A Research Paper on El Cid

The sun rose once again over the besieged city of Valencia. When the Moors had first captured it, they turned it into their crown jewel in Spain. A stunning combination of might and beauty, it was home to impenetrable walls that stretched for miles, as well as lush groves, orchards and gardens.

The mighty El Cid had conquered it through patience and force, and had ruled it with justice and compassion; but now he was dead, and the Moors with their Almoravide allies were eager to reclaim their prize. The Moors awoke and marshaled for battle. They knew that the Christian’s supplies could not last long, and the defenders would be forced to try to escape the city.

Sure enough, as the Moors and Almoravides stood in ranks, the gates began to creak open. The African warriors grinned in anticipation. Without their leader, El Cid, the Christians would soon be crushed by their superior speed and numbers. The gates swung open and a knight on a great horse led the Spanish army out.

The Moors could not believe their eyes! Was it a nightmare, a trick of the light? It couldn’t be possible; the man was supposed to be dead! Terror spread through the ranks, and soon the Moors and Almoravides fled, ignoring their captains and their leader, fighting to get away from the mounted champion. Soon, even the Moorish officers took flight and joined in the piercing wail: “El Cid has come for us!”

El Cid’s Birth Family, Upbringing, and Setting

El Cid was the legendary nickname of one of Spain’s most famous heroes: Rodrigo Diaz de Bivar. He was born to noble parents in 1043 AD Spain. Absolutely nothing is known about Rodrigo’s mother, except for her impressive genealogy. His father, Diego Layniez, was a tough yet wise warrior, who fought in many battles and rarely lost.

Rodrigo was born and raised in Bivar, a town northeast of Modern Burgos. Like most children of nobility, he underwent training to become a knight at the age of seven. Rodrigo was given into the service of Prince Sancho, the eldest son of King Ferdinand of Castille, Leon, and Galicia.

11th century Spain was dominated by two main powers. In the southern lands of
Andalusia, the Islamic Moors reigned in prosperity. The coasts of the Mediterranean Sea and the rich, fertile soil of the south were slowly taken by the curved scimitars and recurved bows of the Moors. In El Cid’s day though, the Moors were starting to turn away from the Koran, replacing it with wine, astronomy, and poetry.

The rugged, mountainous northlands were held by the Christian/Catholic Spaniards. While there was barely enough farm and pasture land to squabble over, the Christian kingdoms had an abundance of stone for building many strong castles; especially in the harsh mountains of Castille, hence the name.

Though the two powers were sworn enemies, history has shown that they borrowed many items and ideas from each other. The Spanish learned the use of the astrolabe, a navigational instrument that relied on the stars, from the Moors. The Moors borrowed elements of the Spanish language, and turned their part of the land into an agricultural paradise. It is often said of eleventh-century Spain that the only dividing line between the two cultures was their religion.

El Cid’s Family, Comrades, and Superiors

El Cid treasured his family, and only exile could part him from them, as we will discuss later. His wife was the beautiful Dona Jimena or Ximena, a close relative of the King Ferdinand. Records show that El Cid had three children: A daughter, Maria, a son Diego, and another daughter, Cristina. We know that Diego was killed in battle while serving King Alfonso VI in 1097. Legend states that Maria and Cristina married the crown princes of Aragon and Navarre, but historians have failed to verify it so far.

El Cid had a number of close friends who were willing to follow him to death, while he had others he swore to fight and die for. One of these was King Sancho II, who was Rodrigo’s master when he was training to become a knight. Ramon Menendez Pidal, a renowned expert on Spanish history states, “ Sancho was ambitious, headstrong, and overbearing, and was noted for his indomitable courage."

When El Cid went into exile, many of his relatives and vassals joined him. One of these was Alvar Fanez, a proud, noble member of the royal court, and a kinsman to El Cid. Another was Martin Antolinez, a merchant of Burgos, often praised in El Poema de mio Cid, for his valor and loyalty to his chosen master.

El Cid was not only a natural leader, he was known as a good follower. In his life, El Cid served many masters. The first was King Ferdinand, of Castille, Leon, and Galicia. When the beloved king died, he gave Galicia to his youngest son Garcia, the fertile lands of Leon to Alfonso, and the mountainous fortress land of Castille to his oldest, Sancho.

Sancho made his friend Rodrigo his standard bearer and marshal-at-arms. Sancho warred continuously against his brothers until his father’s entire kingdom was in his grasp. However, his sister Urraca, who is believed to have had an incestuous relationship with Alfonso, resisted him from her inheritance of Zamora.

While in the service of King Sancho, El Cid proved his worth again and again. Once, when fifteen of Alfonso’s knights captured Sancho, El Cid single-handedly killed one, wounded two, and sent the rest running. During the siege of Zamora, Sancho was killed, almost certainly by the plots of Alfonso and Urraca.

With Sancho dead and Garcia last in line for the throne, Alfonso became the new king of Spain. Legend states that El Cid forced Alfonso to swear on the holy relics that he had no part in his brother’s death. Historians are unsure if this is true, but we do know that Alfonso and Rodrigo established a master/servant relationship. However, El Cid’s enemies on the battlefield were now his king’s advisers, and they did not forgive easily. Eventually, Alfonso wrongfully banished the loyal El Cid.

When King Ferdinand still reigned, he sent El Cid to lead an army in the defense of one of his protectorates, the emirate of Zaragossa. During this time, the Moors had collapsed into various city-states, forced to pay “protection” to the Spanish Kingdoms. El Cid fought valiantly against Zaragossa’s assailants, and Al-Muktadir, Emir of Zaragossa, remembered this when El Cid was exiled from Castille.

Though the Emir died soon after hiring Rodrigo, his son, Motamid was a
good friend of Rodrigo and took good care of him. It is said that Motamid gave Rodrigo the nickname “El Cid”, from the Arabic sayyid or siddi, for “Lord”.

Rivals and Opponents

El Cid was a great hero, but every hero must have a villain to fight. One of these was the Count Garcia Ordonez, a favorite of Alfonso. He was called “crooked mouth”, because of a physical deformation, because of his reputation for dishonesty, or perhaps even both! He hated El Cid, and was the one responsible for his first exile; by whispering to Alfonso that Rodrigo was skimming off the tributes he collected.

Another Spanish adversary was Count Ramon Berenguer, ruler of Barcelona. He was reputed to be very brash and presumptuous, and refused to show hospitality to El Cid during his exile. Eventually, he attacked El Cid at Zaragossa. Later, at the battle of Almanar, He sent an insulting challenge to El Cid. El Cid pretended to be frightened and sent spies to defect to the Count’s army, bringing news that El Cid was withdrawing.

That night, Count Berenguer sent small ambush parties to each of the roads, hoping to cut off El Cid’s escape. Under cover of night, El Cid’s troops captured these groups one by one. Believing his enemy to be surrounded, Berenguer attacked, splitting El Cid’s forces in half. El Cid himself was wounded, but he managed to rally his men and captured Berenguer with many of his knights.

Not all of El Cid’s enemies were Spanish. Jealous of El Cid’s success, Alfonso began conquering the Moorish territories aggressively. He laid siege to Zaragossa, and El Cid refused to fight his lord. The Moors turned to the Almoravides, fanatical Muslim Berbers from the Sahara Desert.

They were led by Yusuf, a Muslim extremist who waged a constant jihad on all who stood in his way. He met Alfonso at the plains of Sagrajas, and it was a complete disaster. Alfonso led a daring cavalry charge, but his troops were surrounded and slaughtered. Another Moorish enemy was Alhajib, King of Lerida and brother of the Emir of Zaragossa. He would continuously side with Count Berenguer to avenge his defeats by El Cid.

What We Know About El Cid

El Cid was a fearsome fighter, often called by his lord to defeat enemy champions in order to quickly resolve conflicts. He was also a master at managing logistics, troop movements, navigation, cavalry tactics, and battle strategies. His greatest conquest was the siege of Valencia, an ordeal that took 9 long months to end.

Of course, El Cid would also lead troops on the field. During his exile, El Cid commanded both Spanish and Moorish troops, utilizing their unique advantages. In an all-out, head-on fight, the Spaniards would normally win. In skirmishes, the Moors were often victorious. The Moors relied on numbers, agility, speed, and ranged attacks for victory, while the Spanish enjoyed the luxuries of heavy armor, stronger weapons, and mighty castles.

With the newly invented “couched lance” technique, the Spanish Cavalry were far superior to those of the Moors, and El Cid would use that to devastating effect, time and time again. Combining his tactics with his skills in logistics and navigation, El Cid was a commander of great prowess.

El Cid may have been a great warrior and leader, but he was even better at
unintentionally making enemies. The Count Ordonez and the Beni-Gomez family were constantly lying to Alfonso about El Cid’s credibility. Although Alfonso called Rodrigo back after his defeat at Sagrajas, their relationship was still very cool.

When Yusuf returned to attack Spain again, after leaving to mourn the death of his son, Alfonso told El Cid to join him on the field. Surprisingly, Yusuf called the Moors for help, and they refused, for fear of El Cid. Yusuf’s army was not as big this time, so he left the Moors to their fate.

Alfonso heard about this, and left the rendezvous point before El Cid could get there. The confused Rodrigo failed to reach the king, his enemies started making accusations, and El Cid found himself banished again. Alfonso even went so far as to imprison Rodrigo’s wife and children, but he released them, fearing all-out war with El Cid.

What We Think We Know About El Cid

El Cid is surrounded by many myths and legends. The main sources of information about him were changed by the author to immortalize the man, sometimes to the extent of outright elaboration. One of these works is El Poema de Mio Cid, or The Poem of the Cid.

In it, and other works, El Cid sends a great deal of the booty from each city he captures to King Alfonso, refuses to cut his beard until he has won great glory for his
king, and takes care of a leper who happened to be St. Lazarus in disguise! Evidence for these remarkable events are either nonexistent or unverified.

In the fabled incident with St. Lazarus, Rodrigo is promised that, just as Jesus gained glory by raising Lazarus from the dead, so Rodrigo would be granted a great victory after his death. In the legend, El Cid dies during the siege of his new base, Valencia. King Alfonso, now trustful of El Cid, comes with a large army, but is trapped inside the city with it.

Early the next morning, Dona Jimena, El Cid’s widow, concocts a daring plan.
She dresses El Cid’s corpse in his armor, mounts him on Babieca, his horse, and sends him through the front gate, terrifying the superstitious Almoravides and allowing the Christians in the city to escape.

This story, and many others about El Cid are probably just legends crafted by
those who worshiped him as an invincible hero. The Poema and some other sources brag about El Cid’s conquests, but don’t even mention his service to the Moors. Most of these works are overly biased, portraying El Cid as a perfect, holy savior of Spain from the barbaric Muslim invaders.

How El Cid Changed the World

Accounts vary on the cause and date of El Cid’s death, but historians and archaeologists have discovered that he died in Valencia on Sunday, July 10, 1099 of old age and exhaustion. He was fifty-five years old, and his wife survived him by fifteen years.

El Cid has often been called the first soldier of the Reconquista, the war to free Spain from the Moors. With El Cid gone, the Almoravides recaptured the territories he had conquered during his many campaigns. However, his efforts helped to unite Spain against their oppressors and held back the tide of the Almoravide invasion. Historical evidence credits El Cid with being the first to actually defeat the Almoravides, during his defense of Valencia.

The job he started, Ferdinand and Isabella finished centuries later, when the last Moors were driven from Spain forever. Afterward, they were free to commission Christopher Columbus’ journey to sail west towards the Indies, where he found the New World.

One man’s valor defended Spain, so that it would live long enough to free
itself from the Moors and discover our continent. For that we can thank Rodrigo Diaz de Bivar, El Cid.



Works Cited

Stewart, Bob, and John Matthews. Warriors of Christendom. 1st ed. Poole, UK: Firebird Books, 1988.

McCaughrean, Geraldine. The Golden Hoard, Myths and Legends of the World. 1st ed. London: Orion Children‘s Books, 1995.

Goldston, Robert. The Legend of the Cid. 1st ed. New York: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, Inc., 1963.

Fletcher, Richard. The Quest for El Cid. 1st ed. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1990.

Hamilton, Rita, and Janet Perry. The Poem of the Cid A Bilingual Edition with Parallel Text . 1st ed. New York: Penguin Books, 1984.