The Outlaws of Medieval Legend

by Maurice Keen

Book Overview

Wonderfully written and beautifully presented, The Outlaws of Medieval Legend brings the popular heroes of the Middle-Ages to life. Featuring both famous - Robin Hood and William Wallace - and now forgotten rogues such as Gamelyn and Fulke Fitzwarin, this book explains the popularity of these semi-mythical figures, and how their stories appealed to the common people of the Middle Ages.
Long unavailable, and now featuring a new introduction from the author, this is the perfect book for anyone with a fondness for medieval history and folklore.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0415239001
• ISBN13: 9780415239004
• Release Date: December 2000
• Publisher: Routledge
• Length: 276 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.1" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

The Outlaws of Medieval Legend

This book delves into the many outlaw characters of Medieval Britain, historical, semi-historical and those of so called myth that may have contributed to the Robin Hood legend. Hereward, Fulk Fitzwain, Eustace the Monk, William Wallace, and Gamelyn are all covered with at least one chapter dedicated to each. Outlaws of Medieval Legend also looks into the possibility of Robin Hood being a real living person, even if their reality differed from that of the Robin Hood Stories. Besides that it explores the sociological reasons that the Robin Hood and other British outlaw legends and historical figures were so popular during the middle ages and continue to be so to this day. I highly recomend this book to anyone with any sort of interest in the subject matter. Personally I always liked to think of Robin Hood as a just and righteous Anglo Saxon Thegn that had lost everything after the Normans took over England in 1066 and was fighting a guerella war against the oppressive Normans. I also always liked the idea of Robin Hood being a heathen that would rob the corrupt greedy Christian church and political figures.