The truth is that there is no firm support in this respect, and the only thing that is certain is that the oldest Christian texts about Rodrigo date from the 12th century and are in written in Latin. There is much speculation about the possible existence of songs bearing tides of the Battler these would be short poems handed down from his times by people who were eager to learn news and the deeds of the gentleman from Burgos. These two Works, which are quoted or summarised by different authors at a later date, are the basis of practically all the Arabic references made to El Cid, up to the 17th century.Įl Cid in the Christian sources. This latter category includes authors of the oldest Works on the Battler, which are, today, only known through indirect channels: the Elegy of Valencia of the Alfaqui and poet Alwaqqashí (who died in 1096), composed during the most difficult phase of the siege of the city (very likely at the beginning of 1094), the Eloquent Manifesto about the terrible incident, a history of the rule of the Battler written between 10 by the author from Valencia Ben Alqama (1037-1115) and another work on the same subject, whose title is unknown, written by Ben Alfaray, visir of king Alqadir of Valencia on the eve of the conquest of El Cid. This author is one of those who wrote extensively about El Cid in Arabic, and tells many tales that were related by witnesses. In these circumstances, it is quite amazing that in the third part of the Dajira or Treasure (circa 1110), Ben Bassam referred to him as «that wretch during his time, due to his skill, firm resolution and extreme bravery, one of the great prodigies of God», although «prodigy» used in this case is not taken entirely as a positive trait. In particular, the 11th century is one of the most flourishing periods of Al- andalus, both with respect to poetry and with respect to history.Ĭoncerning the title Sidi, there are two reasons that explain why it is not used in the Arabic texts: it was a term traditionally reserved for Muslim governors and the references made to El Cid in them are extremely negative.ĭespite acknowledging some of his great qualities, for the Moors the Battler was a tagiya «tyrant», «accursed» la‘in and even a kalb ala‘du «enemy dog», and if they wrote about him, it was due to the impact that the loss of Valencia caused at that time. During the Middle Ages, literature in the Iberian Peninsula was usually written more often in Arabic than in the Romance languages. It may seem a paradox, but the oldest texts about the figure of Rodrigo the Battler are Arabic, which (in yet another paradox) never refer to him using the title Sidi in the twenty works in which his name is mentioned. But for now, we will continue with our analysis.
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From the times during which he lived to the present day, his figure has constantly inspired all kinds of artistic expressions (mostly literary but also plastic and musical) and been depicted onscreen, through the famous film El Cid, and on TV, in the form of a series of cartoons broadcast at the beginning of the nineteen-eighties, “Ruy, el pequeño Cid”. It is quite extraordinary that we are able to know so much about the life of Rodrigo the Battler, and the success of El Cid as a literary figure is no less extraordinary.
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