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El Cid:
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Overview:
Rodrigo (or Ruy) Díaz de Vivar (Vivar (Burgos) c. 1044-Valencia, 10 July 1099), known as El Cid Campeador, was a Castilian nobleman, then military and political leader who conquered and governed the city of Valencia. Rodrigo Díaz was educated in the royal court of Castile and became the alférez, or chief general, of Alfonso VI, fighting against the Moors in the early Reconquista. Later exiled by the king, El Cid left service in Castile and worked as a mercenary for other rulers, both Muslim and Christian.
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In Literature:
Many works have been written about El Cid. The oldest of the preserved manuscripts is the three-part Castilian cantar de gesta Cantar de Mio Cid, also called The Lay of the Cid, The Song of My Cid, or El Poema del Cid. It keeps a realistic tone while not exactly following the historical truth. The exploits of El Cid are the topic of the Carmen Campidoctoris, a Latin text that precedes the Cantar de Mio Cid.
The Spanish old Romancero, the anonymous short poems based upon the epic poetry, preserved in the late Middle Ages the memory of El Cid and created new literary episodes on the topic. The prowesses of El Cid are one of the many sources for Don Quixote's early inspiration: though his steed Rocinante is less than capable, Don Quixote believes him to be better than Babieca. The French playwright Pierre Corneille wrote the tragicomedy Le Cid in 1636, based on the play of Guillén de Castro, Las Mocedades del Cid. El Cid is mentioned in Canto III of The Cantos of Ezra Pound as he arrives at Burgos Cathedral and later, alluding to his capture of Valencia. Jules (Émile Frédéric) Massenet's 1885 opera Le Cid is a favorite of Plácido Domingo, who has sung the role of Rodrigue (Rodrigo) many times since first performing it at Carnegie Hall in 1976.[1]
Starting in the 14th century the legend of El Cid has been perpetuated in chronicles and above all in El Cid romances of the Spanish romances. Until the 14th century his life was told in the form of epic poems, each time with more attention to his youth imagined with much creative liberty, as can be observed in the late Mocedades de Rodrigo, in which are mentioned how in his youth he ventures to invade France, so eclipsing the exploits of the French chansons de geste. The new compositions presented a conceited nature much to the liking of the times but were contradictory with the moderate and prudent style of Cantar de mio Cid. His youth and his love of Jimena were also subjects in the Spanish Romancero. There have been modern-day films about El Cid, such as El Cid[2] (1961, starring Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren) and the animated El Cid: La Leyenda (2003). In the early 80s there was an animated series called Ruy, el Pequeño Cid, portraying the fictional adventures of El Cid as a child.
Games which take place in medieval Europe sometimes feature El Cid. Age of Empires II: The Conquerors Expansion featured a six-level campaign based on the exploits of El Cid, including his exile from Castile, his conquest of Valencia and his legendary posthumous battle. He also appears as a warrior in the Anachronism card game and as the rebel leader of Valencia in Medieval: Total War and Medieval II. In the latter case, his appearance is also an in-joke homage to Sid Meier, creator of the legendary Civilization series. Also in the game Crusader Kings, he appears as Rodrigo de Vivar at the court of King Sancho II of Castile.
The El Cid Statue overlooks the Plaza de Panama, facing south toward the Spreckels Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park, San Diego, CA. This 23-ft (7-m) tall bronze equestrian sculpture was dedicated in 1930 as a symbolic guardian of Balboa Park. Two other statues were made from the same mold -- one stands in the court of the Museum of the Hispanic Society in New York City; the other is in Seville, Spain. The statue is attributed to Anna Hyatt Huntington and dated 1927.
