Mercenary, Sellout, and National Hero: El Cid Campeador

I feel it's about time for a break from the depressing issues of terrorism and modern Spanish politics for a look into the past. And what better place to start than El Cid, the quintessential Spanish hero?

But who was Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar? It is hard to separate the myths and legends from the man of flesh and blood. Few details are known about his early life. He is thought to have been born c. 1040 AD in the small town of Vivar, reportedly the son of minor bureaucrat and cavalryman Diego Laínez. Details are murky, but by the time he resurfaces he is a soldier leading troops in battle, already having earned the title "El Cid" ("the sir" in Arabic). "Campeador" ("champion") was also added to his title some time after, although exactly when or how it happened to appear is not certain.

A romantic image is typically associated with El Cid: that of an unswervingly loyal knight, bravely doing battle again and again to counter the enemies of his Christian king Sancho II (and later Alfonso IV). The truth is more complicated. Though he likely served Sancho faithfully, upon Alfonso's rise to the throne he became a soldier of fortune, working for both Christian and Muslim interests. Whoever paid him the most acquired his services and those of his men, and thus generally victory. According to some accounts, he didn't even need an employer to pay him in order to do battle, wielding his own troops as he saw fit.

Though he tried to offer his services to King Alfonso IV at one point, he was turned down and banished from Christian lands. Working in his own interests, he laid siege to the coastal city of Valencia and established it as his own little secular chunk of Spain, ruling there from 1094 till his death of natural causes in 1099. Originally buried in a monastery in Castilla, his remains were later transferred to Burgos, where they were entombed along with his wife in a place of honor in the middle of the cathedral.

El Cid has become a part of the culture. Though few Spaniards could tell you his story offhand, souvenirs like replicas of El Cid's sword, which he named La Tizona, are commonplace. La Tizona itself is the centerpiece of Spain's Museo del Ejercito, or Museum of the Army. Burgos' main attraction is as the final resting place and town associated with El Cid, with its most recognizable monument being a statue of El Cid on his horse Babieca in one of the city squares.

But why does El Cid have such a powerful allure to Spaniards? Why do we call a man who fought against Christian Spain as much as for it a hero? The answer most likely lies somewhere in our values. El Cid was a free agent, a man who did what he pleased and what he felt was right. And, if you look closely, you can see this reflected in Spaniards today. Who is more free than a Spaniard? Who else runs with bulls or takes lunch breaks from two to four or hangs out until three every night? Perhaps in the burnished armor of El Cid we merely see reflected ourselves, and in this fact lies his appeal.