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.

With some notable exceptions the subject of outlawry in medieval and early modern English history has attracted relatively little scholarly attention. This volume helps to address this significant gap in scholarship, and encourage further study of the subject, by presenting a series of innovative essays, based on original research and covering an extensive period of time. It focuses attention on the importance and diversity of people who crossed the boundary between legal and illegal activities and enterprise, but who have so far received uneven coverage from scholars. The essays have been specially commissioned by the editors from an experienced group of international scholars, giving the collection a strong inner coherence, enabling key themes to emerge clearly.

Description Billy the Kid, Jesse James, John Dillinger, and Al Capone were all are criminals who robbed and killed, yet they were considered good outlaws, celebrated in sensational newspapers, newsreels, and dime novels of the day, and later in film and television, for their daring, courage, loyalty, and even chivalry. Our fascination with criminal heroes has a long history, extending back to legendary accounts in medieval chronicle, romance, and ballad. Although their names may not be familiar-Earl Godwin, Hereward, Eustache the Monk, Fouke Fitz Waryn, n Bow-Bender, Gamelyn, Owain Glyndwr, William of Cloudesley, and William Wallace-these outlaws, in addition to Robin Hood, were all driven to lives of crime as victims of political intrigue or legal injustice. They committed capital crimes punishable by death, but, paradoxically, they were loved, encouraged, and supported by their communities. This revised and expanded edition of Medieval Outlaws gathers twelve outlaw tales, introduced and freshly translated into Modern English by a team of specialists, including Timothy S. Jones, Michael Swanton, Thomas E. Kelly, Mica Gould, Stephen Knight, Shaun F. D. Hughes, Alexander L. Kaufman, Thomas H. Ohlgren, Thomas Hahn, and Walter Scheps. The tales range in date from the Norman Conquest to the sixteenth century. Introductions precede each selection and notes identify all of the significant names, places, and historical events mentioned in the texts. Accessible and entertaining, these tales will be of interest to the general reader and student alike. About the Editor Thomas H. Ohlgren is Professor of English and Medieval Studies at Purdue University and is the author of numerous books and articles on medieval manuscripts and literature.

The Newbery Medal–winning author of The Hero and the Crown brings the Robin Hood legend to vivid life. Young Robin Longbow, subapprentice forester in the King’s Forest of Nottingham, must contend with the dislike of the Chief Forester, who bullies Robin in memory of his popular father. But Robin does not want to leave Nottingham or lose the title to his father’s small tenancy, because he is in love with a young lady named Marian—and keeps remembering that his mother too was gentry and married a common forester. Robin has been granted a rare holiday to go to the Nottingham Fair, where he will spend the day with his friends Much and Marian. But he is ambushed by a group of the Chief Forester’s cronies, who challenge him to an archery contest . . . and he accidentally kills one of them in self-defense. He knows his own life is forfeit. But Much and Marian convince him that perhaps his personal catastrophe is also an opportunity: an opportunity for a few stubborn Saxons to gather together in the secret heart of Sherwood Forest and strike back against the arrogance and injustice of the Norman overlords.

This revised and expanded edition of Medieval Outlaws gathers twelve outlaw tales, introduced and freshly translated into Modern English by a team of specialists. Accessible and entertaining, these tales will be of interest to the general reader and student alike.