in england may god bless his soul

Well done, Tony. You make it look so easy as well as interesting Cheers, Rik Spector!

Loved this episode!! I have allways loved the tale of Robing Hood, so did my dad. I have a first run edition of Robin Hood written in old english it is one of my favorite books!!!

That 'Robins Hoods Well' is 1 mile away from where i live,and Barnsdale is about 4 miles up the road

I seem to recall hearing there was a Robert Hode, who was accused of poaching the king's deer, and became a fugitive. Perhaps an addition to the myth, another possibility, or some other explanation. But it's interesting. And of course, this is another stellar example of how to make a documentary.

This is the most comprehensive look at Robin Hood that I've seen. Somehow, it feels right that he didn't live in Sherwood forest.

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="162">2:42</a> The dial-up sound!

I read a story about Robin Hood that he was Welsh. And I have always liked stories of Robin Hood!

Tony Robinson is up there with Michael Wood and David Attenborough as one of the most engaging presenters alive(who would of thought Baldrick would be the smartest in the room) props to you Tony

I had such a crush on Richard Greene as a little girl in the 90s. My dad showed me the show. The theme song is awesome..!

I like watching Tony's documentarys

"Space Robin Hood" has already been done. Look at the Firefly series as an example: Captain Malcom as Robin, the noble, honorable outlaw, he has a band of outlaws that use space as their forest. The characters bare some similarity to the "modern classic" tale.

Oh yes! the tales of Robin Hood certainly intrigued me throughout my youth. Perhaps it participated in instilling a sense of compassion, camaraderie with the underdog, especially those bullied by the rich and powerful. As an adult these ideas helped form a set of ethics. The "truth" about the man doesn't change that. Anti heroes often tell a more accurate account of what happened, of history.

I always loved the Robin Hood series in black and white. I still love the stories, and to learn the background is wonderful.

Most probably the title Robin Hood was handed down through the same family or to a worthy man, as was done in The Princess Bride with The Dread Pirate Roberts. Once one Robin became too old or tired of it, the title went to the next man and the old took on another name, or perhaps their original one again. That would explain how the different men were spread over many timelines. For all we know, it may still be handed down to this day, but of course they’d be doing good in more modern ways and also staying close to the British monarchy. It would be a cool theory.

Heroes like Robin of the Hood, King Arthur, Merlin, and Sherlock Holmes are in place exactly because they fill a need in us to have people to look up to who embody the virtues we claim as our own, and to have figures who take care of downtrodden good people; no matter what your rank or class (even Maid Marion, a noble woman, was being given many rations of grief until Robin stepped in ). This is proven by the story of the poor monk and the rich monk; one was a truth teller, while the other was a rich, ecclesiastic, liar. And it is also shown in Robin's rise in rank over four centuries from lowly Yorkshire yeoman to Robin of Locksley, a nobleman. As a child, I embraced them all with veneration and adoration, only adding a couple of American heroes to the lot; the Lone Ranger and his equally noble Tonto. Facts and reality have, down through the years, wickedly assailed my collection of heroes, but I am happy to report, they have only become stronger, more vivid, and more virtuous (as we descend into global corruption) with the passage of time. :D

EXCELLENT! Great Information & History! Love it. Thank You! Peace & Health

If only we could go back and talk to those original ballad singers.....