The King’s Disguise, and Friendship with Robin Hood is Child ballad 151. It holds the common tradition of the end of

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is dep ...

's outlawry, although it is a relatively late ballad, as it puts Robin firmly in King Richard's reign. Also, unlike " A Gest of Robyn Hode", an earlier version, the king is not acting out of the need to suppress Robin.

Synopsis

King Richard decides he must see

and disguises himself as an abbot and his men as monks. Robin finds them and disbelieves him when he says they are royal messengers, but affirming he has done no harm to the innocent, brings them to an entertainment. They feed them and have an archery contest. The King asks if Robin could receive a pardon, would he serve the King? Robin says he would. The King reveals himself, they go to Nottingham to eat with the sheriff, and Robin goes to court to serve the King.

Adaptations

Many movie versions of the Robin Hood story conclude with the appearance of King Richard in disguise, returning from the Crusades. This ballad was adapted into the final episode of Season One of ''

Robin of Sherwood ''Robin of Sherwood'' is a British television series, based on the legend of Robin Hood. Created by Richard Carpenter, it was produced by HTV in association with Goldcrest, and ran from 28 April 1984 to 28 June 1986 on the ITV network. In th ...

''. However, in this version,

Little John Little John is a companion of Robin Hood who serves as his chief lieutenant and second-in-command of the Merry Men. He is one of only a handful of consistently named characters who relate to Robin Hood and one of the two oldest Merry Men, al ...

realizes that the King has little interest in Robin's advice and is treating him as a

court jester A jester, court jester, fool or joker was a member of the household of a nobleman or a monarch employed to entertain guests during the medieval and Renaissance eras. Jesters were also itinerant performers who entertained common folk at fairs and ...

. Robin is initially disbelieving, but when he speaks out against the King's plans to raise taxes for his war against

Philip II of France Philip II (21 August 1165 – 14 July 1223), byname Philip Augustus (french: Philippe Auguste), was King of France from 1180 to 1223. His predecessors had been known as kings of the Franks, but from 1190 onward, Philip became the first French m ...

, Richard decides he has gone too far, and he must escape from the King's assassins, back to Sherwood Forest.

Notes

External links

''The King’s Disguise, and Friendship with Robin Hood''
Child Ballads Robin Hood ballads Year of song unknown {{Folk-song-stub