Bows against the Barons facts for kids

Bows Against the Barons is an exciting adventure novel for young people. It was written in 1934 by British author Geoffrey Trease. The story is based on the famous legend of Robin Hood.

This book tells the tale of a teenage boy who joins a group of outlaws. Together, they take part in a big fight against the powerful lords of the land. These lords controlled everything in a system called feudalism, where most people were not free. Bows Against the Barons was Trease's first novel. It helped him become a well-known writer of historical stories. The book is special because it shows Robin Hood in a new way. It also changed how children's historical fiction was written in the 20th century.

What is Bows Against the Barons About?

Bows Against the Barons is set in England a long time ago. It follows the adventures of Dickon, a peasant boy. Peasants were poor farmers who worked for rich landowners. Dickon becomes an outlaw and joins Robin Hood's famous band.

They decide to fight against the powerful masters of England. They want to win rights and freedom for ordinary people. Dickon's old master tries to stop them. But this fight costs him a lot. The book's title refers to the main weapon used by the outlaws: the longbow.

The Story of Bows Against the Barons

The story of Bows Against the Barons happens during the last months of Robin Hood's life. It starts in early June and ends the following year around February. Most of the story is told from the point of view of Dickon. He is a sixteen-year-old peasant boy from the village of Oxton.

Dickon's Journey to Robin Hood

The novel begins by showing Dickon's hard life. He is a serf, which means he is tied to the land owned by a baron. He gets into trouble for missing work and for not paying his tithe (a tax paid to the church). Dickon has to support his family because his father is away fighting in the Crusades.

Things get worse when deer from nearby Sherwood Forest eat his garden. In anger, Dickon shoots one of the deer with an arrow. This is called poaching and it's against the law. To avoid punishment, he runs away into Sherwood Forest. There, he meets Alan-a-Dale, who leads him to Robin Hood's group. Dickon is good at archery, so he is welcomed into their company.

Fighting for Freedom

Dickon pretends to be a weaver's helper. He becomes Robin's secret messenger to all the rebels in Nottingham. Led by a bridle-smith, Dickon and the people gather in the market. They protest their working conditions. They also demand that imprisoned workers be set free.

The Sheriff of Nottingham tries to break up the protest. But Robin and his outlaws arrive and overpower the Sheriff. During the riot, the imprisoned workers are freed. However, soldiers from Nottingham Castle arrive to stop the revolt.

Dickon escapes through secret passages and gets back to Sherwood. But he is caught by royal foresters. They take him north to be tried for poaching. Alan-a-Dale finds Dickon by pretending to be a blind minstrel. He sends messages to Dickon in silly poems. Alan tells Dickon to slow down the foresters' journey.

Dickon's plans almost go wrong when he meets his old master, Sir Rolf D'Eyncourt. Sir Rolf has returned from the Crusades. He tries to get Dickon back. Luckily, the head forester refuses, saying royal justice comes first. Dickon learns his father was killed in battle. He vows to get revenge.

When Dickon and the foresters reach a village, the blacksmith and villagers protest Dickon's capture. A fight breaks out. Alan arrives and saves Dickon. They join the villagers in defeating the foresters. Later, soldiers are sent from Nottingham to punish the villagers. But Robin and his band ambush them and win before they reach the village.

The Battle for D'Eyncourt Castle

Meanwhile, Sir Rolf D'Eyncourt treats his tenants badly to get more money and live in luxury. The outlaws of Sherwood fight against him. They encourage the serfs to resist his unfair rule. Sir Rolf teams up with other powerful lords. They try to trap and hunt down the outlaws in Sherwood. But the outlaws hide in trees. They shoot arrows from their hidden spots and defeat Sir Rolf's men.

As they celebrate, Robin shares his big goal. He wants to get rid of all masters and make everyone in England free. The outlaws then prepare to attack D'Eyncourt Castle. They gather money for their needs. Alan leads Dickon and others to rob the Abbot of Rufford. They pretend to be knights and trick him into an ambush.

Robin sees that Dickon is good at disguises. He sends the boy to sneak into D'Eyncourt Castle. Dickon needs to find out how the castle is defended. He dresses as a page with bleached hair. He gets into D'Eyncourt on Christmas. But a lock of his undyed hair gives him away. He is chased but hides on the chapel's beams. He escapes the castle, even surviving a crossbow shot.

With Dickon's information, the outlaws attack D'Eyncourt Castle in winter. Alan leads Dickon and a group to sneak in and capture the castle keep. They take positions on the battlements. From there, they shoot arrows at D'Eyncourt's defenders. Robin leads the main attack on the outer walls. His combined force of outlaws and serfs breaks through and destroys the castle. Dickon kills his former bailiff. Little John kills Sir Rolf.

The End of the Rebellion

Encouraged by their success, the outlaws try to march on Nottingham. However, the Earl of Wessex traps them between Nottingham and Newark. He defeats them. When his ally, the Archbishop, wonders why the rebels fight so bravely, the Earl says, "because they know that they are going to win - but not in my time."

Alan, Friar Tuck, and Will Scarlet are killed in the battle. Dickon, Robin, and Little John survive. They flee north with other survivors to Yorkshire. They face many difficulties on their journey. Dickon almost drowns in a bog. Robin is wounded. He takes shelter in Kirklees. The prioress there, who is a nun, bleeds him to death to get a reward from the Earl.

Robin shoots an arrow from his deathbed to warn his friends. The outlaws find his body. They burn down the priory in revenge. After burying Robin, the outlaw group breaks up. Only Dickon and Little John remain dedicated to Robin's cause. They go to the High Peak in Derbyshire. They are determined to continue Robin's work and make his dream of freedom come true.

Main Characters

People in the Story

• Dickon: The main character. He is a sixteen-year-old peasant boy with dark, messy hair. He has a mother and three younger brothers.
• William: The bailiff (manager) of Sir Rolf's land. He treats Sir Rolf's tenants very harshly.
• Thomas Pole: A weaver from Nottingham. He helps Robin by being a contact during the Nottingham riot.
• King's foresters: Six royal guards who catch Dickon after the Nottingham riot. One of them, Guy, tries to hurt Dickon.
• Hal the Harper: A fake name Alan uses when he pretends to be a blind minstrel.
• Sir Rolf D'Eyncourt: Dickon's old master. He is a cruel and greedy lord. The book describes him as being like a mailed fist.
• Martin: An outlaw and friend of Dickon. He is nicknamed Ginger because of his red hair.
• The Abbot of Rufford: A greedy priest who is robbed by the outlaws.
• Etienne: A page boy who sees through Dickon's disguise at D'Eyncourt Castle.
• Ulric, Gurth: Two outlaws who join Alan's group to sneak into D'Eyncourt's castle.
• The Earl of Wessex: A powerful nobleman who stops Robin's rebellion.
• The Archbishop of York: An ally of the Earl of Wessex. He helps the Earl by spreading messages against the rebels. He is shown as an old, scared priest.

Famous Folklore Characters

• Robin Hood: A main character. He is shown as an older but inspiring leader with "foxy-gold" hair and "steel-blue" eyes. He believes everyone should be equal. He even tells Dickon off for calling him "sir," saying, "We're comrades in Sherwood, all equal."
• Alan-a-Dale: A major character. He is a kind trickster.
• Little John: A supporting character. He is a friendly giant and a very strong fighter.
• Friar Tuck: A smaller character. He is shown as an energetic, worldly man.
• Will Scarlet: A smaller character. He appears briefly during the robbery of the Abbot of Rufford.
• Maid Marian: A smaller character. She appears briefly as Robin's companion.
• The Sheriff of Nottingham: A smaller character. He appears briefly during the Nottingham riot.
• The Prioress of Kirklees Priory: She appears at the end of the book. She is the nun who kills Robin. She is shown as a pale, scary nun.

Where the Story Takes Place

Bows Against the Barons mostly takes place in the English Midlands, especially in Nottinghamshire. In the last two chapters, the story moves north through the Peak District of Derbyshire into Yorkshire.

Since it's a Robin Hood novel, it features many places linked to the legend. These include Sherwood Forest, Nottingham, Kirklees, and Hathersage. The book also mentions Barnsdale as another safe place for the outlaws. Edwinstowe is also briefly mentioned.

The novel is set during the time of the Crusades, though it doesn't say which specific one. It mentions that Sir Rolf fought in the Holy Land. He also visited "rotting courts of Eastern Europe," which refers to the Byzantine Empire when it was getting weaker. Sir Rolf's cruelty is partly blamed on "new ideas of cruelty and luxury" he learned there. The book also mentions the Norman Conquest as a historical background. It shows Nottingham as a town divided between Saxon and Norman areas. The battle between Robin and Wessex is compared to the Battle of Hastings.

Why This Book Was Written

Geoffrey Trease started writing Bows Against the Barons in 1933. He later explained why he wrote it. As a child, he loved Robin Hood stories. But he also had doubts about some parts. For example, the hard life of an outlaw was often shown as "jolly." Also, Robin was always shown as loyal to the king. Trease wanted to create a "new picture of Sherwood Forest" that felt more real.

Trease explained that he used to read adventure stories that praised war and the British Empire. These stories often showed rich people as good and working-class people as less important. But by the end of his school days, he started to disagree with these ideas. In 1933, he was a young writer who believed in fairness for everyone. He wondered why children were taught ideas that he felt were wrong. He thought, "Could we not catch them young?" meaning, could he write stories that taught children different, fairer ideas from a young age?

To do this, Trease found a publisher who agreed with his ideas. He suggested writing a Robin Hood novel that showed Robin fighting for the common people. The idea was accepted. Bows Against the Barons was written very quickly and published the next year.

Later in his life, Trease had some criticisms of his own book. He found historical mistakes and a lack of research. He said this was because he was young and overconfident. He tried to fix the "worst blemishes" in later editions. He also felt the book was too much like "propaganda" (trying too hard to push a certain idea). He made the language less political in later versions. For example, he removed words like "workers" and "comrade" from many parts of the text. However, Trease also recognized the book's "vitality" as a "young man's book."

Why This Book is Important

Bows Against the Barons was Geoffrey Trease's first novel. It marked the beginning of his long career writing historical fiction for children. He continued writing in this style until 1997.

The book is important because it changed how children's historical fiction was written in Britain. It challenged the old, traditional ideas that had been popular since the 1800s. These old stories often focused on rich people and supported ideas like imperialism (when one country controls others). Trease's book had a modern writing style. It showed characters as equals and paid attention to the harsh realities of medieval life. This was very different from the romantic stories about aristocratic (noble) people that were common before. These changes helped lead to a new wave of children's historical fiction in the mid-20th century. Other writers like Rosemary Sutcliff and Henry Treece followed Trease's lead.

Some people, like Alan Gibbons, have called Bows Against the Barons an "inspirational read" for children. It is seen as an important book in socialist literature for young people.

The book is also credited with starting the genre of the young adult Robin Hood novel. Many other authors have written similar books since then. These include Monica Furlong's Robin's Country and Theresa Tomlinson's Forestwife trilogy.