Introduction
Robin Hood faces a number of problems. The first of these problems is that he intended to dispose the High Sheriff of Nottingham from power. This led him to launch a rebellion against him. What began as a personal crusade developed into an idea that many people came to appreciate. Robin Hood had conflicts with the Sheriff and his administration. Bringing together other people with similar issues, enrolment became open to include people who were willing to work with him. The second of Hood’s myriad of problems was the threat brought by Merrymen, the band led by his son.
Membership of the band was increasing at an alarming rate. This was an issue in the sense that it was quickly draining the food reserves. More money was being spent on food. This was in addition to another problem in the sense that the coffers were tremendously declining and as such allocating much of the remaining to food was an issue. Robin understood that it would be a problem to sustain that group if the funds were not enough.
Technically, Robin had a group that was amorphous. As much as the group had a chain of command that comprised of Robin as the Supreme leader, much the bandleader, and Scarlett the Chief spy while John was in charge of the group discipline, there was a problem when decisions were to be made (Arthur 2011). Revenue from loots had decreased because the travelers avoided the areas occupied by the Robin led rebel group.
These two issues came hand in hand; as the band was opposed to the new idea of taxing the residents rather than depend on loot from the travelers. Both his deputies and the band resisted the new policy proposal. This presented a headache to Robin because it indicated lack of authority.
Robin believed that time was rife for the group to transform into a more acceptable group i.e. abandoning stealing and instead impose transit taxes. Robin’s thoughts were inline with his new problem. The Sheriff was growing stronger. He was increasing his military personnel, he bought sophisticated weapons, had enough money and his chain of authority was clear.
New Mission
Looking at the way Robin and Merrymen were organized it is clear that they needed a new strategy. The mission they had could not help them achieve success. The group did not have clear objectives and strategies. As a group that wishes to take leadership in Nottingham, their amorphous state of structure is the last thing they can manage to have. Matters do not get better when Robin’s lieutenants believe in stealing from the members of the society who fall in the upper socio-economic status. A government cannot manage its people if does not have the mechanisms of how it will raise revenue.
We can summarily refer to such a group as one that consists of thieves who pretended to be dissatisfied with how the Sheriff and his administration ruled Nottingham. Evidence of this lies in the manner in which they recruited members. Strategy wise, this group seems to disregard the strength of Sheriff’s administration. Whereas the Sheriff is busy beefing up his military detail, they are concerned with how they continue to loot from the rich in the society. It beats logic for Rubin and his group of lieutenants to wage war against the Sheriff due to what they referred to as poor administration yet they plan to steal from the rich and distribute to the poor and town people (Lampel 1998). This signals that they lack objectives, vision, and their mission is of ill motive.
The option of killing the Sheriff
Robin Hood had contemplated the idea of killing the Sheriff with a thought that it would bring the whole matter to rest. This idea should be thrown away as far as possible because the possibility success is minimal. The Sheriff has connections in both the political field and the judicial system. Robin failed to topple the Sheriff through the civil unrest and denying the Sheriff a chance to collect taxes. Prince John is an ally of the Sheriff and lives in constant fear because of the strained relationship between him and the people who helped him ascend to regency.
The enmity arose partly because the prince was involved in the imprisonment of King Richard. This caused the acrimonious relationship, as the team did not approve of such action. This state of events is what should tell Robin not to try to kill the Sheriff. The options that could make such action a possibility are very remote. Furthermore, Robin knows that killing the Sheriff would not solve the issue. The reason behind this could that the citizens have not received positively the actions of Merrymen band.
Two sides of the offer from the Barons
Prince John is known for his vindictiveness and the Sheriff is highly connected. This means that the plan to kill the Sheriff would leak and following Robin’s unstructured group, the deal would not succeed. The offer from the barons could have two effects. All indications point to the fact that Robin Hood’s original crusade would not succeed. He could take the offer from the barons for his personal safety. His group does not have any chances of launching a successful attack on the Sheriff. Joining the barons would mean that his group dissolves.
The second benefit that Robin and his group would get in accepting the offer from the barons is that the financial burden would be passed over to the administration of the barons. They look more organized gauging from their initiative to collect money for the release of King Richard. The barons seem to be fighting a noble cause i.e. the release of King Richard, the darling of the people. This cause could reduce the hatred shown by citizens towards Merrymen because of their bad behavior.
However, there could be a dark side of joining the barons. The article does not outline if the barons had any conflict with the Sheriff. The only explained acrimonious situation is between Prince John and the barons (Thompson 2004). If the relationship between the barons and the sheriff is good then it will turn sour when Robin accepts an offer from them. This means the barons would have entered into war with the Sheriff. In such a case, Robin would have not made the issue any better.
It is also possible that the barons believe that Robin is strong and organized and therefore his team would help in their fight against the regent. Once they realize that Robin’s team is amorphous, they could decide to disengage. This will take Robin’s team back to the drawing board. Such action would not leave Robin Hood and his team at a better place.
Recommended Action Plan
Robin and his team could rethink their course and seek dialogue with the Sheriff. Checking the team’s mission, it sends a clear message that it cannot run a government. The top leadership of the rebel group that deputizes Robin Hood believes in forcefully taking wealth from the rich and redistributing the same to the people who occupy the lower cadre in the socio-economic stratum. The connections that the Sheriff has are very strong, dynamic, and encompass people from across the society.
This is a signal that what Robin has fought for, for two years would not be achieved. In addition to the facts raised above, Robin Hood and his group do not have a clear objective. The reasons they have advanced for starting an insurgence against the Sheriff are very flimsy. Political leadership cross the world even in the ancient times has never served the interests of its citizens to the satisfaction of all. It is therefore easy to say that Robin and his team fall into the category of the few citizens who disgruntled by the High Sheriff’s type of administration.
In implementing this recommendation, Robin Hood together with selected members of his inner administration could reach the Sheriff through agents. It is likely that The Sheriff could receive news of Robin’s surrender in good faith. It may take a few months of negotiations for the Sheriff to authenticate the information and trust that Robin is in for real truce.
References
Arthur, A. (2011).Crafting and drafting strategy. New York: McGraw-Hill College.
Lampel, J. (1998). Robin Hood. New York: New York University Press.
Thompson, C., Arthur, A., & Peteraf, M. (2011). Crafting and Executing Strategy. New York: McGraw-Hill College.