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Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar

Type Figure Region Castile Time c. 1043–1099 Also known as El Cid、西德、El Campeador、战斗冠军、Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar、Cid Campeador

Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar (c. 1043–1099), commonly called El Cid (from Arabic 'sayyid', meaning lord), was medieval Spain's most famous general and natio…

Timeline

  1. c. 1043–1065Vivar (near Burgos) · CastileRodrigo was born into a minor Castilian noble family; his father Diego Laínez was a royal knight. He received knightly education at the court of the Castilian prince (later Sancho II), learning horsemanship, battle formations and noble etiquette, laying the military foundation for his later exploits across Iberia.
  2. 1065–1072Castile · Kingdom of CastileAfter Sancho II's accession Rodrigo became Castilian standard-bearer, commanding the kingdom's armies. He took part in civil wars against León and Galicia, distinguishing himself in the war among Sancho and his brothers Alfonso and García over their father's inheritance. In 1072 Sancho was assassinated during the siege of Zamora, and Rodrigo faced the choice of pledging loyalty to the new king Alfonso VI.
  3. 1072–1093Zaragoza · Taifa of ZaragozaAfter Alfonso VI took the throne, Rodrigo married the noblewoman Jimena in Burgos in 1072 in a brief reconciliation. But in 1081, for attacking a taifa near Toledo without authorization, he was exiled by Alfonso VI for the first time. During exile he served as a mercenary for al-Muqtadir of the Hudid dynasty of Zaragoza and his successors, winning distinction in many battles against the Count of Barcelona and the King of Aragon. Though briefly recalled in 1089, he was exiled again for failing to come to the aid, after which he acted entirely as an independent military leader.
  4. 1094–1099Valencia · ValenciaAfter years of siege and diplomatic maneuvering, Rodrigo captured Valencia in June 1094, becoming independent ruler of this prosperous Mediterranean city and achieving unprecedented mixed governance of Christians and Muslims. He repelled multiple Almoravid counterattacks, winning great victories especially at the Battle of Cuarte in 1094 and the Battle of Bairen in 1097. Rodrigo died in Valencia in July 1099; his wife Jimena briefly maintained rule, but in 1102, unable to withstand the Almoravid army, she burned the city and withdrew on Alfonso VI's orders.

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