Changes

==Historical evidence==

==Historical evidence==

Very little evidence exists to support a real Robin Hood; in fact he may have been a composite.  The earliest tale is a ballad written in the 1320s known as ''A Gest of Robyn Hode'' [http://www.boldoutlaw.com/realrob/realrob2.html#1320], describing an individual who was pardoned by [[Edward II]], and serving in that monarch's court for a number of months before returning to his outlaw ways.  In 1852 one Joseph Hunter, a clergyman and keeper of records in Britain, discovered the possiblity that the ''Gest'' matched several of the records for Edward, including a servant named "Robyn Hode" who was a porter for the king between March 24 and November 22, 1324; he further went on to claim that his Robyn and a fugitive named Robert Hood of Wakefield - involved in a rebellion against the king under Thomas of Lancaster in 1322 - were the same man.  Hunter subsequently offered his conclusions for an historical Robin based on that evidence.

Very little evidence exists to support a real Robin Hood; in fact he may have been a composite.  The earliest tale is a ballad written in the 1320s known as ''A Gest of Robyn Hode'' [http://www.boldoutlaw.com/realrob/realrob2.html#1320], describing an individual who was pardoned by [[Edward II]], and serving in that monarch's court for a number of months before returning to his outlaw ways.  In 1852 one Joseph Hunter, a clergyman and keeper of records in Britain, discovered the possibility that the ''Gest'' matched several of the records for Edward, including a servant named "Robyn Hode" who was a porter for the king between March 24 and November 22, 1324; he further went on to claim that his Robyn and a fugitive named Robert Hood of Wakefield - involved in a rebellion against the king under Thomas of Lancaster in 1322 - were the same man.  Hunter subsequently offered his conclusions for an historical Robin based on that evidence.

There are records of a Robert Fitzhooth, the Earl of Huntington [http://books.google.com/books?id=sN0wjxyotFwC&pg=PA226&lpg=PA226&dq=Robert+Fitzhooth&source=bl&ots=qfx5QiMnCC&sig=IyMmt-aRjxsF8ooD0C-OoyTdp18&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=3&ct=result], who was the subject of two plays as Robin by Anthony Munday in 1599.  The real Earl of Huntington, a man named David, was brother to King William the Lion of Scotland, and chronicled in ''Earl David of Huntingdon 1152-1219 A Study in Anglo-Scottish History'' by K.J. Stringer, with some very Robin Hood-like elements, including a rebellion against King John I.

There are records of a Robert Fitzhooth, the Earl of Huntington [http://books.google.com/books?id=sN0wjxyotFwC&pg=PA226&lpg=PA226&dq=Robert+Fitzhooth&source=bl&ots=qfx5QiMnCC&sig=IyMmt-aRjxsF8ooD0C-OoyTdp18&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=3&ct=result], who was the subject of two plays as Robin by Anthony Munday in 1599.  The real Earl of Huntington, a man named David, was brother to King William the Lion of Scotland, and chronicled in ''Earl David of Huntingdon 1152-1219 A Study in Anglo-Scottish History'' by K.J. Stringer, with some very Robin Hood-like elements, including a rebellion against King John I.

==Modern Representations==

==Modern Representations==

[[Image:Adventures of Robin Hood.jpg|thumb|Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland in ''"The Adventures of Robin Hood"'' (1938)]]

[[Image:Adventures of Robin Hood.jpg|thumb|Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland in ''"The Adventures of Robin Hood"'' (1938)]]

The extent and popularity of the stories have have idealized Robin Hood somewhat, transforming him from a common outlaw into a noble who fought a just rebellion against a corrupt king.  Chief among them were the many films made about the story, with the most famous being ''The Adventures of Robin Hood'' (1938) starring [[Errol Flynn]] in the title role. Numerous other film and television adaptations of his life have also been made, including a musical and a Disney animated version with a cast of animals.

The extent and popularity of the stories have idealized Robin Hood somewhat, transforming him from a common outlaw into a noble who fought a just rebellion against a corrupt king.  Chief among them were the many films made about the story, with the most famous being ''The Adventures of Robin Hood'' (1938) starring [[Errol Flynn]] in the title role. Numerous other film and television adaptations of his life have also been made, including a musical and a Disney animated version with a cast of animals.

==Historical Revisionism==

==Historical Revisionism==