Description
By Henry Butler Clarke. Written in 1897, here is the story of Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar (c. 1043-1099), a Castilian nobleman and military leader in medieval Spain. The Moors called him El Cid, which meant the Lord (probably from the original Arabic al-sayyid). The Christians called him El Campeador, which means “Outstanding Warrior.”
Written before the era of political correctness, here is The Cid’s story—and that of Spain—from the Muslim conquest (A.D. 711) to the time of The Cid himself, until his death in A.D. 1099.
Chapters cover the Saracen conquest, the ancestry of The Cid, the legendary accomplishments of The Cid as a young man and his youthful exploits, the reign of Don Sancho, the accession of Don Alfonso and the banishment of The Cid, The Cid in exile, the conquests of Alfonso and the condition of the Saracen princes of the south, the Almoravides in Spain, the Battle of Zalaca, the reconciliation of Alfonso and The Cid, Yusuf’s return, the outlawing of The Cid again, conquests in Andalusia, the unification of Spanish forces, the revolution at Valencia, Ibn Jehaf, the sieges of Valencia, The Cid’s victory, the marriage of his daughters, the last battle and his death. Includes three appendices: 1) judicial combats between noblemen, 2) the laws of banishment and 3) ritualistic controversy in the 11th century.
Softcover 382 pages, indexed, 20 maps and illustrations, #820
