From eleventh-century Castile to the Age of Empires II: unpacking the history and the myth behind El Cid
by Alexandra Guerson
El Cid, who?
A Mexican restaurant?
Myth and history
history is "the continuous process of interaction between the historian and his facts, an unending dialogue between the present and the past." E. H. Carr, What is History
El Cid
Real name: Rodrigo Diaz
Born in Vivar, near Burgos, around 1043
Aristocratic background
Son of Diego Lainez
Trained as a soldier from early age
Household of Prince Sanch
Fernando I
(1035/1037-1065)
Sancho II, of Castille
(1065-1072)
Alfonso VI, of Leon and Castile
(1065/1072-1109)
Garcia of Galicia
(1065-1071)
Urraca I
(1109-1126)
Knighting ceremony
Duke William "giving arms" to Earl Harold in about 1064
Ruled by al-Muqtadir (1049-1082
Al-Mu'tamin (1082-1085)
Rodrigo amassed much money and renown
Exiled to Zaragoza!
Conquest of Toledo
Conquered 25th May 1085
Almoravides
Islamic sect from North-western Africa
Almoravid = al-Murabitum (the people fo the ribat)
dedicated to living a pure religious life
inbuilt military capacity
saw their role as Islamic missionaries
Almoravid Expansion
What happened to Rodrigo after the conquest of Toledo?
Exiled once more to Zaragoza
A bit of plundering to pay troops
"...My Cid spends three years in the lands of the Moors, seizing and sacking their cities. Those of Valencia learn caution and no longer dare sally forth to meet him. He fells their orchard and does them much hurt in each of thioose three years, cutting off their food."
Sets his eyes on the city of Valencia
Valencia
“Valencia - when I think of her, and of her wonders - is the fairest in the land: the best witness for her is herself, because her beauty is apparent to the eye. Her Lord has dressed her in a robe of beauty, marked by two borders, the sea and the river.” Ibn az-Zaqqaq (d. 1134)
Cordoba
This is Spain, one thousand and eighty years after the coming of Christ. It is a war-torn and unhappy land, half Christian, half Moor. This is the time and the story of Rodrigo Diaz del Vivar, known to history and to legend as Eld Cid, the lord. He was a simple man who became Spain's greatest hero. He rose above religious hatreds and called upon all Spaniards, whether Christian or Moor, to face a common enemy, who threatened to destroy their land of Spain.