How did el cid die

Why was el cid exiled

The heroes of epics and ancient and modern songs of deeds are often the result of individual or collective imagination. Some of them, however, are based more or less accurately on people who actually existed, whose fame converted them into legendary figures, to the point that it is very difficult to know which parts of the tale about their deeds have a historical basis.

In this, as in many other aspects, the case of El Cid is exceptional. Although his biography was for many centuries combined with legend, today, quite a good deal is known about his real life and, more amazingly, his autograph actually exists in the form of a signature he affixed in a dedication to the Virgin Mary in Valencia cathedral «in the year of the Incarnation of Our Lord in ».

In that document, El Cid, who never officially used this designation, presents himself as «Prince Rodrigo the Battler». We shall now learn about his story. This town belongs to the borough of Quintanilla de Vivar and is located in the Ubierna valley, ten kilometers to the north of Burgos. The date of his birth is not known this is quite usual among mediaeval characters and dates have been proposed that range from to However, it appears appropriate to determine this date as being sometime between and Vivar del Cid, Burgos.

As was the usual case for second sons, Diego left home to seek his fortune elsewhere. This was when he acquired his estate in Vivar, where Rodrigo was probably born, in addition to seizing the castles of Ubierna, Urbel and La Piedra from Navarre. Despite this, he never frequented the court, perhaps because his family had fallen into disgrace at the beginning of the 11th century, by rising up against Fernando I.

The king made him a knight and Rodrigo rode alongside him in what would be his first combat, the battle of Graus near Huesca , in He also made each of them the protector of two Andalusi kingdoms, which were to pay them a peerage a tax in return for their protection.