Harold, the last of the Saxon kings, died at Hastings in 1066. Duke William of Normandy, the Conqueror, became King of England. The knights and lords who had supported him were rewarded with the rich Saxon manors and estates. The Church had supported William and so the monasteries also became rich and powerful.
For many years England was ruled harshly, not only by William but by the Norman kings who came after him. The Saxon freemen as well as the villeins (peasants) hated the new laws and taxes and felt bitterly towards their Norman masters.
There were few books in those days. Most men could not read and so the tales they heard were sung and told to them by travelling minstrels.
The hero of many of these stories was Robin Hood. Some of the ballads which were sung about him can be read from old manuscripts though over the years the stories have been altered and added to by many writers.