General Notes

The Cid of history, though falling short of the poetical ideal which thepatriotism of his countrymen has so long cherished, is still the foremostman of the heroical period of Spain--the greatest warrior produced out ofa long struggle between Christian and Moslem, and the perfect type of theCastilian of the 12th Century. Rodrigo Diaz, called de Bivar, from theplace of his birth, better known by the title given him by the Arabs asthe Cid (El Seid, the lord) and El Campeador, the Champion par excellencewas of noble family. He is the most famous warrior in Spanish history andthe history of Mediaeval Spain without the Cid would be something morebarren than the Iliad without Achilles. Shortly after his marriage, theCid was sent to collect tribute from the King of Seville, whom he foundengaged in war with Abdullah, the King of Granada. His subsequent actionsserved to kindle against him the rancour of his enemies and the jealousyof the King of Castile, and the king took advantage of his absence tobanish him from Castile. Henceforth Rodrigo Diaz began to live the lifeof the soldier of fortune which has made him famous, sometimes fightingunder the Christian banner, sometimes under Moorish, but always for hisown hand. Among the enterprises of the Cid the most famous was againstValencia, then the richest and most flourishing city of the peninsula,and an object of cupidity to both Christian and Moslem. He took Valenciaafter a siege of nine months on June 5, 1094, and ruled for four yearswith vigor and justice. At length he suffered a crushing defeat and theblow was fatal to the aged Campeador, who died of anger and defeat inJuly, 1099. His widow maintained Valencia four years against the Moors,but was at last compelled to evacuate the city, taking with her the bodyof the Cid to be buried in the monastery of San Pedro at Cardena, in theneighborhood of Burges. The bones have since been removed to the townhall of Burges. Philip II tried to get him canonized, but Rome objectedand not without reason. His true place in history is that of the greatestof Guerrilles, the perfect type of that sort of warrior, of which thesoil of Spain has been most productive. The Cid of Romance, the Cid of aThousand battles, legends and dramas, the Cid as apotheosized inliterature, the Cid invoked by good Spaniards in every national crisis,whose name is ever inspiration to Spanish patriotism is a very differentcharacter from the historical Rodrigo Diaz--the freebooter, the rebel,the consorter of infidels and enemies of Spain. His wife outlived him 5years and was buried near him in Burges. He had two daughters, oneChristina married the infante Ramire of Navarre, the other, Maria Elvira,married Raymond IV (Raymond Berenger III) of Barcelona. Through her theCid became the ancestor of the later royal dynasty of Spain.