The Epic of the Cid

The work’s date of composition is a much debated question. The earliest possible date is 1102. The chronicle’s penultimate chapter (Chapter 76) refers to the Christian withdrawal from Valencia in that year (the Cid died in 1099). The same chapter also declares that the Muslims, having resettled the city, “have never lost it since that time.” Since Valencia was reconquered by James the First of Aragon in 1238, it seems likely that The History of Rodrigo was written sometime before that year. On the other hand, among several bits of evidence supporting composition after 1144 is the way the chronicle refers in the past tense (Chapter 54) to the Moabites (i.e., the Almoravids). This suggests that the author regards this Berber dynasty as a thing of the past, and that the work was composed after 1144, the year generally taken to mark the end of Almoravid rule in the Peninsula.

It has been pointed out that one of the things that makes this biography remarkable is that its subject was neither a churchman, nor a member of a royal family, nor of the high nobility. This was very unusual in the early Middle Ages—another indication that the historical Cid made a lasting impression on his contemporaries.¹¹

Unless recorded in the annals of history, the accounts of great deeds that men accomplish in this world, obliterated by the fleeting passage of time, are consigned to certain oblivion. For this reason we have resolved to set down in writing the ancestry of that noblest and most stalwart of warriors, Rodrigo Díaz, and to preserve, under the light of the written word, the record of the wars won by virtue of his manly valor.

This, then, appears to be the origin of his line. Laín Calvo had several sons, the number of which include Fernán Laínez and Bermudo Laínez … [and after several generations] Bermudo Laínez begat Rodrigo Bermúdez, and Laín Fernández begat Nuño Laínez … [and] Nuño Laínez … sired Laín Núñez. Laín Núñez begat Diego Laínez; Diego Laínez begat Rodrigo Díaz the Campeador from a daughter of Rodrigo Álvarez, the brother of Nuño Álvarez, who held the castle of Amaya and was lord of several other provinces in those regions. Rodrigo Álvarez held the castle of Luna, as well as the provinces of Mormojón, Moradillo, Cellorigo, and Curiel, along with numerous other towns in the plain….

This Rodrigo Diáz, then, was attentively brought up by Sancho, king of all Castile and overlord of Spain, and received from him the belt of knighthood. When King Sancho went against Saragossa and fought against the king of Aragon at Graus, defeating and slaying him there, he took Rodrigo with him, so that Rodrigo was in the army and was present at Sancho’s triumph. After this great victory, King Sancho returned to Castile.

King Sancho thought so highly of Rodrigo Díaz, with so much affection and such great friendship, that he placed him in command over all his military forces. Rodrigo therefore had great success in the court of King Sancho, becoming the mightiest of warriors and winning the name of Campeador. In all the battles that Sancho fought and won against Alfonso, including Llantada and Golpejera, Rodrigo Díaz bore King Sancho’s royal standard, distinguishing himself and gaining ascendancy among all the warriors in the king’s army….

After the death of his lord King Sancho, who had supported him and loved him so much, he was received with all due honor as the vassal of King Alfonso, who retained him as a member of his entourage and showed him great respect and affection. To Rodrigo Alfonso gave to wife his niece, the lady Jimena, with whom Rodrigo begat sons and daughters.

Meanwhile, King Alfonso sent Rodrigo as an envoy to the kings of Seville and Cordoba, to collect from them the tribute money they owed Alfonso. At that time, the king of Seville, al-Mutamid, and the king of Granada, Almudafar, were on unfriendly terms. And on the king of Granada’s side were García Ordóñez; Fortún Sánchez, the son-in-law of King García of Pamplona; Lope Sánchez, the brother of Fortún Sánchez; and Diego Pérez, one of the great lords of Castile. Each and every one of these came with his own following of knights to do battle with the king of Seville.

When Rodrigo Díaz reached the palace of al-Mutamid, he was immediately told that the king of Granada, reinforced by a company of Christians, was advancing against al-Mutamid and his kingdom. Rodrigo then sent letters to the king of Granada, and to the Christians there with him, entreating them, for the sake of their lord, King Alfonso, not to march against the king of Seville, nor enter into his kingdom.

But they, sure of themselves because of their army’s great numbers, not only refused to listen to his entreaties, but rejected them with the utmost contempt. They then advanced, laying waste to that whole country, as far as the castle that is called Cabra.

No sooner had Rodrigo Díaz heard and confirmed the truth of these developments, than he immediately set out with his own forces to confront them, and there joined them in pitiless combat, a combat that kept both sides engaged from the third hour of the day to the sixth. And the greatest carnage and slaughter was done to the king of Granada’s army, among Saracens and Christians alike, until at last they fled, routed and thrown into confusion, before Rodrigo Díaz. In this battle, Count García Ordóñez, Lope Sánchez, and Diego Pérez were taken prisoner, along with a great many of their men-at-arms. His victory won, Rodrigo held them prisoner for three days, after which, taking from them all their tents and plunder, he let them go free.

As for Rodrigo, he returned to Seville, victory in hand. Al-Mutamid remitted to him the tribute payment for his lord King Alfonso, and, in addition to the tribute, many gifts and presents, which Rodrigo brought back to his lord. King Alfonso having received the aforementioned gifts and tribute payments, and the peace between him and King al-Mutamid having been reaffirmed, Rodrigo returned, covered in glory, to Castile and to his lord, King Alfonso.

Jealous at his triumph, and envious of the victory that God had vouchsafed him, many men—both strangers and even some close to him—went and accused him before the king of false and untrue things.

As Rodrigo returned to Castile crowned with honor, as we have just mentioned, King Alfonso sped without delay, along with his army, to a Saracen country that had risen in revolt against him, determined to subdue that country once and for all, and thereby to enlarge and pacify his kingdom. At that time, Rodrigo, having fallen ill, stayed behind in Castile. The Saracen forces, meanwhile, arriving at a castle called Gormaz, took possession of it and won considerable spoils. When he heard news of this, Rodrigo, enraged and greatly distressed, exclaimed:

He therefore assembled his army and, with each company having armed itself appropriately, he plundered the territory of Toledo, ravaged the Saracen country, and took seven thousand prisoners, both men and women, rigorously dispossessing them of all their property and wealth, and then taking everything back home with him.

When King Alfonso and the principal men of his court heard about Rodrigo’s feat of arms, they took it hard and were much vexed. These envious courtiers, seeing that this affair could be used against Rodrigo, said to the king, speaking as one man:

“Your Majesty, it should be obvious to Your Highness that Rodrigo has only done this so that all of us, living and raiding out here in Saracen country, may be slaughtered, dying at the hands of his Saracen friends.”

Wrongly persuaded by this envious and underhanded denunciation, the king was stirred to anger and banished Rodrigo from his kingdom.

Leaving his grieving friends behind, Rodrigo went forth from Castile and made his way to Barcelona. From there he went to Saragossa, where al-Muqtadir reigned as king….

On the death of al-Muqtadir, in that same place, his kingdom was divided between his two sons, al-Mutamin and al-Hayib. The former reigned in Saragossa, and the latter in Denia.

This al-Mutamin thought very highly of Rodrigo, honoring him and exalting him over his whole kingdom and all his lands, and following his advice in all matters.

During this time there arose a baleful and virulent contention between al-Mutamin and his brother al-Hayib, so much so that they set a time and a place for settling the dispute between them by force of arms.

Sancho, the king of Aragon and Pamplona, along with Count Berenguer of Barcelona,¹² allied themselves with al-Hayib and joined forces with him. But Rodrigo Díaz was on al-Mutamin’s side, serving him loyally and protecting and watching over his kingdom. For this reason King Sancho and Count Berenguer looked upon Rodrigo with particular ill will, and watched for a chance to take him by surprise.

Hearing that Rodrigo intended to march from Saragossa to Monzón, King Sancho swore that there was no way Rodrigo would dare do such a thing. As soon as Rodrigo heard about the king’s oath, he set out, stirred to anger, with his whole army, and went to set up his camp right under the noses of his foes, the soldiers of al-Hayib. The next day, right in front of King Sancho, Rodrigo entered into Monzón, and the king did not dare go against him.

At this time, al-Mutamin and Rodrigo took counsel on the matter of restoring and shoring up the defenses of the old castle known as Almenara. This was done without delay. Then, it seems, a dispute again broke out between al-Mutamin and his brother al-Hayib, this time leading them to ready themselves for outright war.

But al-Hayib allied himself with Count Berenguer, with the count of Cerdaña, with the brother of the count of Urgel, and also with the powerful lords of Besalú, Ampurdán, Rosellón, and Carcassonne. All of these unanimously resolved to join al-Hayib in laying siege to this same fortress of Almenara, and this plan was immediately acted upon. They besieged the place, therefore, and did battle with its defenders for many days, until the castle’s occupants began to run out of water.

Rodrigo was then using the castle called Escarp as his base of operations. Some time before he had taken possession of the place, located between the rivers Segre and Cinca, at the same time rigorously taking all its residents prisoner. While abiding in that place, he sent a messenger to al-Mutamin to inform him of the distress and hardship that afflicted Almenara, and to tell him that all the castle’s defenders seemed exhausted, worn out, and reduced to the last extremity. A little while later, Rodrigo, uneasy in his mind, sent other messengers bearing letters for al-Mutamin, urging him to come to relieve the fortress that he had rebuilt. Al-Mutamin then came without delay and found Rodrigo at the castle of Tamarite.

As the two of them met there and took counsel together, al-Mutamin urged Rodrigo to attack the host that was besieging Almenara. But Rodrigo answered him:

“It would be better to offer him some kind of payment, and get him to quit storming the castle, than to attempt to do battle with him, because he has brought with him a great multitude of men-at-arms.”

Rodrigo accordingly then sent, without delay, a messenger to the aforementioned counts and to al-Hayib, requesting that, on acceptance of a suitable payment, the besiegers lift their siege of the aforementioned castle. But they refused to accede to Rodrigo’s proposals and to cease their assault on the castle. The messenger then returned to Rodrigo, conveying to him everything they had told him.

Stirred to anger, Rodrigo ordered all his men-at-arms to arm themselves and prepare with firmest resolve for war. Quickly he marched with his army to a place where he could see al-Hayib and the counts previously mentioned on one side, and himself and his own forces on the other. Everywhere, amid war cries, the ranks on both sides charged forward, urged on by their leaders, and joined battle. But soon the previously mentioned counts and al-Hayib turned tail in defeat and fled in confusion before Rodrigo.

The majority of the enemy were killed, with only a few escaping. Their spoils, and all their supplies, fell into Rodrigo’s hands. Count Berenguer was led away, a prisoner, to the castle of Tamarite, along with his knights. There, after the great victory he had obtained, Rodrigo handed them over to al-Mutamin. Five days later, however, he set them free and allowed them to return to their homeland.

Rodrigo then returned with al-Mutamin to Saragossa, where he was welcomed by the citizens of the town with the greatest honor and acclaim. Indeed, al-Mutamin, in all his days, exalted and elevated Rodrigo to a place of great dignity and honor, setting him over his own son, over his kingdom, and over the entire country, so that Rodrigo seemed to have sovereignty over every one of al-Mutamin’s realms. And he likewise rewarded Rodrigo with many gifts, and innumerable presents of gold and silver….

11. Chronica Hispana, Sæculi XII, edited by Emma Falque, Juan Gil, and Antonio Maya (Turnhout, Belgium: Brepols, 1990), 47–98.