Legends of Robin Hood

Gone Medieval

History Hit

History

4.6 • 2.2K Ratings

🗓️ 16 May 2025

⏱️ 51 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Was Robin Hood a symbol of justice? A challenge to authority? Or simply a folk hero offering a fantasy of freedom? Whether or not he truly existed, Robin Hood is one of the most enduring figures from medieval England—so beloved that by the 15th century, churchmen complained their congregations liked stories of the outlaw more than sermons. But how did Robin Hood capture the medieval imagination so powerfully?

Matt Lewis is joined by Professor Stephen H. Rigby to explore how Robin Hood’s legend took shape through ballads and dramas from as early as the 14th century, and how these tales evolved to reflect the social struggles, political anxieties, and popular culture of the time.

Defending a Castle:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4Ij54WeWRYBbcaIbRjrcVU

Movie Knight (Robin Hood):

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5uGVOS5S2Iz2Z23rtt3Od4

Gone Medieval is presented by Matt Lewis. It was edited by Amy Haddow, the producers are Rob Weinberg and Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

All music used is courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.

Gone Medieval is a History Hit podcast.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, I'm Matt Lewis.
0:02.6	And I'm Dr. Eleanor Yonaga.
0:04.2	And we're just popping up here to tell you some insider info.
0:08.0	If you would like to listen to Gone Medieval ad-free and get early access and bonus episodes,
0:13.3	sign up to History Hit.
0:14.5	With the History Hit subscription, you can also watch hundreds of hours of original documentaries.
0:20.6	Such as my new series on everyone's favorite
0:22.8	conquerors, the Normans, or my recent exploration of the castles that made Britain. There's a new
0:29.9	release to enjoy every week. Sign up now by visiting historyhit.com forward slash subscribe, or find a link in the show notes for this episode.
0:45.1	Hello, I'm Matt Lewis. Welcome to Gone Medieval from History Hit, the podcast that delves into the greatest
0:55.5	millennium in human history. We've got the most intriguing mysteries, the gobsmacking details
1:02.0	and latest groundbreaking research from the Vikings to the printing press, from kings to popes to the
1:08.4	crusades. We cross centuries and continents to delve into rebellions,
1:13.2	plots and murders, to find the stories big and small that tell us how we got here. Find out who we
1:20.0	really were with Gone Medieval. Whether he ever really existed or not, Robin Hood is one of the most important and enduring characters from medieval England,
1:38.3	who also possibly became even more popular in Scotland and Wales.
1:43.2	By the 15th century, churchmen were even complaining that their congregations preferred to hear
1:48.2	stories about Robin Hood rather than listen to the Word of God.
1:52.8	Robin Hood's adventures can be traced to ballads and dramas that reach back as far as the 14th
1:58.2	century and perhaps even further. Here's my telling of one such story that was documented the 14th century and perhaps even further.
2:05.4	Here's my telling of one such story that was documented around 1450,
2:08.0	but maybe from even heavy-hearted.
	...

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