Death of El Cid
The Death of El Cid refers to the passing of Rodrigo Diáz de Vivar, a prominent Spanish knight and military leader, on July 10, 1099. El Cid, whose name translates to "the lord," is celebrated as a national hero in Spain, despite the fact that during his lifetime, there was no unified Spanish nation but rather various Christian kingdoms and Moorish territories. His life and exploits were immortalized in the epic poem "El Cantar del Mío Cid," which chronicled his military campaigns and adventures, contributing to his legendary status.
El Cid was originally a member of the noble class and served as the standard bearer under King Sancho II of Castile. Following the political turmoil of his time, including battles against his own kin and eventual exile, he became a soldier for various Moorish leaders before successfully capturing the kingdom of Valencia. His governance of Valencia marked a significant triumph, though it was ultimately short-lived, as he died shortly thereafter. His body was reinterred in the monastery of San Pedro de Cardeña, emphasizing the reverence held for him in Spanish history. El Cid’s legacy continues to be celebrated in literature, drama, and film, reflecting his enduring influence on Spanish culture and identity.
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Death of El Cid
Death of El Cid
Rodrigo Diáz de Vivar, the Spanish warrior known as El Cid (the lord), died on July 10, 1099. Regarded as a great champion during his lifetime, he became a legend after death. His adventures in the royal courts and on the battlefields of feudal Spain were chronicled in the anonymous El Cantar del Mío Cid (The poem of the cid) in 1140; the sole surviving manuscript copy of this poem was rediscovered and published in 1779. The Cid also figures into an assortment of other medieval tales; popular ballads; dramas by Lope de Vega and Pierre Corneille, among others; operas, including one by Massenet; and films, notably the 1961 epic starring Charlton Heston. He is considered Spain's first national hero, although at the time of his birth there was no nation of Spain, only a collection of Christian kingdoms in the northern part of the Iberian peninsula. Most of the rest of what is now Spain was in the hands of Moorish overlords. Some of the stories about the Cid depict him as the champion of Christianity in Spain's long struggle against the Moors, but the real Cid was probably more like a soldier of fortune. All the stories, however, emphasize his courage, daring, and sense of honor.
The historical Cid was born sometime in the year 1043 in the city of Burgos. A member of the minor landed nobility, he was raised in the home of King Ferdinand's eldest son, the future Sancho II. In 1065 Sancho ascended the throne of Castile and appointed the Cid to be his standard bearer, or commander of the royal troops. Two years later the young commander accompanied Sancho to the Moorish kingdom of Zaragoza and helped to negotiate Zaragoza's payment of tribute to Sancho. That same year, Sancho went to war with his brother, Alfonso VI, who had received the kingdom of León from his father. Sancho hoped to annex León, and the Cid played an important role in the ensuing battles, winning a reputation for himself as a formidable knight.
Sancho was killed in 1072 and, since he had no heirs, his brother (and former enemy) Alfonso inherited his kingdom and his warriors. The Cid lost his post as standard bearer but remained a member of the court and married the king's niece Jimena in 1074. According to medieval accounts, some of Alfonso's noblemen were jealous and openly questioned the Cid's loyalty. In 1081, when he raided the Moorish kingdom of Toledo, which was under Alfonso's protection, the Cid was exiled from the royal court. He went east to Zaragoza and offered his services to the ruler there, al-Mu'tamin, who was pleased to accept the Spaniard, for his skill in battle was well known to the Muslims. The Cid would serve al-Mu'tamin and his successor al-Musta'in II for nearly a decade. During this time he would win several battles for his new lords and enhance his reputation as a general.
While still based in Zaragoza, the Cid began a campaign to conquer the Moorish kingdom of Valencia, which was also the objective of the Almoravids, fierce new Muslim invaders from North Africa. They had recently arrived in Spain and were taking over the weaker Moorish states one by one, by force or by trickery. When the ruler of Valencia was assassinated by his chief magistrate in October of 1092, the Cid laid siege to the city, which fell in May of 1093. He was almost immediately under attack himself, by a huge army of Almoravid troops. Pretending to flee with his small force, the Cid led his enemies to a narrow place on the plain of Cuarte, where they would not be able to deploy their superior numbers, and defeated them; this was the first defeat the Almoravids had suffered and the first serious halt in their advance across the peninsula. The Cid then ruled Valencia himself (although it was technically under the suzerainity of Alfonso VI). In 1096 the city's chief mosque was converted into a Christian church and a French bishop appointed. Christians began to settle in Valencia, but the Cid's hard-won kingdom would not last long. He died of unknown causes on July 10, 1099, and Valencia came under Alfonso's control. After standing off another Almoravid attack, Alfonso decided he could not afford to keep defending Valencia. He ordered the city evacuated and burned. The Cid's body was reburied in the monastery of San Pedro de Cardeña, near Burgos.