The Cid, the, Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar history, they had two swords called Colada and Tizona, or a horse that would respond to the name of Babieca, or forced never to swear at Santa Gadea to the king Alfonso VI who had nothing to do with the death of the brother of the monarch. Their daughters are not called Elvira and Sol, but Mary and Cristina, and also had a son, Diego. To the girls, nor the reviled and made of all the infants of Carrión in the legendary affront of Corpes after the wedding, neither was the battle after the death. In fact, you can even that no one would have called Cid to the Cid in all his life (even though yes he knew and he signed as well as “Cid”, of campidoctus,“lord of the battlefield”). But all this does not mean that the existence and acts of the character of truth (¿Vivar, 1040?- Valencia, 1099) that gave birth to the legend were not extraordinary.
Now, the historian David Porrinas (Castañar de Ibar, Caceres, 1977), a researcher and professor at the University of Extremadura and a recognized scholar of the war in the Middle Ages and of the own Cid, sheds light on the de Vivar in an essay desmitificador as erudite as it is exciting. The Cid, history and myth of lord of war (Awakens Ferro Editions, 2019), with a foreword by the professor of Medieval History and accredited cidista Francisco García Fitz, it focuses especially on the combat activity of Rodrigo Diaz, and shows him as a great man of action. A warrior-adventurer and opportunist that moves with skill and pragmatism ends at the border diffuse between christianity and islam at the forefront of a host of troops hybrid made by your own mesnada and contingent muslims. A mercenary in search of loot and lord to serve in a world of mixed race, in which the christian kingdoms and the taifa muslim war against each other, and all among themselves, allying themselves regardless of the religion. And a fighter formidable which can be brutal (done torturing civilians and burning alive at the cadi of Valencia) and that has given fame of invincible in battle. A character and a scenario, as can be seen, that coincide powerfully with the Sidi, the latest novel by Arturo Pérez-Reverte (Alfaguara, 2019), although in this there are swears, Tizona and other myths.
“it Is very difficult to debug the real Cid historic of the legend woven around them,” explains Porrinas, which underlines that there are a few ideas laid down over the centuries, a few clichés that it costs to banish, and it is worth the word. The case, he stresses, is that there are very good historical sources that allow us to know how it was in reality. “It is probably the character that most media coverage he received in his time, even more than the own emperor Alfonso VI. It is absolutely outstanding to have so much information from someone in the ELEVENTH century who was not a member of royalty or high ecclesiastical office”. Porrinas appointment between these sources the History Roderici, a contemporary of the Cid, or shortly after, and the information peers of the chroniclers muslims that narrate the conquest of Valencia (the great achievement of the Cid), and some of whom even lived through the siege. We have also, points, of the charter of arras of marriage with Jimena, and even a document signed of fist and lyrics by the Cid, which defines “ego ruderico” (the stroke is not very secure so maybe the Cid was handling much better the sword than the pen).
An image of medieval knights in the Blessed of the Strikes.
Despite the sources, continues the scholar, “the Cantar de mio Cid, written down from versions juglarescas between the final years of the XII century and early XIII and become the crowning work of medieval literature, Spanish, establishes a literary image very different from the historical but not called to have much more success.” It was, he explains, with the commitment of Ramón Menéndez Pidal 1929 in considering the Singing and the ballads about the Cid historical sources are valid for the knowledge of the Cid real-what has created so much confusion. Not to mention the retouching of franco’s and the 1961 movie with Charlton Heston. Is the song an image of heroic, epic, “very cinematic”, with “obvious concessions to sentimentality, fantasy, and the drama and morbid”. Of the most famous episodes for the common mortals of the life of the Cid, Porrinas argues that “there is nothing like that”, and that they are all images that are forged with subsequent. The duel with the father of Jimena, for example, does not appear until the FOURTEENTH century. As for the jura de Santa Gadea, do not begin to talk about it until the THIRTEENTH century, in a work of the church historian Lucas de Tuy, and would be impossible had occurred: no noble could thus challenge the power of doing, take an oath to a king.
Of Diego, the son of unknown of the Cid, say the sources who was killed fighting the muslims at the battle of Consuegra in 1097. “It was a blow to the Cid that he lost all hope of creating a line of dynasty to perpetuate his newly conquered principality of Valencia, although he managed to marry well their daughters” (Mary is married with Ramon Berenguer III, count of Barcelona). In terms of the victory after you die, tied to the arzón of his horse, pointing to that part of the legend constructed by the monks of the monastery of Cardeña, where it was buried Cid —then his remains were scattered— out embalmed of Valencia threatened by the almoravids. The historian indicates that there is no evidence of that in his time they were called Sidi or el Cid. “The first time we see that name is in the Poem of Almería, in the mid-TWELFTH century, where it is mentioned to Rodrigo as Cid.Which is not to say that their arab soldiers or their sudden valencians do not call him so, my lord, but it is not documented”. Be that as it may, the Cid block with that commander of troops hybrid, diverse, christian against muslims, that from your core of half a hundred knights, adventurers, and young received the command of the army of the taifa of Zaragoza.
Surprising that the Cid was a mercenary… “Sounds pejorative, but that is the definition of fighting for money, as the condotieros later or their peers, and so similar to lords of war normans. Rodrigo, a great pragmatist, he understands that service to the king al-Mutamin of Zaragoza and his successors is the best to meet your ultimate purpose of done with Valencia. You can not understand the Cid without your relationship of mestizaje military, political, and cultural muslims.”
In terms of the victory after you die, tied to the arzón of his horse, points out that neither happened and that is part of the legend constructed by the monks of the monastery of Cardeña, where he was buried the Cid
do You could have published a book desmitificador as yours, in that the Cid shows up as an occasional seller of esclavos, during the franco regime? “Impossible,” laughs the author. “The franco regime he was born an orphan of ideologies, had to create a and appropriated symbols such as don Pelayo, Covadonga, Agustina de Aragon and el Cid. A book like mine would not have liked. Franco was identified with el Cid’s legendary, and he liked that others will identify as well, as did the mayor of Burgos on the opening of the famous equestrian statue. Gave many facilities for the filming of the movie of Charlton Heston that internacionalizaba that image epic character”.
The historian says that he has not yet read the novel by Pérez-Reverte, who is not known personally, but which declares a great admirer. The trial of Porrinas and the novel of Pérez-Reverte coincide in highlighting the military aspects of the Cid and use decisive charge of the cavalry and the lance. Also on display the world border of the Peninsula as a scenario turbulent and lawless, a Far West town.
In a balance sheet of the Cid, the scholar claims that “it did not change the history with a capital but the cultural history. Shortly after his death falls on his lordship of Valencia, do not get to create a lordship permanent, even though your blood flows through different dynasties european and has been called the “maker of kings”. But the song changed the history of Spain and the character has ended up become a myth that you are going by reviewing and reinterpreting with the time. Now it is fashionable with novel Perez-Reverte and the series which are prepared in Amazon Prime. It is a new Cid, like mine, for new times, but that does not mean that it is definitive or that it is all that; the history is a living science and the Cid has riding for a while”.
sex, Jimena and Angel Christ
the relationship Of the Cid with Jimena, who wanted so intense (especially when she is Sofia Loren), the scholar points out that “they must have seen very little”, as he spent very little time in Castile, which opens up the possibility, explored by a famous novel that Porrinas considered to be very good and thought-provoking, The puente de Alcantara Frank Bauer (Edhasa), of which the Cid had lovers. Franco only you would have missed out mason. The relationship of Cid with sex probably has not had a more unmerciful and frightening that the film El Cid cabreador (1983), in which a mind-blowing Angel Christ embodied the de Vivar recovering with doña Urraca virility lost by a curse, and with music by Teddy Bautista. Another striking image of the Cid was the one that gave José Maria Aznar when he agreed to dress up as the character for a photo session with this journal in 1987.
