Robin Hood: A Thriller or Real Person?

The earliest known written reference to Robin Hood is a passing reference in William Langlands allegorical poem The Vision of Pierce Plowman which was written in the late 1370s. In the Middle Ages places like Sherwood Forest weren't just vast landscapes of tree cover like we might think of the word forest today. So it was a perfect setting for these Robin Hood style adventure stories that have persisted throughout the ages.