El Cid

 Mentioning the Spanish medieval warrior El Cid brings back memories of my childhood Christmas TV, when the classic Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren film would air every time, and we never missed it. More Sophia as I reached my teenage years, and Heston went off on a strange political journey.  No streaming services in those days. So, when I spotted this book by Nora Berend in our second-hand bookshop, it was an immediate buy.

For those not familiar with El Cid, he was born in 1043, and his real name was Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar. He was born in Vivar, near Burgos, Spain, and became a skilled soldier who fought for both Christian and Muslim rulers during the medieval period. Spain was divided between Christian kingdoms in the north and Muslim territories in the south, known as Al-Andalus. Al-Andalus was culturally advanced, with important centres of learning, science, medicine, architecture and trade. Christian kingdoms such as Castile, León, Navarre and Aragón expanded southwards, seeking to gain territory from Muslim rulers. In practice, it was more complex, with Christian and Muslim rulers sometimes forming alliances. El Cid was best known for his military victories against the Moors and for conquering Valencia in 1094. He ruled Valencia until his death in 1099. 

This is not just a narrative history of El Cid and the period he lived in. The author spends just as much space addressing his afterlife: how he was portrayed and used in literature, film and politics.

It will come as no surprise that the romantic view of El Cid, promoted after his death, is somewhat detached from historical reality. His military achievements were remarkable, but his motivations were those of a warlord, rather than the venerated Christian prince he was later turned into. 11th-century Christian rulers in Spain were more likely to die from hostilities with fellow Christians than Muslims. Attempts to turn him into a saint were rejected. El Cid fought for Muslim rulers and regularly fell out with Christian kings. 

After his death, the story was embellished in many ways for political reasons. Tourists today can visit the site of deeds that never happened, with dubious artefacts to go with them. The famous swearing scene, when El Cid required the King to swear an oath that he hadn't killed his brother, obviously didn't take place in a 15th-century church. Even the story was tweaked much later. Much of the romanticism comes from a later historian, Menéndez Pidal, who did so largely for political reasons. El Cid was used to maintain the huge inequalities in Spain in the late 19th century and in the 20th century, particularly during Franco's dictatorship. During the Spanish Civil War, the fascists chose their version of El Cid as their champion.

The film is also largely based on Pidal's version of the story, and sadly few of the sites reflect the actual historical sites. The idea that El Cid only used violence as a last resort is particularly daft. A wonderful film, but not accurate.

My love of the film led me to wargame the period, initially with the WAB supplement and more recently with the Midgard lists. A largely fantasy rule set is particularly appropriate!

Spanish light cavalry, the Jinetes in 28mm