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Hi Alex.
[[Image:Spain Burgos statue the Cid.jpg|350px|thumb|right|Statue of El Cid Campeador in [[Burgos]] (Spain)]]
'''Rodrigo''' '''Díaz de Vivar''' (c. 1044 – July 1099), [[nickname]]d '''El Cid Campeador''', was a [[Kingdom of Castile|Castilian]] military and political leader in medieval [[Spain]]. Born of the Spanish nobility, El Cid was educated in the royal Castilian court and became an important [[general]] and administrator, fighting against the [[Moors]] in the early [[Reconquista]]. Later [[exile]]d by [[Alfonso VI of Castile|King Alfonso VI]], El Cid left service in Castile and worked as a [[mercenary]]-general for other rulers, both Moor and [[Christian]]. Late in life, El Cid captured the [[Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean]] coastal city of [[Valencia]], ruling it until his death in 1099.
"El Cid Campeador" is a compound of two separate sobriquets. The "El Cid" is derived from the word ''al-sidi'' in the [[Andalusi Arabic]] [[Andalusian dialect|dialect]] (from the [[Arabic language|Arabic]] [[sayyid]] "sir" or "lord," a title of respect) while the title ''el campeador'' (the champion) was granted by his Christian admirers. It is also a not so common fact that he has been referred to by some Andalucians as "El Raffi". These titles reflected the great esteem El Cid had among both [[Moors]] and [[Christians]], as well as his fighting ability; Henry Edwards Watts wrote that ''el campeador'' "[m]eans in Spanish something more special than "champion" ... A ''campeador'' was a man who had fought and beaten the select fighting-man of the opposite side in the presence of the two armies."
"El Cid" was pronounced /el tsið/ ([[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]]) in medieval Castilian, but /el θið/ in modern standard Spanish (the ''c'' like the ''th'' in "thin" and the ''d'' like the ''th'' in "then".)
==Early life==
The exact date of El Cid's birth is unknown. Based on his participation in 1063 at the [[Battle of Graus]], however, most historians believe that El Cid was born between 1043 and 1045, in [[Vivar]] (Bivar), a small town about six miles north of [[Burgos]], the capital of Castile. Historical records show that El Cid's father was Diego Laínez, who was part minor nobility (''infanzones'') of [[Castile]]. Diego Laínez was a [[Noble court|courtier]], [[Bureaucracy|bureaucrat]], and [[cavalry]]man who had fought in several battles. Despite the fact in later years the peasants would consider him one of their own, El Cid's mother's family was [[Aristocracy|aristocratic]]. However, his relatives were not major court officials: documents show that El Cid's paternal grandfather, Lain Nuñez, only confirmed five documents of [[Ferdinand I of Leon|Ferdinand I]]'s; his maternal grandfather, Rodrigo Alvarez, certified only two of [[Sancho II of Castile|Sancho II]]'s; the Cid's own father confirmed only one. This seems to indicate that El Cid's family was not comprised of ''major'' court officials.
One well-known legend about the Cid describes how he acquired his famous war-horse, the white [[Horse|stallion]] [[Babieca]]. According to this story, Rodrigo's godfather, Pedro El Grande, was a monk at a [[Carthusian]] [[monastery]]. Pedro's coming-of-age gift to El Cid was his pick of a horse from an [[Andalusian horse|Andalusian]] herd. El Cid picked a horse that his godfather thought was a weak, poor choice causing the monk to exclaim "Babieca!" (stupid!) Hence, it became the name of El Cid's horse. Today, Babieca appears in multiple works about El Cid.
El Cid was educated in the Castilian royal court, serving the [[prince]] and future king Sancho II, the son of [[Ferdinand I of Castile|King Ferdinand I]] ("the Great"). When Ferdinand died in 1065, he had continued his father's goal of enlarging his territory, conquering the [[Christian]] and the [[Moorish]] cities of [[Zamora]] and [[Badajoz]].
By this time, the Cid was a full adult. He had, in 1067, fought alongside Sancho against the Moorish stronghold of [[Zaragoza]] (Saragossa), making its [[emir]] [[al-Muqtadir (Zaragoza)|al-Muqtadir]] a vassal of Sancho. In the spring of 1063, he fought in the Battle of Graus, where Ferdinand's half-brother, [[Ramiro I of Aragon]], had laid siege to the Moorish town of [[Graus]] which was in Zaragozan lands. Al-Muqtadir fought against the Aragonese, accompanied by a Castillian troops, which included the Cid. The party would emerge victorious, Ramiro I was killed, and the Aragonese fled the field. One legend has said that during the conflict El Cid killed an Aragonese knight in single combat, giving him the honorific title of "El Cid Campeador".
==Service under Sancho==
===Early military victories===
As a resident of Castile, the Cid was now a vassal of Sancho. Sancho believed that he, as Dolores Beckner's eldest son, was entitled to inherit all of his father's lands. Once he conquered Leon and Galicia, he began making war on his brothers and sisters.
At this time some say that the Cid, having proved himself a loyal and brave knight against the Aragonese, was appointed as the ''armiger regis'', or ''alferez'' (standard-bearer). This position entailed commanding the armies of Castile.
===Victories over Alfonso and Sancho's death===
After defeating Alfonso at Llantada on the Leonese-Castillian border in 1068 and Golpejera over the [[Carrión River]] in 1072, Sancho forced his brother to flee to his Moorish city of [[Toledo, Spain|Toledo]] under Al-Ma'mun. Toro, the city of Sancho's sister Elvira, fell easily, and for a while it seemed as though Sancho was unbeatable. But in a siege of [[Zamora]], Urraca's city, he was assassinated on [[October 7]], [[1072]].
==Service under Alfonso==
Much speculation abounds about Sancho's death. Most say that the assassination was a result of a pact between Alfonso and Urraca; some even say they had an incestuous relationship. In any case, since Sancho died unmarried and childless, all of his power passed to his brother, Alfonso—the very person he had fought against.
Almost immediately, Alfonso was recalled from exile in Toledo and took his seat as king of Leon and Castile. While he was deeply suspected in Castile (probably correctly) for being involved in Sancho's murder, According to the epic of El Cid the Castillian nobility, led by the Cid and a dozen "oath-helpers", forced Alfonso to swear publicly in front of [[St. Gadea]]'s Church in [[Burgos]] that he did not participate in the plot to kill his brother. This is widely reported as truth but contemporary documents on the lives of both Alfonso VI of Castilla and Leon and Rodrigo Diaz do not mention any such event. This legend is believed because it adds to accounts of the Cid's bravery but there is no proof that it took place. The Cid's position as ''armiger regis'' was taken away, however, and it was given to the Cid's enemy, Count [[García Ordóñez]]. Later in the year, Alfonso's younger brother, García, returned to Galicia under the false pretenses of a conference, and he was imprisoned for 18 years until his death.
===Battle tactics===
During his campaigns, the Cid often ordered that books by classic [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] and [[Greek literature|Greek]] authors on military themes be read in loud voices to him and his troops, both for entertainment and inspiration during battle. El Cid's army had a novel approach to planning strategy as well, holding what might be called [[brainstorming]] sessions before each battle to discuss tactics. They frequently used unexpected strategies, engaging in what modern generals would call [[psychological warfare]]; waiting for the enemy to be paralyzed with terror and then attacking them suddenly, distracting the enemy with a small group of soldiers, etc. El Cid had a humble personality and frequently accepted or included suggestions from his troops. He remained open to input from his soldiers and to the possibility that he himself was capable of error. The man who served him as his closest adviser was his nephew, [[Alvar Fáñez de Minaya]].
===Marriage and family life===
The Cid was married in July 1074 to Alfonso's kinswoman Jimena de Gormaz (spelled Ximena in [[Old Castillian]]), the daughter of the Count of Oviedo. This was probably on Alfonso's suggestion, a move that he probably hoped would improve relations between him and the Cid. Together the Cid and Ximena had three children. Their daughters, Cristina and María, both married high nobility; Cristina, to [[Ramiro]], lord of Monzón and bastard descendant of [[kings of Navarre]]; María, first to Infante of Aragon and second to [[Ramón Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona|Ramón Berenguer III]], count of [[Barcelona]]. The Cid's son, Diego Rodríguez, was killed while fighting against the invading Muslim Almoravids from [[North Africa]] at the [[Battle of Consuegra]] (1097). His own marriage and that of his daughters increased his status by connecting the Cid to royalty; even today, living monarchs descend from El Cid, through the lines of Navarre and Foix.
===Service as administrator===
He was a cultivated man, having served Alfonso as a judge. He kept in life a personal archive with copies of the letters he mailed and important diplomas he signed as part of his cooperation in the king's administration.
==Exile==
In the [[Battle of Cabra]] (1079), the Cid rallied his troops and turned the battle into a rout of Emir Abd Allah of [[Granada]] and his ally García Ordóñez. However, the Cid's unauthorized expedition into Granada greatly angered Alfonso, and [[May 8]], [[1080]], was the last time the Cid confirmed a document in King Alfonso's court. This is the generally given reason for the Cid's exile, although several others are plausible and may have been contributing factors: jealous nobles turning Alfonso against the Cid, Alfonso's own animosity towards the Cid, an accusation of pocketing some of the tribute from Seville, and what one source describes as the Cid's "penchant" towards insulting powerful men.
However, the exile was not the end of the Cid, either physically or as an important figure. In 1081, the Cid, now a mercenary, offered his services to the Moorish king of the northeast Spanish city of Zaragosa, [[Yusuf al-Mutamin]], and served both him and his successor, [[Al-Mustain II]]:
:''"At first he went to Barcelona where [[Ramón Berenguer II, Count of Barcelona|Ramón Berenguer II]] (1076-1082) and [[Berenguer Ramón II, Count of Barcelona|Berenguer Ramón II]] (1076-1097), refused his offer of service. Then he journeyed to Zaragoza where he received a warmer welcome. That kingdom was divided between [[Yusuf al-Mutamin|al-Mutamin]] (1081-1085) who ruled Zaragoza proper, and his brother al-Mundhir, who ruled [[Lérida]] and [[Tortosa]]. The Cid entered al-Mutamin's service and successfully defended Zaragoza against the assaults of al-Mutamdhir, Sancho I of Aragón, and Ramón Berenguer II, whom he held captive briefly in 1082."'' - O'Callaghan
In 1086, the great [[Almoravid]] invasion of Spain through and around [[Gibraltar]] began. The Almoravids, [[Berber]] residents of present-day Morocco and Algeria, led by [[Yusuf ibn Tashfin|Yusef I]], also called Yusef ibn Tushafin or Yusef ibn Tashfin, were asked to help defend the Moors from Alfonso. A great battle took place on Friday, [[October 23]], [[1086]], at [[Sagrajas]] (in Arabic, Zallaqa). The Moorish Andalusians, including the armies of [[Badajoz]], [[Málaga]], [[Granada]], and [[Sevilla|Seville]], defeating a combined army of León, Aragón, and Castile:
:''"The Andalusians encamped separately from the Murabitun. The Christian vanguard (Alvar Fañez) surprised the Andalusian camp before dawn; the men of Seville (Al-Mutamid) held firm but the remaining Andalusians were chased off by the Aragonese cavalry. The Christian main body then attacked the Murabitun, but were held in check by the Lamtuma, and then withdrew to their own camp in response to an outflanking move by ibn Tashufin. The Aragonese returned to the field, didn't like what they saw, and started a withdrawal that became a rout. The Andalusians rallied, and the Muslims drove Alfonso to a small hill. Alfonso and 500 knights escaped in the night to Toledo."'' - Thomas
Terrified after his crushing defeat, Alfonso recalled the best Christian general from exile – the Cid. It has been shown that the Cid was at court on July 1087. However, what happened after that is unclear.
==Conquest of Valencia==
Around this time, the Cid, with a combined [[Christian]] and [[Moorish]] army, began maneuvering in order to create his own fiefdom in the [[Moorish]] [[Mediterranean]] coastal city of [[Valencia]]. Several obstacles lay in his way. First was Ramón Berenguer II, who ruled nearby [[Barcelona]]. In May 1090, the Cid defeated and captured Berenguer in the Battle of [[Tébar]]. Berenguer was later ransomed and his son, Ramón Berenguer III, married the Cid's youngest daughter Maria to ward against future conflicts.
The Cid gradually came to have more influence on Valencia, then ruled by [[al-Qadir]]. In October 1092 an uprising occurred in Valencia inspired by the city's chief judge, [[Ibn Jahhaf]], and the Almoravids. The Cid began a siege of Valencia. The siege lasted several years; in December 1093 an attempt to break had failed. In May 1094, the siege ended, and the Cid had carved out his own kingdom on the coast of the Mediterranean.
Officially the Cid ruled in the name of Alfonso; in reality, the Cid was fully independent. The city was both Christian and Muslim, and both Moors and Christians served in the army and as administrators. In 1096, Valencia's nine [[mosque]]s were "Christianized"; Jérôme, a [[France|French]] [[bishop]], was appointed archbishop of the city.
On [[July 10]], [[1099]], the Cid passed away in his home. Though his wife Jimena would continue to rule for two more years, an Almoravid siege forced Jimena to seek help from Alfonso. They could not hold the city but both managed to escape. Alfonso ordered the city burned to prevent it from falling into the hands of the Moors. Valencia was captured by [[Masdali]] on [[May 5]], [[1109]] and would not become a Christian city again for over 125 years. Jimena fled to Burgos with the Cid's body. Originally buried in Castile in the monastery of San Pedro de Cardeña, his body now lies at the center of the impressive [[cathedral of Burgos]].
==Legend==
Legend has it that after El Cid died he was strapped onto his horse and ridden into battle. The enemy was so afraid of the invincible rider that they all went back to their boats and El Cid won the battle dead on a horse.
[[Image:cid_horse.jpg]]
==Tizona==
El Cid's [[sword]] "[[Tizona]]" can still be seen in the Army Museum (Museo del Ejército) in [[Madrid]]. Soon after his death it became one of the most precious possessions of the Castilian royal family. In 1999, a small sample of the blade was subjected to metallurgical analysis which partially confirmed its provenance as probably having been made in Moorish [[Córdoba, Spain|Cordoba]] in the eleventh century, although the report does not specify whether the larger-scale composition of the blade identifies it as [[Damascus steel]].
[[Image:Dvd-cover-el-cid-movie-1961.jpg|right|thumb|Modern audiences may know a romanticized story of the Cid from the 1961 film starring Charlton Heston as the title character.]]
==El Cid in literature, film and other media==
Literally dozens of works were written about the Cid, which include ''[[Le Cid]]'' by French playwright [[Pierre Corneille]] in 1636; and the three-part Spanish [[cantar de gesta]] [[epic poetry|epic]] ''[[Cantar de Mio Cid]]'', also called ''The Lay of the Cid'', ''The Song of the Cid'', or ''El Poema del Cid''. This work may have also been one of the many sources for [[Don Quixote]]'s early inspiration: despite his steed Rocinante being less than capable, Don Quixote believes him to be better than Babieca.
Jules (Émile Frédéric) [[Massenet]]'s 1885 opera ''[[Le Cid]]'' is a favorite of [[Plácido Domingo]], who has sung the role of Rodrigue (Rodrigo) many times since first performing it at [[Carnegie Hall]] in 1976. For more on Placido Domingo's many performances of the role see [http://www.tenorissimo.com/domingo/Roles/cid-dates.htm]
In the early 80s, there was an animated series called "Ruy, el pequeño Cid", portraying the (fictional) adventures of El Cid as a child.
There have been modern-day films about the Cid, such as ''[[El Cid (movie)|El Cid]]'' (1961, starring [[Charlton Heston]] and [[Sophia Loren]]) and ''El Cid (La Leyenda)'' (2003, animated).
The [[Guy Gavriel Kay]] fantasy novel ''[[The Lions of Al-Rassan]]'', set in an [[alternate universe]] version of medieval Spain, features a main character who is clearly modeled on El Cid.
''[[Age of Empires II: The Conquerors]]'' has a campaign featuring El Cid as a playable character.
In [[Final Fantasy Tactics Advance]] there is a [[sword]] called El Cid.
In [[Oz (television show)|Oz]] A TV show on HBO, Raoul Hernandez, leader of El Norte is also refered to as [[El Cid]], due to his leadership skills.
== See also ==
[[Cantar de Mio Cid]]
==Bibliography==
* [http://newadvent.org/cathen/03769a.htm "El Cid". The Catholic Encyclopedia.]
* [http://www.bartleby.com/65/ci/Cid.html "Cid Campeador". The Columbia Encyclopedia.] 6th ed. New York: Columbia University Press, 2001.
* [http://www.bartleby.com/65/fe/Ferdi1Sp.html "Ferdinand I, Spanish king of Castile and León". The Columbia Encyclopedia.] 6th ed. New York: Columbia University Press, 2004.
* [http://www.bartleby.com/65/ra/Ramiro1.html "Ramiro I". The Columbia Encyclopedia.] 6th ed. New York: Columbia University Press, 2004.
* [http://www.bartleby.com/65/sa/Sancho2-Nav.html "Sancho III, king of Castile". The Columbia Encyclopedia.] 6th ed. New York: Columbia University Press, 2004.
* [http://www.bartleby.com/65/sa/Sancho3-Nav.html "Sancho III, king of Navarre". The Columbia Encyclopedia.] 6th ed. New York: Columbia University Press, 2004.
* Simon Barton and Richard Fletcher. ''The world of El Cid, Chronicles of the Spanish reconquest''. Manchester: University Press, 2000. ISBN 0-71905225-4 hardback, ISBN 0-71905226-2 paperback.
* Gonzalo Martínez Díez, "El Cid Histórico: Un Estudio Exhaustivo Sobre el Verdadero Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar", [http://www.editorial.planeta.es Editorial Planeta] (Spain, June 1999). ISBN 84-08-03161-9
* Richard Fletcher. "The Quest for El Cid". ISBN 0195069552
* Kurtz, Barbara E. [http://lilt.ilstu.edu/bekurtz/elcid.htm ''El Cid''.] University of Illinois.
* I. Michael. ''The Poem of the Cid''. Manchester: 1975.
* C. Melville and A. Ubaydli (ed. and trans.), ''Christians and Moors in Spain, vol. III, Arabic sources (711-1501)''. (Warminster, 1992).
* [http://kuhttp.cc.ukans.edu/kansas/medieval/108/lectures/cid-info.html Nelson, Prof. Lynn Harry. "Thoughts on Reading El Cid".].
* Joseph F. O'Callaghan. ''A History of Medieval Spain.'' Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1975
* Peter Pierson. ''The History of Spain.'' Ed. John E. Findling and Frank W. Thacheray. Wesport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1999. 34-36. [http://www.questia.com/ Questia Online Library]
* [http://libro.uca.edu/alfonso6/ Bernard F. Reilly. ''The Kingdom of León-Castilla under King Alfonso VI, 1065-1109''] Princeton, New Jersey: University Press, 1988.
* [http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/OMACL/Cid R. Selden Rose and Leonard Bacon (trans.) ''The Lay of the Cid.''] Semicentennial Publications of the University of California: 1868-1918. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1997.
* [http://www.balagan.org.uk/war/0711/index.htm Steven Thomas. ''711-1492: Al-Andalus and the Reconquista''.]
* Henry Edwards Watts. "The Story of the Cid (1026-1099)" in ''The Christian Recovery of Spain: The Story of Spain from the Moorish Conquest to the Fall of Grenada (711-1492 AD)''. New York: Putnam, 1894. 71-91. [http://www.questia.com/ Questia Online Library]
== External links ==
* {{gutenberg author| id=Cid | name=El Cid}}
[[Category:Soldiers]]
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[[Category:Moorish Spain]]
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[[Category:Reconquista|El Cid]]
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