THE PRINCE OF THIEVES

King Richard I, also called Richard Lion Heart, was the king of England from 1189 to 1199. Richard was a very good and just king and his people loved him. King Richard was an excellent warrior and often had to leave the country to fight wars and defend England from its enemies. Sir Guy of Gisbourne got in charge of running England when the king left the country to fight wars. Sir Guy of Gisbourne was a bad leader. He was rich but he wanted to be richer. He increased the taxes to the poor. Sir Guy had a helper who was the sheriff of Nottingham. The sheriff went from village to village to collect taxes from the poor. If the villagers couldn’t pay, he would do nasty things to them. Robin Hood and a group of friends lived deep inside Sherwood Forest that was near Nottingham. Robin’s band, was also called the Merry Men. Robin was an excellent archer and swordsman. He and the Merry Men did not like Sir Guy of Gisbourne. They thought he was a bad leader and treated people badly. Robin stole money and things from the rich and gave them to the poor. He and his band also helped villagers to fight against the sheriff. Sir Guy of Gisbourne wanted to kill or imprison Robin Hood and his Merry Men. He sent his soldiers to catch him. They searched Sherwood Forest many times. He also searched many villages. But he was always unlucky. The villagers helped Robin to hide because he helped them and he was good to them. Lady Marian was Robin’s friend. She was a courageous and loyal woman. She did not like that Robin robbed. But she wanted to help the poor and she saw that Robin only robbed bad and rich people like Sir Guy.

Adapted from Brittanica online