R O D R I G O D I A Z de V I V A R 'EL CID' 1043-1099
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At
some point in our lives we will all feel strongly about an issue, enough
to take arms (action).
Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar (1043-1099 CE), better known as El Cid, from the Arabic assid, meaning 'lord', was a famed Spanish knight and general, so famous even his sword had a name: Tizona. He first came to prominence as a commander of the armies of King Ferdinand I of Castile and Leon (d. 1065 CE), a position he gained aged just 22. After a dispute with a rival commander in 1081 CE, El Cid was exiled and he then served the Moorish king al-Mu'tamin (1081-85 CE) at Zaragoza. A decade of victories against rival Moors and Spanish kings followed and he acquired another nickname, El Campeador ('The Champion').
The great commander's body was buried at the monastery of San Pedro in Castile. El Cid was not just missed by his warriors but even his horse Bavieca who, according to legend, never let anyone else ride him after his master's demise. Following his death, El Cid's legend only grew, particularly fuelled by the 1142 CE epic poem Cantar del Mio Cid ('Song of the Cid').
HISTORICAL LEGENDS
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