The Quest for El Cid

by Richard Fletcher

Rodrigo Diaz, the legendary warrior-knight of eleventh-century Castile known as El Cid, is remembered today as the Christian hero of the Spanish crusade who waged wars of re-conquest for the triumph of the Cross over the Crescent. He is still honored in Spain as a national hero for liberating the fatherland from the occupying Moors. Yet, as Richard Fletcher shows in this award-winning book, there are many contradictions between eleventh-century reality and the mythology that developed with the passing years.
By placing El Cid in a fresh, historical context, Fletcher shows us an adventurous soldier of fortune who was of a type, one of a number of "cids," or "bosses," who flourished in eleventh-century Spain. But the El Cid of legend--the national hero--was unique in stature even in his lifetime. Before his death El Cid was already celebrated in a poem written in tribute of the conquest of Almería; posthumously he was immortalized in the great epic Poema de Mio Cid and became the centerpiece for countless other works of literature. When he died in Valencia in 1099, he was ruler of an independent principality he had carved for himself in Eastern Spain. Rather than the zealous Christian leader many believe him to have been, Rodrigo emerges in Fletcher's study as a mercenary equally at home in the feudal kingdoms of northern Spain and the exotic Moorish lands of the south, selling his martial skills to Christian and Muslim alike. Indeed, his very title derives from the Arabic word sayyid
meaning "lord" or "master." And as there was little if any sense of Spanish nationhood in the eleventh century, he can hardly be credited for uniting a medieval Spanish nation.
In this ground-breaking inquiry into the life and times of El Cid, Fletcher disentangles fact from myth to create a striking portrait of an extraordinary man, clearly showing how and why legend transformed him into something he was not during his life. A fascinating journey through a turbulent epoch, The Quest for El Cid is filled with the excitement of discovery, and will delight readers interested not only in Spanish history and literature, but those who want to understand how myth can shape our perception of history.

Genres: History, Spain, Nonfiction, Biography, Medieval, Classics, Historical

246 pages, Paperback

First published September 30, 1989

About the author

Richard Alexander Fletcher was a historian who specialized in the medieval period. He was Professor of History at the University of York and one of the outstanding talents in English and Spanish medieval scholarship.

Reviews

[happy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this narrative a decent, though short – just over 200 pages, and somewhat dry primer on medieval Spanish history. The time frame of the narrative is from the Muslim invasion of what would become Spain in the late 700s through to roughly 1200 AD. The author explores how the Muslim invaders where able to defeat the Visagothic kingdoms in Spain, their advance into France, the Christian push back the resulted in the Christian Kingdoms in the Northern Iberian Peninsula and their slow march south. This covers roughly the first half of the book.

The author then discusses the lack of sources for Rodrigo Diaz - El Cid’s career and movements. He bemoans the fact that the tradition of the English and French monasteries had of creating an annual record of events never developed in the Spanish Monasteries and how this limits the main sources to three epic poems with a probable tenuous relationship with the truth and written well after El Cid's death.

The last half of the narrative is a discussion of what is known about his career, which was roughly the final 1/3 of the 11th Century. To give this some perspective he was a contemporary of William the Conqueror. The author looks at his military relationships with the various Muslim rulers of Southern Spain - for whom he fought against Christians and Muslim alike, his troubled relationship with the Christian Kings of Castile, who at one point exiled him and he ended up in Muslim Spain. The final section on El Cid's career/life looks at his liberation of Valencia from Muslim rule.

The final chapter looks at how El Cid became both a Christian and a Spanish national hero, the research over the years into his life and career and how it has changed. He also brings up the early ’60s film “El Cid” and discusses its faithfulness to the known facts of Roderigo’s life.

All in all, a decent primer – it is too short to be anything else, but dry look at El Cid and his times. I would rate this 3.25 stars if GR allowed, so I’ve rounded down

[Jim Coughenour · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read Fletcher's book along with The Poem of the Cid, which increased both my appreciation for the poem and deepened my knowledge of medieval Spain. Fletcher is an excellent writer – what might have been heavy going flashed by, illuminated by his dry sense of humor. Also – plenty of maps, because who can keep all those kingdoms straight?

I've had Fletcher's controversial history of The Barbarian Conversion on my shelf for years. After his Cid, I'm looking forward to reading it, one of these decades.

[Eliot Peper · Rating 5 out of 5]

A rigorously researched history of the eleventh-century warrior-knight Rodrigo Diaz popularly known as El Cid. With extraordinary precision and concision, Fletcher illuminates the complex cultural, economic, technological, and political dynamics at work in Diaz’s homeland and peels back layer after layer of legend to reveal the man beneath.

[Marcus Agrippa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Maybe this book is specifically for historians or something, so possibly an unfair review, but he spends agonizing amounts of time dwelling on sources, analyzing their quality etc, vs the actual story of El Cid. It also takes nearly 100 pages to even get to El Cid, with a slew of random, seemingly irrelevant stories for the entire first half of the book. Helpful for inducing a good night of sleep, however.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, I still don't know much about El Cid. I picked this up at a booksale because while I've heard the name El Cid, I really didn't know anything about him. The book was about 205 pages long, and quite literally the first 100 pages did not deal with El Cid in any direct way. It was a lot of background history on medieval Spain, which was kind of interesting. It was also a lot of expository stuff on the myths and later histories of El Cid, and why they were unreliable histories. The author must have used the phrase 'we don't know' or words to that effect on nearly every other page. Yes, accurate facts that are 900 years old are hard to find. But he seemed to spend so much time explaining why the myths and poems and songs of Spain got it wrong, he forgot to tell us what the actual story, however paltry, was. Maybe the final fifty pages of the book got into Cid's life, and even then, a great deal of that was comparing unknown history to myth. Its almost like the author was trying so hard not to mislead the reader with faulty myth, that he was unable to give me a story at all.

[Janette · Rating 2 out of 5]

A challenging read....written by an Oxford man who professed that this is not an "academic" read. I beg to differ!!

[Brendan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar is something of a cultural and nationalistic hero in Spain, portrayed as a noble, principled, and loyal Christian warrior who, despite the intrigues of his fellow nobles and the perfidy of an unworthy king, remained true to both his monarch and his faith, re-conquering large tracts of Spain during the 11th century that had previously been occupied by Muslim invaders from North Africa. This representation of "El Cid" - as Diaz became known, possibly during his lifetime but almost immediately after his death - was depicted by Charlton Heston in the epic movie of the same name.

However, in his engaging and accessible study of Diaz and his historical and social context, Richard Fletcher demonstrates that the Diaz of history and the "El Cid" of folklore are sharply divergent. Indeed, Fletcher shows Diaz for what he was: a Castilian aristocrat, formed in the martial and honorific culture of his caste and society, who was proud, quarrelsome, often at odds with his king Alfonso VI (who was, in fact, an extremely energetic and capable ruler), and who, upon being exiled from Castile, happily sold his skills as a mercenary general to the Muslim rulers of Al-Andalus (the Arabic name for Muslim Spain). In other words, Diaz was not a self-sacrificing, noble "Christian soldier", but a condottiere: a political and military animal of unusual skill and agility, whose ultimate conquest of Valencia and its surrounding lands was done, not for King, country, or God, but for his own gain and self-aggrandisement. In the process, Fletcher reveals the darker side of Diaz' nature, conveniently ignored by the panegyrists and epic-makers (ancient and modern).

Moreover, Fletcher skilfully reveals how this transformation from freebooter to quasi-saint took place. How the medieval masterpiece "The Poem of the Cid" was a response to the political crises of the 12th and 13th centuries, when first the Almoravids and then the Almohads pressed Muslim territorial claims in Spain while Christian rulers and nobles squabbled among themselves; the Cid was depicted as an archetype of loyalty and moral purity the aristocrats were urged to follow. How the cult of the Cid was the practical invention of the monks of the monastery of Cardena, where Diaz was buried, who turned his memory and popular appeal into a tourist attraction and pilgrimage must-see as a solution to the near bankruptcy of their house in the late 13th century. Finally, how the Cid was converted by the modern Spanish historian Menendez Pidal into the embodiment of Spain's self-conception as the upholder of Catholic orthodoxy and national solidarity in the face of the scepticism and claims of post-Enlightenment rationalism.

Fletcher's study of Diaz is an accessible, informative guide to the complexities and pitfalls of untangling the threads of history and popular culture; it sheds an illuminating glow on a dark and poorly-documented moment in European history; and it conveys the author's passion for the subject through a dry, observational humour that carries the reader from start to finish. Popular historical writing at its very best.

[Peter Corrigan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good nugget here, short but packed full of information. If you ever saw the 1961 Charlton Heston epic that is about all that most will ever get of El Cid, aka Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar. The structure of the book is most interesting. The first half is an explanation of Spain and nearby lands before and leading up to the 11th century including of course the Muslim conquests of what they called Al Andalus and the long, bitter stalemate with what was left of Christian Spain in the north of the country. This is followed by an interlude chapter where the author describes in some detail the actual sources (or lack thereof) available to consider the life of El Cid. They are extremely thin as he explains, two Spanish and two Arabic works which were written very near the actual lifetime (~1042-1099 AD) of the hero. The 'famous' work 'El Poema de Mio Cid' was written much later along with other partly mythic, derivative, speculative or perhaps inaccurate works . He describes the rehabilitation of the Cid by the Spanish historian Ramón Menéndez Pidal whose famous work 'La España del Cid' (1929) became the 'modern' basis for recent considerations of his life. An interesting side note: Menéndez Pidal was nominated for a Nobel Prize 23 times and never got the nod, which is apparently a record! The second half of Richard Fletcher's book is the reconstruction of what is known--birth (near Vivar in Castile), battles, conquests, exile, failures, alliances (with both Christian and Muslim), marriage and finally death in bed in July 1099 (within a a few days of when the First Crusade took Jerusalem). 'The Quest for El Cid' sometimes wanders off into detail that becomes slightly dizzying with all the perfectly rendered Arabic names ('Abd al-'Aziz, Ibn 'Abdun, etc.) and the many Spanish kings, usually a Sancho, Alfonso or Ferdinand. This is not really a criticism since the author is being very scrupulous in every aspect of the book. Especially as to what is actually known and what is myth about events now 920+ years in the past. Maybe this falls short of a 5-star read but for what it sets out to do I think it is very near a perfect book on its subject. Now if I can just find a way to watch the movie!

[BEC · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to say this is one of the best historical books I have read. It was not at all what I thought it was going to be (a biography on El Cid), but it was way better. Richard Fletcher masterfully contextualizes the world in which Rodrigo Diaz lived while unraveling his complex life. I love how the author lets the reader know the primary sources' authors' leanings, which are vital to their understanding. After reading this fluidly written book, I feel like I have a much better understanding of the subject matter. I should mention I do have some questions regarding the index's accuracy, which is a minor issue. I am so glad I found this book and highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in not only El Cid but also the period.

[Elliot Gates · Rating 4 out of 5]

A factual deep dive into the real story behind the legend. The author draws from various sources to paint a picture of The Cid that is very different from the myth. Lots of auxiliary information is provided, some of which is unnecessary.

[Cathy Houston · Rating 2 out of 5]

for such an adventurous hero a truly dull and arid book

[Neil]

Paul Graham, nice rec: https://twitter.com/paulg/status/1289...

[Kent Beck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely top-notch historical writing. Builds the case for the story it will tell about the subject, tells the story, then puts El Cid into contemporary context.

[Paky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un libro de historia, algo denso pero interesante para introducirnos en la época y la vida de este personaje casi mítico, aunque menos conocido de lo que parece.

[Baljit Sanghera · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very boring.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming.

[Paul Cornelius · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, this is a good book. Informative, trenchant, and convincing, despite the author's occasional awkward syntax or frustrated word choices. It reminds me of an era of historical study not so long ago that avoided sentimental assurances meant to assuage contemporary feelings or, alternatively, settle for psychologically driven needs to reinforce disintegrating national mythoses.

Instead, the Spain that Fletcher describes emerges from the Visigothic remnants of the sixth century to the disintegrating Islamic caliphate of the 11th century. This is the world into which El Cid was born, a fissile society prone to intrigue, opportunity, and violence.

Finally, Fletcher notes that his is not a work meant to "stand up to academic scrutiny". And, indeed, it does not. Little ground is given to a review of the literature or the historiograhy of the period. Neither is his source material as helpful as it could be, although in all honesty this sort of intellectual breeziness is a hallmark of much contemporary British scholarship--at least as it compares with its American contemporaries. Nevertheless, this slim volume remains a valuable read, an important, even, survey of the time and the persons involved.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first knowledge of Rodrigo Diaz was the movie El Cid starring Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren. It piqued my interest so much that when this book popped up on my Amazon recommendation list I had it in my cart immediately. I wanted to know the real story behind the legend of The Cid.

The book did not disappoint. It is written in an easy going style, and the author works wonders, weaving the tale of The Cid's life out of the limited source material available to him. Working from the Historia Roderici, and the Poema de Mio Cid, and a handful of period documents the author pieces together The Cid's life as well as can be expected. He shows the real man, and what he must have been like. Yes a real man of the times, mercenary, soldier, and prince. While the movie version is good, I think I like the real version even better (and believe me I love the part in the movie where the corpse of The Cid is mounted on his horse to charge out with King Alphonso one last time). But alas, that never happened. I do hope one day to visit his resting place and see his statue in Burgos.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

The is another case of Charleton Heston leading me to seek out a real historical figure, based on his portrayal of Diaz in the movie. I read the epic poem, I loved the movie when it was released in 1961, the year I turned 10. Here Fletcher has taken as much of the historical record, gathered from across the western Mediterranean, as it has been possible to track down, compared and contrasted, evaluated the nearness to the events, and has compiled what is, pending new discoveries of documents, currently probably the best account of what Rodrigo Diaz was about, and the context of history for his life. As another reviewer implied, the detail to which he clarifies his sources and the relative value of each definitely goes beyond a normal history which lays out the bald facts. I found the detail to which he pursues El Cid to be reassuring as to the validity of his narrative of Diaz' life and his conclusions as to the relevance of both the life and the myth involved.

[Cliff Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Richard Fletcher gives us a Cid stripped of mythical accretion, a real man, neither a flawless superhero nor the callous rogue that later critics made of him in reaction to the historic panegyrics. If he was no jewel, he was at least a bit of solid stone around which Spain could create a pearl, as it developed from feudal city states into a nation.

Every reader with an interest in Spain should read this book, to understand whence came this nation, what forces shaped her culture and what she looked for in a hero.

[Willis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Written more for the historian than for a general audience. The author recognizes the limitations in trying to write about someone from the 11th century given the paucity of original sources about the Cid. He tries to separate the man from the myth and seems to do a good job of that. He does take the whole first half of the book to talk about his contemporaries and set the stage before he even begins to talk about Rodrigo Diaz (The Cid) so it took a while to get to the main subject and even then, there's not much to go on.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't call my fantasy baseball team The Cids for nothing. This is the real story about the guy who was quite advanced for his times, and could be a good role model, too. He was a mercenary, and not exactly what Charleton Heston was paid to portray in the movie, but still quite a character, and this book keeps the eye moving.

I like this one, and might have kept it in a box somewhere. Who knows?

[John Eliade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even drier than "The Medieval Spains," up until the end. I'll leave it there.

"Spains" covers the life of Medieval Spaniards from the close of the Roman Era to the cusp of Modern Spain just before the discovery of the New World. "Quest" however follows the historical journey of Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar and compares it to the poetic journey that the Cid took after his death in 1099.

If you like history, and enjoy the Heston classic, check this book out.

[Eva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Learned something about El Cid, although a good portion didn't deal with the Cid directly, it was still an interesting read. Fletcher does a good job of giving a large comprehensive look at Spain during the Cid's time. Most interesting this book is for the person that wants to separate the person Rodrigo Diaz from the myth of El Cid.

[Autumn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fletcher is the expert on all things Cid and 11th century Spain. Well-researched, Quest offers an overview of the rich social and economic developments of the iberian peninsula and Cid's European contemporaries.

Fletcher's prose is cliched at times, but I enjoyed reading it.

[Carmen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic. It reads like fiction.

[RK Byers · Rating 4 out of 5]

i had no other information to compare it to so it's not like i'm disappointed to find out that El Cid wasn't some kind of Great Holy Man. or was he?

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as interesting as one might hope.

[Jur]

Well written, well researched, lots of context and very even handed judgement of El Cid and his contemporaries.

[Steven Muhlberger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clear, meant for those of scholarly tastes.