Gracias compatriota! Conoces algun articulo que defiende a El Cid? I mean he did fight alongside Muslims, but he fought alongside muslims against other muslims. I never heard about him fighting Christians except for in the fighting to unite the seperated groups of Christians in spain.
Hola, Campeador. I haven't read anything about El Cid fighting alongside Muslims against Muslims (their own people, in medieval Spain, that is).
Rodrigo (or Ruy) Diáz de Vivar, fought for King Alfonso VI of Castile in the eleventh century against the Moors. There are conflicting stories about where his loyalties were. One story says that he conquered Valencia and made himself king there where he lived until he died. "El Cid" is a moorish title of respect, meaning "Lord" in Arabic (al sayid). [So is my last name "Alcázar" -- in Arabic it means "castle" (al ksar)]
Like the epic poem "The Song of Roland," there is also the epic "The Song of the Cid" (
Poema del Cid or
Cantar del Mio Cid), the story of Spain and her heroes. If you can find the poem in Spanish, that will be a treasure since there are no extant copies.
"LA CRONICA DE ESPANA" (The story begins)
"Las quatro partes enteras de la Cronica de Espana, que mando componer el Serenissimo Rey Don Alonso llamado el sabio, donde se contienen los acontescimientos y hazanas mayores y mas senaladas que sucedieron en Espana, desde su primera poblacion hasta casi los tiempos del dicho senor Rey. Vista y emendada mucha parte de su impresion por el maestro Florian Docampo Cronista del emperador rey nuestro senor. Con previlegio imperial."
The following is the only place I know that has the complete "The Chronicle of El Cid":
http://www.hti.umich.edu/ Con permiso.
