2 El Cid, The Legend, from a Spanish poem, written in 12th century AD, author unknown Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar (c. 1043 – 10 July 1099) was a ‘Spanish’ knight and warlord in medieval Spain and came to be known by the Moors as El Cid, and by the Christians as El Campeador. He was born in Vivar del Cid, a village near the city of Burgos. The title, or nick name ‘El Cid’ is an indicator of respect, from the Arabic – al Sayyid or ‘The Lord,’ as in Lord (or master) of the House or the Village. At a time when Spain and France and environs were divided into a number of small kingdoms, El Cid fought for Spanish ‘kings’ and then, when that didn’t work out, fought in service to Muslim rulers. He liked being a general and leading an army, and as such, he hungered for action more than he did for one side or another side. When he was exiled by one Spanish king, he fought for a Muslim king, in Zaragoza, during a time when Muslim expansion into Europe reached nearly into the British Isles. Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar became well known for his service in the armies of both Christian and Muslim rulers. After his death, El Cid became Spain's celebrated national hero and the protagonist of the most significant medieval Spanish epic poem, El Cantar de mio Cid, [1] which presents him as the ideal medieval knight: strong, valiant, loyal, just, and pious. To understand the story of Cid it is necessary to look at his country, back even before he was born. At that earlier time, as the year one thousand starting the new millennium, what we know today as Spain was no more than a collection of different kingdoms. In most cases they were in competition with each other. In the year 711 AD, Muslim warriors from northern Africa defeated other armies and gradually became the dominant presence in all of Spain. For many years the politics, culture and religion in Spain was shaped by Islamic thinking. Very gradually a centuries a succession of Christian kings waged battles, as the character of Spain evolved. Christians tried to recover the land lost to the Muslim Arabs. It was a process called ‘the re-conquest’ but this went on until the 15th century, and the time that Columbus gained funding to mount an expedition to the ‘new world.’ It is in this tumultuous period that the now legendary figure of El Cid was born. Carlos Del Solo (scholar 1): When Rodrigo was born there were many Muslim kingdoms or taifas and also a few Christian kingdoms, such as Castile, Len, Galacia .. and the Catalan counties. These were difficult times as there was a power struggle with everybody fighting everybody else. The Muslim taifas had weakened and were no longer warlike or spent money on their own defenses. And they asked some of the Christian kingdoms for protection for which they paid taxes. And these Christian kingdoms defended them from othe.

1. 2
El Cid, The Legend, from a Spanish poem, written in 12th
century AD, author unknown
Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar (c. 1043 – 10 July 1099) was a ‘Spanish’
knight and warlord in
medieval Spain and came to be known by the Moors as
El Cid, and by the Christians as
El Campeador. He was born in
Vivar del Cid, a village near the city of
Burgos.
The title, or nick name ‘El Cid’ is an indicator of respect, from
the Arabic –
al Sayyid or ‘The Lord,’ as in Lord (or master) of the
House or the Village.
At a time when Spain and France and environs were divided
into a number of small kingdoms, El Cid fought for Spanish
‘kings’ and then, when that didn’t work out, fought in service to
Muslim rulers. He liked being a general and leading an army,
and as such, he hungered for action more than he did for one
side or another side.
When he was exiled by one Spanish king, he fought for a
Muslim king, in Zaragoza, during a time when Muslim
expansion into Europe reached nearly into the British Isles.
Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar became well known for his service in the

2. armies of both Christian and Muslim rulers. After his death, El
Cid became Spain's celebrated national hero and the protagonist
of the most significant medieval Spanish epic poem,
El Cantar de mio Cid,
[1] which presents him as the ideal medieval knight:
strong, valiant, loyal, just, and pious.
To understand the story of Cid it is necessary to look at his
country, back even before he was born.
At that earlier time, as the year one thousand starting the new
millennium, what we know today as Spain was no more than a
collection of different kingdoms. In most cases they were in
competition with each other.
In the year 711 AD, Muslim warriors from northern Africa
defeated other armies and gradually became the dominant
presence in all of Spain.
For many years the politics, culture and religion in Spain was
shaped by Islamic thinking. Very gradually a centuries a
succession of Christian kings waged battles, as the character of
Spain evolved. Christians tried to recover the land lost to the
Muslim Arabs. It was a process called ‘the re-conquest’ but
this went on until the 15th century, and the time that Columbus
gained funding to mount an expedition to the ‘new world.’
It is in this tumultuous period that the now legendary figure of
El Cid was born.
Carlos Del Solo (scholar 1): When Rodrigo was born there
were many Muslim kingdoms or taifas and also a few Christian
kingdoms, such as Castile, Len, Galacia .. and the Catalan

3. counties. These were difficult times as there was a power
struggle with everybody fighting everybody else.
The Muslim taifas had weakened and were no longer warlike or
spent money on their own defenses. And they asked some of
the Christian kingdoms for protection for which they paid taxes.
And these Christian kingdoms defended them from other taifas
[Muslim kingdoms] or from other Christian kingdoms.
EL CID FILM NARRATOR: He was a simple man, who became
Spain's greatest hero.
He rose above religious hatreds..and called upon all Spaniards,
whether Christian or Moor...
to face a common enemy who threatened to destroy their land of
Spain.
This enemy was gathering his forces...
across the Mediterranean Sea on the north shores of Africa.
He was the African emir, Ben Yusuf.
It is a simple village in northern Spain, south of Castille, and it
has been through some kind of battle. Smoke rises and some of
the crude buildings are on fire.
There has been a battle here. Although the battle is over.
An aging priest crouches in the rubble of his burned church
before a wooden statue of Jesus that is about to topple over. He
is broken hearted, and praying.

4. Priest: Heavenly Father, we are lost and in darkness.
Once again they destroy our towns...
take our people in bondage.
Please help us, Father. Send us someone...
who will take us to the light.
Rodrigo rides up. He is a well dressed man, obviously of the
King’s court – some king, anyway. Behind him are perhaps a
dozen more men on their horses. All have swords. And they
are dusty and some of them are bloody and breathing hard.
They have been in a fight.
Rodrigo climbs down and approaches the man.
Rodrigo: (gently) Father. Here. Come.
He tries to pull the priest from the smoldering heap.
Priest: The Cross. The Cross.
Rodrigo goes into the mess and climbs and pulls down the
wooden figure, which is nearly half the size he is.

5. It is not heavy. Rodrigo carries it under his arm. He walks
from the wreckage and the old priest follows him.
Rodrigo: We couldn't save your village...but we captured their
leaders.
The priest’s attention perks up. He looks toward the men on
horses. He sees that there are two soldiers whose hands are tied
against wooden beams behind their heads. They are not
Spanish. They look to be Arab. Muslim warriors – and of a
high rank.
Priest: Who are you?
Rodrigo: Rodrigo Diaz of Vivar.
Priest: Vivar? You're a long way from home. (he looks
Rodrigo over)
Sir, you are not dressed for battle.
Rodrigo: (bemused) This was to have been my wedding day,
Father.
Priest: How is it you came here, my son?

6. Rodrigo: I thought this would be the shortest road to my bride.
One of Rodrigo’s men approaches him on his horse. Rodrigo
looks up.
Fanez: We are ready, my lord. Do we hang them now?
Rodrigo looks at his man.
He looks back at the Muslim leaders, their hands bound against
wooden posts on their shoulders. They are defenseless.
There has been a brief battle and he and his men have prevailed.
The emirs (leaders) have been captured. Several of their men
have fought bravely, but been killed. A few others seemed to
have ridden off.
A battle finished, Rodrigo is in no mood to execute anybody. It
does not seem right. And it is his wedding day.
Rodrigo: No, Fanez. They come to Vivar with us.
And so Rodrigo and his men ride back to Castille. The
prisoners are tied by rope to the horses, and they walk behind in

7. their impressive uniforms.
Vivar
When they come down the king’s road near to Rodrigo’s
village, townsfolk see the approach and noisily they come,
wielding rakes and hoes and crude farm tools, as if as
substitutes for weapons.
The prisoners are seen, and the passions fly. The folk do not
know the details of this matter, but they see their local hero,
Rodrigo, and they see prisoners, and that is enough. The
prisoners are Muslims. Moors, as they are often called locally.
One villager throws a rock at one of the emirs.
Rodrigo: (angrily) No! Stop! Fernando, put down those
stones!
Rodrigo’s father, Don Diego, pushes through the crowd to greet
his son. He is a noble. Not of great prominence, as some men,
but noble in this village.
Diego: Welcome home, my son.

8. Rodrigo climbs off his horse and embraces his father.
Rodrigo: Here are some Moorish prisoners for you.
Diego looks on, without any enthusiasm. He will fight when
necessary. But he is not much for the taking of prisoners.
When prisoners are taken this business is known to the people
of the prisoners, and so the conflict enters its next stage. Diego
is old and prefers to simplify when possible. Fight, then be
done.
Diego: We didn't expect such wedding guests. Are you
holding them for tribute?
Rodrigo: They're your prisoners, sir.
Diego: They're yours. You captured them. You must decide
what is to be done with them.
Fanez: (from his horse, in rage) Hang them! Now!
The villagers hear this cry, and they join in. Lusting for blood,
although they know nothing of what happened.

9. One of the bound prisoners, Al Kadir of Valencia, speaks up.
Al Kadir: We are emir... kings. There will be a great ransom
for you if you let us live.
Rodrigo feels provoked, and walks over to the prisoners. He
does not like the sound of the mob. They are his own people,
but he does not like to see them this way. But he has not
forgotten the burned village.
Such skirmishes are continuous in Spain these days. It is the
way of life. Christians kill Muslims. Muslims kill Christians.
Christians kill each other. The fighting goes on.
Rodrigo: (to Al Kadir) You were ready enough to kill. It
would seem you're less ready to die.
The other emir speaks up. He is Al Mu-atamin, the emir of
Zaragoza, to the south, and east of Castille. He is not of
Rodrigo’s territory, not of Rodrigo’s concern. Zaragoza is a
great, if small, kingdom of Spain. And there are a number of
them.
The village he burned was in response to an attack. The attacks
go back and forth. Rodrigo’s men just happened to appear at

10. the right moment.
Al Mu-atamin: I am ready, my Lord Rodrigo. I have no great
desire to live to see what is coming for all of us.
Rodrigo could have ignored the man, but that would not be his
way.
Rodrigo chooses sides only when it is necessary for him to do
so. He does not carry his loyalties with him – not like the mob
from his own village.
Rodrigo: What
is coming for all of us?
Al Mu-atamin: Wars, death and destruction. Blood and fire
more terrible than has ever been seen by living man.
Rodrigo puzzles over this. It is
another emir this man is talking about, he understands.

11. One worse than these, presumably, worse than the Christian
warriors. New fighters and new armies emerge in Spain from
year to year.
It has been said that the Moors (Muslims) have gotten soft in
recent years which explains their decline in power over the
country. It is said by others that Muslims have grown
accustomed to the land and to the people and to the comforts
and as such have integrated into local ways.
New leaders with new armies arrive from distant lands, to pick
up the slack. New leaders who see the small kingdoms as
grown weak, vulnerable, and lacking authority. Some of these
new leaders are ruthless and cruel.
There is a commotion in the distance, and through the dust
cloud it becomes clear that a party of the King approach on
horseback. On a tall post the royal banner flaps in the breeze.
The arrival of Count Ordonez
At the head it is Count Ordonez. Ordonez is a member of court,
and loyal to the King, Ferdinand. He takes some pleasure in
flaunting his position, whenever the situation permits.
Ordonez climbs down from his horse and approaches.

12. Ordonez: Don Diego, I will take your prisoners back to the
King at Burgos.
Diego: They are not my prisoners. They are my son's.
Ordonez: (smiling) Oh, forgive me, Don Rodrigo. Then it will
be your prisoners we will hang in the palace square at Burgos.
We will hang their bodies high as an example to other Moors!
Some of the crowd call out in support.
Rodrigo is disgusted and offended by Ordonez showy efforts to
project his power in front of an audience and by his
determination to kill men captured from a conflict that he knew
nothing about.
Rodrigo also knows that Ordonez is a hypocrite. He himself has
alliances with Muslim emirs in the region, including the Emir at
Granada. Ordonez engages with the Muslims when it suits his
needs, and denounces Muslims if the occasion, like this one,
will play to a village mob.
Rodrigo: Don Ordonez, these prisoners will not go to Burgos.

13. Ordonez: The King will be just as pleased if you hang them
here.
Rodrigo: We've been killing them for years. What has it
brought us? Peace?
Al Mu-atamin: Hang me, and my sons will not rest while a
single Christian remains alive in Vivar.
Ordonez: (turns to the crowd) What other way is there to treat
the Moors?
Voice: Hang them now!
Rodrigo: (steps over to Ordonez) Do you want these people to
live in fear the rest of their lives?
Then Rodrigo turns and goes to one of the villagers, an old
neighbor from his youth.

14. Rodrigo: Antonio, do you want to see your church burned too?
Your villages destroyed?
Ordonez: Don Diego, tell your son that it is treason to refuse to
turn over prisoners
to an officer of the King.
Diego: Rodrigo knows what he must do.
Rodrigo approaches the emirs, whose hands are still bound up to
planks of wood.
Rodrigo: Do you solemnly pledge never again to attack King
Ferdinand's country?
Al Mu-atamin: I do.
Rodrigo takes his knife and cuts the ropes from the wood. The
wood fall free and the emir lowers his arms in relief.
Diego looks on without reaction. Ordonez is in shock.
Al Mu-atamin is emotionally overcome. A moment ago there
was little to prevent him from being killed right in this road,
helplessly, with his hands bound over his head. A humiliating
way to die. The crowd was against him. The King’s officer
was against him.

15. And yet this man, Rodrigo, thought differently. So he would
live.
Al Mu-atamin: Among our people, we have a word for a
warrior with the vision to be just and
the courage to be merciful. We call such a man, "El Cid."
I, Moutamin, Emir of Zaragossa pledge eternal friendship to the
Cid of Vivar and allegiance to his sovereign lord,
King Ferdinand of Castile.
May Allah strike the eyes from my head and the flesh from my
bones if I break this pledge. In the name of Allah.
Rodrigo goes over to Al Kadir. Kadir looks at him.
Al Kadir: In the name of Allah.
Rodrigo cuts the ropes and frees Kadir.

16. Ordonez gets back on his horse. He is fuming. He has an army
behind him, but he lacks the resolve to challenge Rodrigo in his
own village in front of his own people.
Ordonez: In the name of Ferdinand, King of Castile, Leon and
Asturias, I charge you with treason.
Within seven days, you will appear before the King at Burgos to
answer these charges.
Rodrigo never turns back around to acknowledge what Ordonez
is saying, although he hears every word. Then he steps away
from the Muslim leaders, who are stretching their arms and
rubbing their aching wrists.
The priest from the village that Rodrigo helped, the old man
who did not want to abandon the cross, approaches him.
Priest: You did take the shortest road, my son. Not to your
bride, but to your destiny. God sent you to us, my son.
God has sent you.

17. Rodrigo just looks at him. He knows he has brought trouble on
himself.
It was an interesting thing for the priest to say. A few hours
before he was in his own village, witness to a battle between
two small armies. He was pained and he was even angry.
Although he was a man of God, he would have wished for the
suffering of those Moors who burned his church.
But then Rodrigo appeared and was able to see beyond simple
revenge.
And suddenly the priest felt that Rodrigo had the wiser vision.
And he felt ashamed of himself for his anger.
Rodrigo!
On this day Rodrigo was supposed to be married.
Another man on his wedding day, had he ridden upon a battle
going on in a small village, would have pretended not to see,
wanting no part of the fracas whatsoever. Ridden off with his
men. To his wedding.
But that was not Rodrigo.
At Castile, his bride was waiting
Meanwhile in Castile, at the Castle of the King, the bride with

18. her ladies is waiting.
She is Ximena, the beautiful daughter of Count Gormaz, who is
a personal attendant to the King, one of the most prestigious
positions in court.
Ximena has been waiting for hours it seems, knowing that her
fiancé has a long way to come and that there could be a wide
variance in the time of his arrival.
Neither Ximena nor her maids know a thing about what has
happened to Rodrigo this day.
She waits in her chambers, which is a series of large and
comfortably appointed rooms.
At every sound Ximena thinks, now he is here. Only to be
mistaken. How much can a bride do on her wedding day, when
the groom is late?
Ximena: He should have been here by now. Why is he so late?
Maid: He is not late, my lady. He was to be here at sundown.
It's barely noon.
Ximena: You don't really understand how love keeps time.
Later means sooner; sundown means noon.
Still, a man on a horse can move only so fast no matter how
much the man is in love.

19. Maid: Yes, my lady.
Ximena: All night long I kept thinking: "Oh, the Moors have
ambushed him!" "Oh, yes, he's been
attacked by a madman." "Oh, he's fallen ill."
They say all women in love...are tormented that way.
Because they don't dare believe that such happiness...can really
be theirs. (to her maid)
Help me, please.
There is a sound at the door.
Then two maids enter and behind them comes Princess Urraca.
Princess Urraca, who is seems to enjoy the situation
Princess Urraca is the second daughter of the King, King
Ferdinand the Great.
She is promised a part of the realm when power transfers upon
her father’s death.
And she is looking forward to her rightful share of this power.
She is feared.
She can be very kind and caring.
And she can be less kind. Cruel in fact.

20. Ximena is nothing to her.
Ximena sees the princess enter her chamber, and she bows,
surprised. Why has she come?
Ximena’s position of status in the kingdom depends upon her
father’s role as a ‘defender’ of the king. That is all.
Urraca: (a little smile) The gown is... very beautiful.
Ximena: (bows) Your Highness is... very gracious. It is not
often we are so honored.
Urraca: No. It is not an ordinary day. (she waits for a reaction)
Urraca looks at Ximena. She looks away, smiles again, and
picks up a fruit from the bowl and nibbles.

21. Urraca: Then you have not heard? There has been news... Oh,
yes.
And she turns and moves away. Ximena tries to maintain her
dignity, but it is clear that the princess has shown up because of
her.
Ximena: News of... of Rodrigo, Your Highness?
Urraca: Of Rodrigo. (changes the subject) The gown is so
beautiful.
So Urraca is going to play it cruel this day. On the day of
Ximena’s wedding.
Ximena: (trying not to sound distressed) Your Highness. Your
Highness. Can you tell me what has
happened to Rodrigo?

22. Urraca in fact wanted this. Wanted to make Ximena, who
thought of herself as so pretty, to beg for information.
Urraca: Yes, I can tell you. (she smiles big) You knew that
Rodrigo was on his way here?
Ximena: (on his wedding day? ) Yes.
Urraca: That there was a battle? You knew that there was a
battle with the Moors?
Ximena looks back at her blankly. She knew nothing of a
battle.
Just then Ximena’s father bursts into the room. Count Gormaz.
The Defender of the King.
He usually is effusive in his praise of any sight of the princess,
who he would be surprised to see in his daughter’s room. But
he gives a slight bow only.

23. Gormaz arrives and can’t control his indignation
The princess picks this moment to take her leave. She simply
glides out of the room.
There seems to be a great tension now with the presence of the
Count. So the other maids and attendants in the room
disappear.
The Count goes to his daughter.
Gormaz: Chimene. (Ximena)
Ximena: My father, tell me. Rodrigo's been hurt.
Gormaz: No, Rodrigo's alive and well. You love him so
much.
Ximena: Two names. My father... and Rodrigo.

24. Gormaz: Chimene... you are my only child. I have no wife.
You alone can carry my blood.
I should have had a son.
Ximena: But Rodrigo will be your son.
Gormaz: (angry) No. You're young. You can learn to love
again.
She is confused. Something has happened. Her father no
longer likes Rodrigo. Some kind of court politics.
Ximena: Could I learn to love another father?
Gormaz: It is not the same. There are others.
She can’t believe this – that on her wedding day people are
coming to her with crumbs of information about her groom and

25. it is negative. Her own father – turned against Rodrigo? She
can’t accept it.
She bolts from the room. She does not know where she is going
but she wants answers.
Down the corridor and into one of the great entrance halls of the
castle.
She sees Ordonez.
She knows that Ordonez has always cared for her, although this
is not something that was spoken of.
Ordonez, who has feelings for Ximena
Ximena: Don Garcia Ordonez, tell me what has happened. You
have always been a good friend.
Ordonez: I would be more to you, Chimene... if you would let
me.
Ximena: You know that can never be.

26. Ordonez wanted to marry her. It would have been a very useful
marriage, politically, because her father’s position, next to the
King would have helped Ordonez’s own status.
But Rodrigo was judged to be a young man of greater promise
than Ordonez. King Ferdinand saw something in Rodrigo. He
was both unusually able as a soldier and also possessed talents
as a diplomat.
There was no way that Ordonez, who came from a more
prestigious family, could surpass Rodrigo, in the eyes of the
King.
Ordonez: It can now.
Ximena: Why now?
Ordonez: Could you love a traitor, Chimene?
She bristles at the question. Her wedding day, and this is how
people talk to her?

27. Ximena: Since I love Rodrigo, the question can never have
meaning.
Ordonez: It has meaning now. Rodrigo is a traitor.
Ximena: I do not believe you.
Ordonez: There were others who were there.
Ximena: I do not believe them.
Ordonez: I am the one who brought the charges against him.
He is to be tried for treason against the King.
She turns her face from his.
Ximena: You would do anything to hurt Rodrigo.

28. Ordonez: No. I would do anything to win you.
Gormaz charges down the stairs and enters the hall.
Gormaz: Chimene! What if these charges are true?
Ximena: They are not true.
Gormaz: But there are many who saw it.
Ximena: They did not know what they saw!
Gormaz: You will see for yourself, Chimene.
He and Orbanez leave her, and they head through the vast
corridors of the castle to the royal reception hall.

29. It is not her place to go with them. She can only wait until
somebody else gives her news of what is going on.
It is agonizing to be put in this position. On her wedding day.
Her groom is not here, and things are said about him, and he
can’t explain himself. She trusts Rodrigo more than she trusts
the others but she has no explanation of what has happened.
She can only wait.
In the Hall, the King listens to the accusations
In the great reception hall.
Vassal: His Majesty, Don Ferdinand... the King, our Lord!
King of Castile, Leon and Asturias.
And the Infantes, Prince Sancho... Prince Alfonso... and the
Princess Dona Urraca.
Diego stands at the front as well. He looks with great anxiety at
Ordonez, who at this moment, is his opponent. And at Gomaz.
Vassal: You have been gathered here at this court...to give your
solemn advice in a
matter of great import to the Crown. Garcia Ordonez has
invoked the charge of treason...against Rodrigo of Vivar.

30. Diego: (loudly) He cannot bring such charges against my son!
Ordonez: I repeat the charge! It is treason! It is treason to the
King!
In Ximena’s chamber.
Rodrigo appears and she rushes to him. They embrace. They
are so contented in each other’s arms that nothing bothers them.
Ximena: You shouldn't have come.
Rodrigo: (amused) Then I'll go. Besides, there is no danger.
Ximena: No danger? (she motions to the air – the voices that
carry from the great hall) Listen to them.
It doesn't matter. Because I know you're not guilty.
Rodrigo: You don't even know what I've done.

31. Ximena: No. But I know it was not treason. What did you do?
Rodrigo: I let a man live. No. Five men.
Ximena: But how can they call it treason? Who are these five
men?
Rodrigo: Emirs.
Ximena: Moors? You let Moors live? Why?
Rodrigo: I don't know. It happened strangely. I was on my
way to you.
I can't even remember where I was. There must have been
roads... trees and people.
All I remember is your face. There was a battle. I fought too.
My heart wasn't in my sword. I kept... seeing your face.

32. Suddenly, I thought, "Why are we killing each other?"
True, they're Moors, we're Christians... Chimene... do you
understand what I'm trying to say?
Ximena listens. She would rather have Rodrigo thinking about
her, thinking about loving her, than thinking about war, that was
true. But she had been raised a certain way.
Ximena: Yes, but... there always have been wars between us.
Rodrigo: I know.
Ximena: Always.
Rodrigo: You don't think, then...we could live in peace?
Diego is insulted by Gormaz, Ximena’s father

33. Back in the royal hall, Gormaz stands before the King. A few
feet from him stand Diego. Diego is as anxious as Gormaz is
angry. Because the subject is Rodrigo, and that is Diego’s son.
On either side the room is crowded with other royals, with
officials, with soldiers. There are many voices being heard at
once.
Gormaz: This is not a charge I would bring lightly against any
man... especially a man who in a
short time was to be my son. But a man who frees the enemies
of the King... son or no son...
I must call such a man "traitor."
Diego: (to the king) Sire, he slurs the honor of our family. This
cannot be. I, too, was once the King's champion.
Ferdinand: That was many years ago, Don Diego. Perhaps it
will be better to leave the matter in our hands.
Diego: No, Sire. There were things said here which cannot be
forgotten...even in this royal assembly.

34. Diego turns to face Gormaz.
Diego: Count Gormaz of Oviedo, when you call my son a
traitor...I say you lie.
Gormaz: (puffing with fury) I am the King's champion. I
would not want to shame my
sword with an old man's blood. Yet no man can call me a liar.
Diego: (shouting) Liar!
Gormaz walks over, pulls off his glove and slaps Diego’s face
with it. It makes a big ‘whap’ noise.
In Ximena’s chamber, Rodrigo flinches, as if he can hear the
action from there.
Ximena hugs him tightly.

35. But Rodrigo is distracted. He senses something.
Ximena: I don't really understand, Rodrigo. I only know if it
grew out of our love...
it must be right.
A short time later Gormaz is moving through the castle and he
hears a noise in one of the great halls.
He enters. Rodrigo is there standing next to the fire.
Rodrigo stands up for his father’s reputation
Gormaz: What do you want?
Rodrigo: You shamed my father. I want his name back. But
not the way you left it.

36. I want it clean so he can once more wear it proudly.
Gormaz: I cannot apologize. It is not that I do not want to. I do
not know how to.
Rodrigo: People will only esteem you the more for it.
Everyone will understand.
Gormaz: I have told you no. Go home, Rodrigo.
Rodrigo: I ask nothing for myself. I humble myself before you.
Have pity on a proud old man.
Gormaz: (bristles) I have no pity for those who have outlived
the usefulness of their lives.
This provokes Rodrigo, but he maintains his composure. He is
not doing this for his own pride.

37. Rodrigo: Count. I beg you. (he puts his two hands together
before Gormaz, and bows) See? Two words are all I ask. Can
you not say, "Forgive me"?
Gormaz: I cannot. I will not. Now go.
The impatience in Rodrigo is growing.
Rodrigo: Don't make me stain my life and Chimene's with your
blood.
Gormaz: Go home, Rodrigo. No one will think the less of you
for not having stood up against the King's own champion
Rodrigo: Count Gormaz! I will ask you... only this last time.

38. Gormaz begins to see that this might be growing more serious.
There was a chance, surely, that Rodrigo was going to fight for
the old man’s honor. He is certain that he, Gormaz, the King’s
champion, is the superior swordsman. But then it is not really
certain.
Gormaz: (smiling): I see that courage and honor are not dead in
Castile.
And now I remember why I once thought you were worthy of
my Chimene.
Go home, Rodrigo. What glory is there for the King's champion
in killing someone like you?
Rodrigo pulls out his sword. This gets Gormaz’s attention.
Rodrigo has gone past the point.
Rodrigo: Can a man live... without honor?

39. Gormaz: No.
He raises his own sword. Gormaz believes he is better. He is
respected as one of the greatest swordsman in the court. This is
part of the reason he is the king’s champion.
But he has greatly underestimated Rodrigo’s skills.
The fight is fierce.
For a while the only sound in the castle it seems is the clanging,
the crashing of swords. Only gradually does Gormaz realize
how able Rodrigo is. It would not matter. Gormaz can’t
apologize. He must fight and he must live or die by his sense of
his own rightness.
And then Rodrigo plunges his sword into Gormaz’s chest, and
the man recoils. Rodrigo stands back. Gormaz takes a step
forward, and then another. His face is composed. He knows he
is dying but he is the king’s champion.
He reaches the stairs, and then slumps down unto them. His
hands grasping.
Rodrigo: Now, Count,... now I am satisfied.

40. Gormaz: Chimene! Chimene!
Ximena hears the echo of her father’s voice. She comes
running. Running and running.
She finds them in the passageway, at the stairs. Her father is on
the floor, clutching at the steps. She runs to him.
Ximena: Father!
Gormaz: Chimene. Avenge me... as my son would. Don't let
me die... unavenged. Unavenged.
Ximena: Oh, Father.
Ximena turns against Rodrigo

41. From out of the shadows steps Rodrigo.
Rodrigo: I didn't seek your father's life, Chimene.
Ximena: No, but you knew he could only answer the way he
did...and you were prepared to kill him.
You bought your honor with my sorrow.
He is disappointed that at this moment, Ximena would take her
father’s side against him.
Rodrigo: There was no other way for me. The man you chose
to love could do only what I did.

42. Rodrigo acting as King’s champion, saves Calahorra
Castille is threatened by a rival King, King Ramiro, of Aragon.
King Ramiro wants the city of Calahorra, which has always
been a province of Castile.
It is a small city and Ferdinand did not want to use an army to
fight for it.
But neither did he want the indignity of losing Calahorra.
In previous years it would have been a job for his champion.
When two kings wanted the same prize, say, a piece of strategic
land, or a small city
They would sometimes agree to meet face to face and fight for
the prize.
As a way of preserving their kingdoms and armies.
And when neither man wanted to risk his own life they would
agree
To send their champions. The best fighter they had.
And for Ferdinand that was Gormaz who was dead.
King Ramiro knew of the loss of Gormaz and thought it a
splendid time to claim Calahorra.
Ramiro had a great champion on his side:

43. Don Martin. An excellent man with a sword.
King Ramiro sent Ferdinand a message:
All Spain is threatened by the Moors.
What could give greater
comfort to the enemy...
than to see two Christian kings and their
Christian armies tear each other to bits.
Why not then let the fate
of Calahorra be determined...
by the outcome of a single combat...
between your champion and mine?
Ferdinand replied:
We know why you have chosen
this moment to press your claim.
Our champion is dead.
The gauntlet lies there.
While the King sat and pondered his plight, Rodrigo entered his

44. chamber. Rodrigo knew the situation.
The great hall was not empty. Others were nearby, and perked
up at Rodrigo’s entrance.
Rodrigo: Let me take up this gauntlet, Sire.
Ferdinand smiled weakly. He had always liked Rodrigo. But at
the moment Rodrigo was on his list of problem subjects.
On the other hand, people in the hall exchanged looks.
Everyone knew that Ramiro’s champion was this man Don
Martin. And Don Martin was said to be a great killer. Nobody
else wanted to fight him.
Ferdinand: Why should we entrust the fate of a city to your
inexperienced hands?
Rodrigo: It was I who killed your champion, Sire. What man
has a better claim to his place?
Ferdinand: Don Martin has killed 27 men in single combat.
You know that?

45. Rodrigo: Yes, Sire, I know that.
Ferdinand: Why, then, would you risk your life in this way?
Rodrigo: I stand accused of treason, Sire. And of other things.
I've not been permitted to answer
these charges. You've not judged me. Let me now offer myself
before the highest judge.
If I'm guilty...God will direct Don Martin's lance to my heart.
If I'm innocent, let him be my shield.
A great murmur goes up in the hall. As the word spreads more
people trickle into the chamber. Some are nodding
appreciatively. Others shake their heads.
One voice cried out: He's never fought before!
Another voice called: A city, a whole city is at stake.
Ordonez stepped forward and filled his chest with air.
He looked at the King as if he thought he were wiser still. He
glanced with distaste toward Rodrigo, standing there.

46. Ordonez: He defeated our champion. How do we know it
wasn't from behind and in the dark? There were no witnesses.
Diego: (coming out from the crowd): That is not Rodrigo's
way.
The decision is made quickly.
The bottom line is that Ferdinand intuitively trusts Rodrigo.
He never believed the man to be a traitor. And he thought
Rodrigo had just cause to kill Gormaz --- if he was able to do so
--- for what the man did to Diego.
And he had no other knight who dared to step forward and take
the challenge to Don Martin.
Ferdinand: Rodrigo of Vivar, take up the gauntlet. And may
God give you strength.
Rodrigo: May God give me strength.

47. The next murmur in the court is one of awe. He’s going to do
it. He’s going to take on Don Martin in a one on one battle.
The great fighter and killer. Don Martin.
What happened next was extraordinary.
Rodrigo’s first joust is triumphant, in spite of Ximena
A great jousting ring halfway between Castile and Aragon was
selected and great crowds from both kingdoms flocked there.
Rodrigo rode his favorite horse. Don Martin rode his.
Each man was given a great long jousting spear.
Don Martin weighed his in his hand, and nodded approvingly.
One difference between these two men was that Don Martin had
jousted before. Jousting was a sport, a sport in which some men
ultimately get killed, but it was done for the entertainment of
royals and the warriors they keep around them.
Don Martin was a knight and a warrior and a killer and also a
sportsman.
Rodrigo had never jousted. Had never held a jousting spear,
which on this day he found to be terribly long and clumsy to
work with.

48. As many already knew and had even warned Rodrigo, Don
Martin may have been the finest jouster in northern Spain.
And Rodrigo was doing it for the first time.
As was the tradition at a jousting tournament ahead of the match
each of the fighters was supposed to ride toward the viewing
stands and make a show of being handed his lady’s colors. He
would wrap this item around his neck and then ride out to the
center as everyone cheered.
Rodrigo made a tentative effort to reach for Ximena’s colors,
but pulled back the reins on his horse and headed back to the
center without them.
Ximena was in the stands, as Guenevere had been in the Story
of Arthur, and Camelot when Lancelot fought for her honor.
But the story of Arthur was fiction.
The story of Rodrigo, El Cid, was true.
Ximena was dressed very conspicuously in black. For she had
come this day not to see Rodrigo defeat Don Martin, but to be
killed by him. This is what she proclaimed to those seated
around her, in a loud voice.
She spoke this way, although if Don Martin won, the village of
Calahorra would become property of King Ramiro, and be a
great humiliation for King Ferdinand, her king. The king her
father served as his champion.

49. But this was how Ximena registered her outrage of Rodrigo
having killed her father.
Voices around Ximena urged her to give Rodrigo her colors,
because he would be fighting for Castille.
She refused.
Some cried out to Rodrigo to ride along the viewing stands and
retrieve the colors from another woman. Because it would be
bad luck to fight without a woman’s colors.
But Rodrigo could not do this. To do so would mean that he
had transferred his affection and his heart had left Ximena.
And then the greatest shock of all.
Ximena gives her colors to Rodrigo’s opponent
As Rodrigo rode about the center of the great ring on his horse,
becoming accustomed to his long wooden lance, Don Martin
was beckoned over to the Castile area of the viewing stands and
toward the figure, all in black, of Ximena.

50. Don Martin wore a jaunty little smile. He was a reasonably
handsome figure with a little black moustache.
And Ximena stood up and took her scarf and reached over the
railing, making a great show of putting the scarf around Don
Martin’s neck.
Near her the members of the court of King Ferdinand looked on
in disbelief. But when one of his Lords was about to call out
and scold the young woman, Ferdinand motioned for the man to
keep still.
Rodrigo had killed her father. Her passions would be indulged.
And Ximena instructed Don Martin to kill Rodrigo and avenge
her father.
Don Martin was amused and delighted.
He rode back out into the center of the ring. He had the
fighting experience and he had the colors of the woman Rodrigo
had been engaged to. In his own mind, Don Martin had utterly
shamed his opponent before the world before a single blow had
been struck.
The two warriors took their positions. In the stands the people
cried out. Some of them were from Castile and some of them
were of Aragon.
But while Rodrigo had never jousted before, while Don Martin
had, it would be a mistake to think that Rodrigo did not know
how to fight or how to kill men when it was necessary to do so.

51. And this Don Martin was to learn very soon.
The two men rode toward each other furiously, lances aimed at
the other’s chest.
Incredibly – both lances connected, and both men were hurled
from their horses and flew to the ground.
The crowd gasped.
The lances were broken – each. It was fortunate that this
happened, that the lances had not withstood the impact, for
otherwise, the points might well have driven right through the
chest at the initial blow.
Each man staggered to his feet, reeling from the pain in his
chest. The one who recovered most quickly would have the best
chance to win the second phase of the combat.
Each man withdrew his sword from his sheath.
And now that the nonsense with lances was concluded, Rodrigo
met Don Martin on equal footing because he had fought men
with his sword and won, most recently, he had slayed his own
king’s champion.

52. Don Martin was still confident, and he heckled Rodrigo, to
distract the other.
Don Martin taunted Rodrigo, I wear the colors of your woman,
and soon I will take your life and you will have nothing. But
death.
But Rodrigo was a man of steel. He quietly instructed Don
Martin that God decided who was the better man. And to do his
talking with his sword.
The two men closed, and the swords flew, and Rodrigo dodged a
wild blow by Don Martin and struck one of his own deeply into
his opponent’s shoulder. Blood flew and Don Martin went to
his knees.
He could no longer fight. Blood poured down his chest.
Rodrigo finished him off with a blow.
Don Marin lay in a heap.
In relief and gratitude King Ferdinand applauded and nearly
fainted. He would not lose the precious Calahorra.
As the audience cheered, Rodrigo staggered over to where the
King sat in the stands. He was wounded, and he was tired. But

53. he was victorious.
Rodrigo: Calahorra belongs to Ferdinand and to Castile. God
saw fit to give me strength, Sire.
Ferdinand: Never have I seen a man fight with greater courage.
Our Lord was surely with you.
Diego: ( seated near the king) Who can now deny that the
charges brought against you were false?
Ferdinand: We are deeply in your debt, Rodrigo. You will be
my champion.
Rodrigo humbly nods, and then his gaze goes to Ximena, seated
nearby. She has not cheered. She has not let on if she is
pleased or pained by the result. At the moment that Rodrigo
struck his blow she let out a gasp. Was it in joy or in fury?

54. Rodrigo: (harshly) Your colors are no longer black.
Ximena: (stiffening) Until my father is avenged...my colors
will be deepest black.
Ximena can’t let go of her anger
Later that day away from the ring and the crowd in the silence
of the tomb Ximena paces near her father’s casket.
She still wears black. She is not alone. Ordonez lingers
nearby.
Ximena: Someone will avenge me.
Ordonez: No. Believe me, Chimene. Not one knight in all
Castile will risk his life against Rodrigo.

55. He has become too dangerous.
Ximena: Then why have you come to me, Don Garcia?
Ordonez: This is not just a momentary anger? You really want
Rodrigo's death?
Ximena: You would fight Rodrigo?
Ordonez: Not fight. Kill him. I could fight him. It's not a
question of courage. Before I first saw you, I was
ready to throw my life away... but... not now, Chimene.
Ximena: To kill him? How?
Ordonez: I want your love, Chimene. More than I want honor,
glory, wealth. You understand a love like that.
Ximena: Yes. Yes, I do.
Ordonez: Then I will kill him.

56. Ordonez sweeps out of the tomb.
He feels that he and Ximena have reached an understanding. He
was not going to kill Rodrigo so that the woman would suddenly
turn on him, and mourn the death of the man she loved. That
would be pointless. Ordonez would not compete with a ghost.
But if she truly wanted Rodrigo dead he would kill him. And he
would have her for this. That is what she said.
Wasn’t it?
In truth, Ximena did not know what she wanted. She believed
she wanted to honor her father’s wishes. Her father wanted his
death avenged.
Beyond that it was hard to think.
Ximena: Oh, Father. Why did you leave me such a burden?
The King sends Rodrigo on a Mission
In the great hall Rodrigo stands before the King. The King

57. holds a special sword. It is the sword that is worn by the
King’s champion.
Whatever Ximena thinks of him, or wishes for him, the King is
not a fool. Rodrigo is a great knight, a great fighter, and
perhaps greater even than was Gormaz.
And he has an assignment for Rodrigo.
Ferdinand: (loudly for all to hear) Rodrigo of Vivar, you are
hereby our own champion and the first Knight of the Realm.
With this sword, may you vanquish all our enemies.
My lieges... for the first time in generations our Moorish
vassals have refused to pay us tribute.
They have been stirred into unrest by the Moors of Africa.
An expedition, therefore, must be sent to collect that tribute.
This expedition will be your first task.
Rodrigo: May I prove worthy, Sire.
Ferdinand: Our son, Sancho, will go with you.
Sancho: May I too prove worthy, Father.

58. At this moment, Count Ordonez emerges from the crowd.
Ordonez: (humbly) Sire, this will be the first expedition of our
Prince. Could I, too, accompany him?
Ferdinand: You have our permission, Count Ordonez.
The matter is finished, as far as the King is concerned. But
Rodrigo gives Ordonez a glance. Why would he want to join
the expedition?
One reason was obvious. This was going to be an opportunity
for one to cement one’s status. Possibly a great battle. Or a
great parlay. Either way, names could be made. Achievements.
If Ordonez simply stayed behind Rodrigo could increase his
importance in the kingdom even more while Ordonez remained
as he was.
But if Ordonez went on the expedition he had the chance to
stand out in some impressive fashion in combat or strategy.

59. But Rodrigo wondered if there were other reasons.
There was no forgetting Ordonez’s hatred of him, and his
efforts to have him imprisoned.
There was the fact that Ordonez had been trying for a long time
to seduce Ximena, right under Rodrigo’s nose.
Rodrigo did not trust Ordonez. But he refused to fear him.
The Documentary - King Ferdinand Dies
On Ferdinand’s death his kingdom was divided between his 3
sons - Sancho became king of Castile.
Alphonso, his second son, became King of Len.
And third son, Garcia, became King of Galacia.
However peace between the 3 heirs of Ferdinand became
impossible.
Tensions soon grew between the three as they disputed
sovereignty over the lands left by their father.
This led to military conflicts.
King Sancho, who professed faith in Rodrigo, promoted his
champion to high posts, the ones with the most responsibility in
court. Until Rodrigo finally reached the post of royal squire,
the highest position.
IN two battles on behalf of Sancho that Rodrigo played an
outstanding role, enabling Sancho to take control of both of his

60. brother’s kingdoms – in Len and in Galacia.
Sancho was now the master of all of the western side of the
northern half of Spain.
Peace did not last.
In 1072 his own sister, Princess Urraca, leading a group of
nobles from Len, conspired against Sancho. Urraca did not like
her oldest brother’s project of a single kingdom for the family
under him, and she wanted her own small share, as she believed
her father had wished for her.
Ben Yusuf of Morocco storms Spain
And the time came when Ben Yusuf rode to Valencia to secure
the aid of the frightened Moorish king Al Kadir.
He had to make certain that he could land his mighty armada on
the shores of Spain.
King Al Kadir was not happy to see Ben Yusuf. He had already
reached a peace accord, first with Rodrigo and then with
Ferdinand. But the truth was that Ben Yusuf was far greater in
military power than Al Kadir. It was impossible to refuse him.
His kingdom, in the east of Spain was by now small and its
strength was limited. Kadir had survived by accepting his
limitations.

61. Ben Yusuf was a Berber king and general from Morocco and the
founder of the city of Marrakesh. He was in fact the greatest
Muslim general of northern Africa. Ben Yusuf in the first
century of the new millennium was singularly responsible for
reversing the fortunes of Crusading Christian armies from
Europe, bent on conquest of Africa.
Around about the year 1000 AD, European Christians were
working to drive Muslims out, and in many cases, to destroy
their places of rule. This included the crusades in the Middle
East against Muslim generals like Salah Ah Din in Jerusalem.
In northern Africa Ben Yusuf effectively led armies that drove
the Christians from them goal of making northern Africa
Christian, and so all the nations of the African north --
Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Egypt – to this day, are Muslim states.
For Spain, Ben Yusuf’s goal was to re-impose Islamic rule – at
least for the north.
From Morocco, Ben Yusuf had heard of the expansion of the
kingdom of Sancho, and also of the lax behavior of Muslim
kings, who were not maintaining strong kingdoms, strong
armies, or Islamic principles.
Ben Yusuf also opposed the practice of Spanish Muslims paying
taxes to the Christian kings as an exchange to avoid war.
Ben Yusuf arrives in Valencia, to the fortress of Al Kadir

62. When Ben Yusuf reached Kadir’s castle fortress, at the head of
a terrifying army on white horses, he found what looked to him
like a recreation resort. He did not see men carrying swords or
ready for any kind of fighting at all.
It appeared to him that Kadir had resigned himself to the role of
figure head, paying taxes to the infidels, and otherwise enjoying
himself peacefully.
Ben Yusuf stormed through the castle grounds finally
encountering the King in some kind of harem setting surrounded
by girls.
Kadir rose and tried to gather himself and make a good
impression. Oiled and in silky clothes, the king at this moment
was not a very intimidating figure.
Kadir: My lord Ben Yusuf, what an honor. What an honor.
Ben Yusuf: Allah be praised. Our moment has come. King
Ferdinand has died and the two young kings have quarreled.
Kadir: Allah, in his wisdom, has willed it so.
Ben Yusuf: And now Allah will ordain it so that one Christian

63. brother will kill another Christian brother.
Kadir: How will this happen?
Ben Yusuf steps over to one of his knights nearby, a man robed
as he is, right up to the eyes. He withdraws the robe from this
man’s face, to reveal – Dolfos, a Spanish Christian warrior who
had been trusted by Ferdinand.
Ben Yusuf: He... will do the killing.
Dolfos grins at Kadir, looking slightly ridiculous, or at least,
improbable, in his Muslim warrior garb.
So Dolfos was charged – or hired – to assassinate Sancho.
This was nothing to Kadir. The Christians could do what they
like to one another.
Ben Yusuf: The word will spread that brother has killed
brother. There will be confusion, revolution.
The kingdom will be torn in two... and then, when they are most
weak, I will bring my legions from Africa.

64. Kadir: A master strategy.
Ben Yusuf paces the room like a man who can’t stand still and
who is ever ready to attack.
Ben Yusuf: When I land, they may attack you here at Valencia.
Kadir, calculating in his head, knows this makes sense. He
wishes it were not so. He no longer wishes to wage new wars
against the Christians. He is comfortable in this life. If he
brings war to the sons of Ferdinand nothing but misery will
come of it. Spain’s destiny at this point, thinks Kadir, is not to
become again a part of the Muslim empire as it was. Spain will
be shared, and the Christians will have to be accommodated.
But none of this he can say to Ben Yusuf, the most feared
Muslim warrior in Europe.
Ben Yusuf: If they do, you will hold Valencia. Do you
understand me?

65. Kadir: Yes, my lord, I understand.
Ben Yusuf: I will leave my guards with you to make certain you
understand.
Al Kadr has already vowed to Rodrigo to never fight in King
Ferdinand’s lands, in Castile, in exchange for his life. He is not
breaking that vow by defending Valencia, which is HIS, and
which is on the east coast of Spain, hundreds of miles from
Castile.
The old king is dead. Was Al Kadr expected to honor a vow
made on behalf of a king who was no longer alive?
Al Kadr knew the Christians hated Ben Yusuf, a Moroccan, an
outsider. A threat.
While Al Kadr would be perfectly happy if he never had another
battle, he wanted to be on the side of the winner.If that winner
was Ben Yusuf, and that was how it looked right now, Al Kadr
could accept this.
On the other hand if Rodrigo’s army should attack Valencia Al
Kadr knew his own forces would not be able to resist.
Ben Yusuf might make the difference.

66. Rodrigo escorts Alfonso to Urraca’s at Calahorra
Calahorra, home to Urraca in her castle.
King Ferdinand left whole regions of his kingdom to each of his
children, and so it was that Urracca, his eldest daughter, was
allowed to rule Calahorra from her own stronghold.
Urraca is not there alone. In addition to her subjects, and her
court and her small army, she is also housing her brother,
Alphonso, who is ‘hiding’ there.
Alfonso is being sought by Sancho, his older brother, who is
determined to rule the entire kingdom, all of the provinces of
the old empire of northern Spain.
Alfonso refused to surrender his lands, given to him by his
father. Sancho got Alfonso thrown in prison in Castile.
This Rodrigo could not accept.
Rodrigo slipped in one night and freed Alfonso. To accomplish
this he had to fight and kill two guards.
Then Rodrigo escorted Alfonso to safety --- in his sister’s
territory of Calahorra, and inside her castle, under her
protection.

67. This act guaranteed that Rodrigo would have the enmity of the
King of Castile, of Sancho. When he, Rodrigo, had only
recently won back the favor of his father, King Ferdinand.
Rodrigo was counting on Sancho gradually seeing the wisdom
of his action. Sancho’s own sister did not want Sancho to
imprison his brother and attempt to seize all of the lands.
Rodrigo hoped for a cooling off period among the royal family
members.
If Rodrigo had judged wrong, Sancho would never forgive him,
and would send soldiers to hunt him down.
But Rodrigo had to be guided by what he thought was right for
the royal family and for Spain.
Rodrigo does not want to take sides in the family.
He swore to his king Ferdinand that he would champion the
family as best he could. Thus he wants to avoid giving one
child the advantage over the others. At times, this makes one of
them, or all of them, unhappy with Rodrigo.
But Rodrigo tries to navigate these complicated seas.
One afternoon, a small group of soldiers on horses approaches
Urraca’s castle. It is Sancho and his men.
Alfonso is terrified.

68. Sancho demands Alfonso surrender to him
Alfonso: Don't let him take me, Urraca.
Sancho: (from outside the walls) Urraca! You have given
refuge to my brother!
I demand you release him at once!
Urraca goes to her parapet overlooking the vast grounds, far
below.
Urraca: (shouting) This is my city! You do not demand!
Sancho: Release the prisoner at once or my army will attack!
Urraca: Alfonso stays here... with me!

69. Sancho: I give you until dawn to decide.
Sancho beckons his men, and they ride a little distance to make
an encampment.
In the castle high, Urraca worries. She has to be realistic.
Sancho might be able to breach her walls.
She steps back from the walls and thinks.
Dolfos, the double agent, emerges with a plan
Then Dolfos approaches her. Dolfos is a court lackey who lurks
in the shadows seeking advantage at all times. Now he has
found himself in Urraca’s court, rather than Sancho’s.
Dolfos: My lady. What would it be worth to you, if Sancho

70. were kept from your gates?
Urraca: Who is there who could do such a thing?
Dolfos: I could. Only... Only I would ask a great deal.
Urraca makes a show of disinterest. She does not want to hire
this underling to murder her brother. She leaves. But Dolfos
stands and smiles. He feels he knows Urraca better than she
knows herself.
Down at the gate Rodrigo arrives on his horse.
When he enters the court yard Alfonso and Urraca are there to
greet him.
Alfonso: Thank heaven you answered our call.
Rodrigo: Why did you send it, sir?
Alfonso: Unless I surrender to Sancho, he threatens to lay siege
to us by morning.

71. Urraca: Help us, Rodrigo.
Rodrigo: When brother fights against brother what can any man
do?
Urraca: If you joined us, many knights would come.
Rodrigo: I swore allegiance to Sancho.
Urraca: And to Alfonso. And to me!
Rodrigo: I can only help one brother by breaking faith with the
other. I can help no one.
Urraca: But Sancho would kill Alfonso.
Rodrigo: Whatever happens.. must happen without me.
He recoils from this terrible entanglement.

72. Later that day, near sunset, in the court yard, Rodrigo sees
Urraca conferring with Dolfos, who is on his horse.
Rodrigo lingers behind a wall so he will not be seen.
He knows this is some plot, surely. Dolfos is not to be trusted.
Dolfos then beckons a dozen other soldiers on horses, and he
rides out of the gate.
Dusk is upon the land.
Dolfos and his men ride up to Sancho’s encampment.
Dolfos gets off his horse and he is met by Sancho’s guards.
Guard: What do you want here, Dolfos?
Dolfos: I have words for your ears only, my King.

73. He is beckoned into the great tent.
Sancho looks at him.
Sancho: Well?
Dolfos: There is a way Calahorra could be taken without a
blow. I will help you.
Sancho: Why should you do this for me?
Dolfos: I will not stand by and see
our land torn by civil war.
Sancho wants to believe him. And he does.
Sancho: Tell me.

74. Dolfos: I know where there is an unguarded gate. I will take
you there. With a few men, you...
Sancho goes and grabs his sword.
Sancho: Even though my father trusted you, Dolfos... one false
move...
Sancho holds the point under Dolfos’ neck.
Dolfos: But I am unarmed, Sire.
Sancho: Show me this gate.
Dolfos motions for Sancho to follow him. They get on their
horses to ride. Dolfos says with just two they can approach
undetected. Sancho accepts this.

75. Just two.
Sancho thinks, he can’t overpower me. What can he do?
They ride. The night is upon them.
They reach the castle. All is still except for the wind. There is
nobody around.
Dolfos: From here it will be better to go on foot.
Dolfos gets down from his horse. Sancho hardly pauses. He is
a supremely confident man, and he is armed.
They walk, following the wall of one of the castle’s great
towers. It is so dark that it is difficult to make one’s way.
Sancho: I see no gate.
Dolfos: There. Around the corner.

76. Sancho in his enthusiasm moves ahead of Dolfos. Dolfos is
behind him.
Just then Rodrigo appears from around the corner. He is unseen
by the two men.
Dolfos reaches down and suddenly is raising a sword. The
sword must have been left there, ready to be picked up when
Dolfos had lured Sancho to the spot.
Dolfos strikes Sancho from behind. Sancho cries out.
Dolfos runs to the wall and there’s a door. He pounds.
Dolfos: Open! Open the gate! Open the gate! Open the...
The door opens and on the other side is Rodrigo --- who plunges
his sword into Dolfos’ chest.

77. Rodrigo runs out and then over to Sancho, who is on the ground,
dying.
Sancho: Confess me... Confess me. Confess me!
Rodrigo raises his head.
Sancho: (gasping) I was almost a king. Wasn't I?
Rodrigo: You are a king, my lord.
Rodrigo’s One Condition for Alfonso
Alfonso has been liberated. Freed.
He need no longer hide from his brother Sancho.
He is all at once king of twice the land that he was before.
He need not hide at his sister’s castle, defended by his sister’s

78. troops.
With a small retinue, Alfonso rides back to Castile to take his
place as king.
Castile was Sancho’s but with Sancho dead Castile is Alfonso’s.
Urraca accepts this.
But there is a complication.
Alfonso ride off before Rodrigo can consult him. He may even
have done so deliberately.
Rodrigo tells Urraca that he is prepared to serve Alfonso loyally
but there is one requirement that the new king positively must
obey. One obligation.
Alfonso must stand before the people of Castile and swear that
he had nothing to do with Sancho’s death.
When Urraca hears this she is horrified and enraged.
Rodrigo looks her hard in the eye as he explains this obligation.
It is an accusatory look.
Rodrigo can not prove that Urraca enlisted Dolfos to assassinate
Sancho. He suspects this is so.
Nevertheless, Urraca did not do so in order to take over the
throne of Castile herself.
But Alfonso is taking that throne.
Rodrigo does not know if Urraca coordinated the assassination
with her other brother.

79. Alfonso must swear before God and the people he would rule
that he had nothing to do with this crime.
Urraca believes that Rodrigo’s sense of ‘principle’ will ruin
everything and embarrass her brother publicly.
Sancho was dead. Nothing could change that. What mattered
now was the future of Castile.
Alfonso would refuse such a demand, Urraca believed. And
soon gossip and rumor would result.
In Castile, on the steps of the official palace and in front of a
massive crowd in the courtyard, Alfonso marched in a pageant
that was all arranged. On the raised platform, the Bishop stood,
next to the ranking members of court.
The crowd murmured, but no expression of dissent was heard.
Alfonso climbed the steps and stood next to the Bishop. The
Count Ordonez stepped forward and handed Alfonso a scroll.
He unfurled it, and read, in a huge voice.
Alfonso: Before God and this assembly...I do freely forgive
those who have warred against me.

80. I promise to defend them and to show them favor...
even as I defend and show favor to those that were ever loyal to
me.
This, my written oath, I entrust to this Holy Church.
Rodrigo issues his demand to Alfonso in front of all the world
He puts down the scroll, and it is taken from him.
He looks out at the people in the crowd, now silent.
Alfonso: Castilians... God has called upon me to become your
king.
I now call upon you to kneel in sign of fealty.
Everyone in the square kneels as Alphonso waits, surveying the
space, nervously.
One individual does not kneel. He is conspicuous in that great
throng of people.
It is Rodrigo.
From the royal party, up on the platform, behind Alphonso,
Urraca stands, fury aroused. And Ximena nearby, cold faced,
not letting on how she feels about Rodrigo’s move.

81. Alfonso: Rodrigo of Vivar... called the Cid... why do you alone
refuse me fealty?
Rodrigo: Sire... all those you see here...though none dares say
so... harbor the suspicion that you may have
counseled your own brother's death.
Rodrigo moves from his spot up toward the front, growing
nearer and nearer to Alphonso.
Rodrigo: Unless you can prove your innocence you will have
no loyal subjects. Your kingdom will be torn by doubt. Thus I
cannot give you fealty nor own you as my liege.
There are a number of gasps in the courtyard.
Alfonso had been warned that Rodrigo would do this. He did
not believe it. He believed Rodrigo would lack the nerve when
the moment came. But Rodrigo would never lack courage in
any situation.
If it had been any other man but Rodrigo causing such a scene
in front of the entire crowd, Alphonso would have had him

82. arrested and then dealt with ruthlessly.
But this he could not do with Rodrigo.
Rodrigo had by now achieved legendary status among
Castilians. They all knew that his brother, Sancho, had had
Alfonso arrested and locked into a stone cell in the bowels of
the castle. That Alfonso might still linger there a prisoner if
Rodrigo, wielding a sword, had not killed two guards at the
door, and freed him, and then escorted Alfonso to Urraca’s
provinces.
Rodrigo’s reputation was unsullied.
Alfonso: What will satisfy you of my innocence?
Rodrigo: (steps closer still) Your oath upon the holy books.
Alfonso twitches nervously, suppressing discomfort.
Alfonso: You would ask me to swear?
Rodrigo: Sire, I do ask it.

83. It was important to maintain his composure, Alfonso knew. If
he refused the oath, having been publicly challenged to offer it,
the people would think he must have been part of the plot to kill
Sancho. He had no choice.
Alfonso: Very well.
On the landing, up several steps, is a gigantic white Bible on a
podium. The book is there for the use of the Bishop during the
ceremonial parts of the day’s rituals and transfer of power. The
Bishop had no intention of making any demands upon Alfonso
this day. He stood by mutely and watched.
Alfonso went up the steps. He was breathing heavily, in
controlled anger. He turns and looks at the crowd, and reaches
slightly behind him, grasping the corner of the Bible.
Rodrigo follows him up the steps – shockingly – and stands
beside him.

84. Rodrigo: (in a loud voice) Will you swear that you had no part
in the ordering of King Sancho's death?
Alfonso: I so swear.
Alfonso for an instant feels relief and his hand is about the
leave the book when Rodrigo reaches out and grabs that hand
and holds it in place. Alfonso is now pinned --- by the grip of
Rodrigo – to the Bible.
Rodrigo: Do you swear that you had no part by way of counsel
in King Sancho's death?
Alfonso: (trying to maintain his poise) I so swear.
Rodrigo: Do you swear that you had no part by
way of design in King Sancho's death?
Alfonso rips his hand from the book – feeling like a prisoner

85. escaping from a cell.
Alfonso: (screaming) I swear it!
Rodrigo grabs Alfonso’s wrist in his fist and hangs on.
Rodrigo: If you are forsworn...may you die such a death as
your brother did,
struck from behind by the hand of a traitor. Say amen!
Alfonso can not get his wrist free. He and Rodrigo stare into
each other’s eyes.
Alfonso: (hisses) You press me too far, Rodrigo.
With his stronger hand Rodrigo pushes down Alfonso’s wrist so
that his hand smacks against the Bible.

86. Rodrigo: Say amen.
Alfonso is breathing hard, in shock at such a spectacle. He
feels that time has stopped. He wants his hand released. He
wants done with this. He wants Rodrigo gone.
Alfonso: (gasping) Amen.
With this Rodrigo releases Alphonso’s hand, and kneels before
him. He bows his head and makes to take Alfonso’s hand in
supplication.
But Alfonso withdraws his hand, glaring at Rodrigo. He has no
interest in supplication now.
The great crowd in the square looks on, unsure of what to think.
Alfonso puts Rodrigo into exile

87. The next day inside the Palace and inside the Great Hall,
Alfonso hands a decree to his marshal at arms.
Marshal at Arms: "By edict of our most illustrious Sovereign
Alfonso..."King of Castile, Leon and Asturias...
"be it known that Rodrigo of Vivar..."has outraged the Royal
Personage and is hereby exiled for life.
"He has been accorded nine days from this day..."in which to
depart from the realm, alone and without men at arms.
"All his property, his goods, his lands and his privileges..."are
hereby forfeit to the Crown.
"All vessels of the King..."are forbidden to provide him with
food, lodging or any means of sustenance...
"or to speak with him. Let no man give him aid."
So Rodrigo packed up his horse with as much as he could carry
on it. He was a wealthy man by now and he had his own
servants and loyal fighters of the highest skills. But these were
forbidden him.

88. If any of them rode with Rodrigo, out of loyalty, they would
never be able to return to Castile again. And Rodrigo told them
– no, don’t come. Let me ride alone.
Rodrigo rode out. Rode south which would take him out of
Alfonso’s lands.
He could not say he was surprised by the King’s actions. He
could have foreseen such an action. He knew that Alfonso had
felt humiliated.
But he also knew that what he said, and what he forced Alfonso
to do, to swear on the Bible, was right and necessary. He could
think no further than that at the time, whatever warnings others
had given him.
Rodrigo’s journal:
Although it was commonly thought that Alphonso was
behind his brother’s death nobody dared say so in public. Only
I, due to the affection I had for the man who had been my
master, Sancho, had the courage to call the new king to account.
This was the start to my ordeal. And my glory.
Scholar: It is quite probably that Dolfos existed and was sent

89. by Urraca, Alfonso’s sister. As she disagreed with Sancho’s
plan to conquer and reign over Castile, Len and Galacia.
Despite tradition telling us of a bad relationship between
Rodrigo and Alfonso as we are told in the famous incident of
the ‘oath of [at] Santa Gadea’ in which Rodrigo forced the new
king to publicly swear that he played no part in his brother’s
death, that forcing a monarch to swear an oath could be
interpreted as a humiliation or an offence.
Second scholar: Anyone who incited regicide was
excommunicated [evicted from the church by the Bishop].
Anyone who advised, incited or paid for a king to be killed was
excommunicated. Later they had to swear before a court that
they had not directly or indirectly taken part in the regicide
[king murder].
Things being as they were, who would make a king swear an
oath?
Rodrigo had to take the risk because although swearing an oath
was normal in the event of violent death it was necessary in this
case. The conditions were there.
And the Castilian people went to hear his oath as was the
custom.
King Alfonso had no reason to become angry. It was the
custom. But he did. And bravery was needed. Either the
noblest of the Castilians or the other most qualified person had
to make him swear that oath. And who suited at that time?
Rodrigo Diaz.

90. So Rodrigo gets exiled.
Rodrigo begins years of service to Emir Al Mu-atamin
In Zaragoza Emir Al Mu-atamin is alerted by his scouts that a
large force is approaching across the flat plains. The city is
protected by the river. The Emir is at the river’s edge with his
army when the other force, apparently Christian, becomes
visible on the other side.
At the front is Rodrigo. El Cid.
Rodrigo gets off his horse and steps to the water’s edge. He
withdraws his sword and plunges it into the soil This is the
sign that no confrontation is intended.
The Emir smiles.
Rodrigo begins wading across the water, without any guards.
Unarmed.
Al Mu-atamin withdraws his sword, stabs the ground, and then
launches himself into the water from the other side.
The two men meet in the middle and embrace.
And so the army of the Emir cheers.

91. This is not about a challenge. This is about a unification.
Later that day, the two warriors confer as their men being
training together.
Al Mu-atamin: Our forces are great and will be swelled by your
Christian army.
The Emir leads him through a tent where food is being prepared.
A chef roasts animals on a grill. He holds out a long fork with
a succulent strip of meat dangling, just out of the fire.
Rodrigo looks delighted, takes the fork, devours the meat, and
hands back the spear.
He smiles at his new King.
Rodrigo: You’ll make a Muslim of me yet, My Lord.
The two men step a bit further, and there, the Muslim army is

92. doing drills with Rodrigo’s men. They are exchanging tactics.
Fighting techniques.
Rodrigo gestures towards the activities, and smiles at the Emir.
Rodrigo: How can anyone say this is wrong?
Al Mu-atamin: (smiles) Some will say so, on both sides.
Rodrigo: We have so much to give to each other.
Al Mu-atamin: If we are not destroyed first.
Rodrigo: Once we take Valencia, then let Ben Yusuf try.
Al Mu-atamin was an able fighter with no lack of courage, and

93. if Rodrigo had recommended a direct attack on Valencia, the
Emir would have agreed, and the attack would have been made.
But Rodrigo did not fail the Muslim leader when it came to his
military wisdom.
Rodrigo Plots a Siege on Valencia
Rodrigo scouted the area, and saw the enormous challenge of a
direct attack upon the Valencia fortress that protected the path
to the city. Then Rodrigo consulted his men.
Al Mu-atamin noted that Rodrigo did not have a ‘second’ in
command. No, this Spaniard simply collected his men around
him and they talked about what they had seen. Rodrigo ---
incredibly – was asking their opinions. He told this men that
taking Valencia would position them to control any entrance
into Spain by sea.
Without Valencia, Ben Yusuf’s forces, coming from Morocco,
from the south, could not land in central Spain, but only at some
point further south, and would be forced to make a much longer
and more treacherous trek across the land where they could be

94. harassed by other armies before they ever reached the north.
A prize that valuable was worth approaching with the greatest
caution.
The Muslim admired this approach and he had rarely if ever
seen a general soliciting the views of his fighters.
The men agreed with Rodrigo that rather than a frontal attack,
the first phase of the battle should be a siege.
The army of Zaragoza would set up camp some distance away,
in a comfortable location from which they could maintain their
stores without discomfort. And no men, no supplies would get
in or out of the Valencia fortress until or unless they permitted.
Valencia would be a prison for those inside. And after a few
weeks, maybe more, they would be lacking food, fresh water
and munitions. A siege would weaken the occupants.
They would likely surrender without any battle at all.
Rodrigo and the Emir stand along the beach line outside of
Valencia under a refreshing sun. The wind blows but it is quiet.
Near them a great army prepares.

95. The scout on horse rides toward them. At his back is the great
fort of Valencia. It is somewhat impregnable to direct attack.
And inside that fort are hundreds of fighters.
But until the army attacks those fighters have no advantage.
Scout: (reaching the two leaders) We have Valencia
surrounded. Nobody leaves that city unless we allow it.
Al Mu-atamin: (nods) Our weapon is starvation. May Allah
make the siege a short one.
Rodrigo nods.
Rodrigo: And may God help Alfonso at Sagrajas.
The Emir looks at Rodrigo.
This Castilian still wishes he had the favor of the Christian
king. He does not take offense. Al Mu-atamin knows the story
of Rodrigo’s exile. Such things happen in Spain.
Both men know that Alfonso’s military tactics are unsound in
this instance.
Alfonso means to fight Ben Yusuf at Sagrajas near the western
coast of Spain. A Moroccan force has landed at the southern
Spanish border and is moving by land up through Spain.
Alfonso believes that he should cut off this army before it

96. penetrates Spain further, possibly inspiring other Muslim armies
to join it, heading north.
But to mount such a counter attack Alfonso should have a much
larger army than he does. In fact, Ben Yusuf’s forces are
considerably larger.
Rodrigo knows that if Ben Yusuf, by virtue of a stronger army
on a given day, should emerge the winner, the symbolic value of
this victory will become news across Spain. The story of the
success will exceed the actually military significance.
And such a success will provide hope for Spain’s Muslims for
their revival militarily for years to come. It would mean that
Castile would likely not be able to dominate Spain in Alfonso’s
lifetime.
That is why Rodrigo would not fight Ben Yusuf one on one until
he felt he had established the battlefield conditions more to his
advantage.
But Alfonso was determined. He always feared being seen as
weak. So he often made missteps that resulted in worse results.
Narrator: He goes to Zaragoza where he is welcomed with open
arms by the King who he already knew and who was a friend of
his. They had fought side by side at Graus and he was known

97. for his skill and bravery. And the affection his men had for
him.
In Castile Rodrigo, an esteemed warrior and one time champion
of the King, had gradually accumulated property and modest
wealth.
An embittered Alfonso had stripped Rodrigo of his land and his
money and left him penniless. He could not support a family
and he could not support his army. Though it was a small force,
by custom, it was the general’s responsibility to support it out
of his own pocket.
His men could defect and try to be absorbed into Alfonso’s
army, but almost without exception the men wanted to stay with
Rodrigo.
In Zaragoza, fighting for the Emir, Rodrigo is earning once
again.
In Zaragoza, El Cid is happy. He oversees the armies there. He
restructures all of Zaragoza’s defenses and he goes to war with
the neighboring regions. He is ordered to by the King of
Zaragoza. He is a mercenary. El Cid and his men are
mercanaries. They fight for money.
The years of Christians and Muslims and their inter
relationships
First scholar: Although it may seem strange to us that a

98. Christian knight would be at the service of a Muslim king, this
was not so unusual in that period, as Muslim courts often
became a refugee for Christian noblemen from the north.
Third scholar: This is important in Rodrigo’s story. And it is a
fact that has been difficult to fit with the image of a Christian
leader and hero. The fact that for many years he was a
mercenary of the emirs of Zaragoza. And in that post he
defeated many armies, especially from Aragon.
It is likely that in that period it was common. Even the
aristocracy of Christian kingdoms admired the Muslim’s
refinements and adopted them. Perhaps the best example is the
abundance of Mudejar art [Muslim art design] which became a
genuine Spanish art design style.
It reflected the fact that while they were defeating the Muslims
they thought, we like their things if they are nicer than ours.
It is likely that while Rodrigo was in Zaragoza that he wore
Musim attire and learned to speak Arabic. It is likely that he
was there many years. It is likely that while he did not abandon
the Christian society he acquired a great respect for this Muslim
community of Zaragoza.
Rodrigo in battle
Rodrigo put himself in the service of Al-mutamin and

99. helped him defend his frontiers against the advance of
the Aragonese in the north and the pressure exerted by Lérida in
the east. The most important battles fought by Rodrigo during
this period were that of Almenar in 1082 and Morella in 1084.
Al-Mutamin had been losing until he was joined in the fight by
Rodrigo, El Cid.
The town, not wishing to pay tribute to the elder brother, had
reached an agreement with the king of Aragón and the count of
Barcelona to obtain their support.
The Battle of Morella, saw Rodrigo in service to a Muslim emir
waging war against Sancho Ramirez, a petty Christian king,
who, seeing his disadvantage, enlisted the assistance of
Mundhir al Hayib, a Muslim ruler of three small nearby realms.
Whatever was at stake, this was not a religious battle.
King Sancho thought briefly that he had the advantage, having
enlarged his forces with the help of al Hayib. He sent a courier
to Rodrigo demanding El Cid retire, quit. El Cid reportedly
replied to the king's demand with an uncompromising message,
and when the two armies joined in battle Rodrigo’s was "an
overwhelming victory" in mid-August.
Fearing an imminent attack, the king of Saragossa sent Rodrigo
to guard the north-eastern frontier of his kingdom, the one
nearest Lérida.
After fruitless negotiations with the attackers to try and get
them to lift the siege, Rodrigo attacked them and, despite the
fact that his followers were few in number, he defeated them
and captured the count of Barcelona.

100. The battle of Morella in 1084 occurred in a similar way.
Rodrigo again emerged victorious, and captured the most
important magnates of Aragón.
An attack by Ben Yusuf puts Alfonso on his heels
Confronted by the arrival of troops from Africa the King of
Castile headed for Toledo in the south to prepare a counter
attack.
Alfonso took an army and bravely captured Toledo and then
made attacks upon the smaller Muslim kingdoms. One of them
was Al Mu-tamid, who had promised not to take his army north
to fight Castile. But now, the Christian King of Castile had
come to try to take his kingdom from him.
The emirs sent messages to Ben Yusuf to help them, which he
eagerly did.
Alfonso laid siege upon Zaragoza, but was forced to retreat
from Ben Yusuf’s discipline fighters.
In Badajoz, Alfonso battled Ben Yusuf’s larger army.

101. Yusuf sent Alfonso a message, which applied to his entire army.
Alfonso was given the choice:
he and his men could convert to Islam or they could pay tribute,
or if they would not accept either of those choices, they would
have to fight.
On that day, the wisest choice for Alfonso would have been to
pay the tribute, and get out. But Alfonso could not tolerate the
shame.
It was a terrible battle.
Half of Alfonso’s forces were killed, as Yusuf was able to send
divisions that attacked on three sides, creating a panic. Alfonso
was wounded, but stayed upright.
But the battle ended in a defeat for Castile in October of 1086
known as the ‘Battle of Sagrajas.’ Because of this success,
southern Spain would remain in Muslim control for nearly one
hundred years more.
But before the fateful day of that battle, Alfonso realizes that he
needs all the quality assistance he can get. And the best general
he knows is Rodrigo.

102. That night at his encampment, Alfonso paces. He is filthy, his
clothes tattered, and he has wounds from the fight.
The same is true of his men – those who are still alive.
Alfonso: (to nobody in particular) I could have beaten Ben
Yusuf if I had had more men! With a few more men we could
have won.
He steps over to Count Ordonez, who is wounded as well, and
dirty and cut up. Ordonez’s hand is injured and would be
unable to wield a sword if the battle resumed the next day.
Alfonso: A handful of knights would have made the difference
…
There is nothing to do. The army of Castile makes it way back
north to recover.
Alfonso realizes he needs Rodrigo

103. Months go by.
Back in Castile at the Castle in the bed chamber is King
Alfonso. He is not sleeping.
He is pacing. He is a man worried about the battles ahead.
He paces the cold stone hallways.
He goes to the room of his sister Urraca.
She sits up in bed and looks at him.
Alfonso: I haven't slept all night. Every time I close my eyes
to sleep...
I dream the same dream, over and over.
I'm fighting an enemy whose face I can never see.
I cut him down with my broadsword, he falls.
But when I look down...it isn't my enemy lying at my feet.
It's...It's my own right arm.
Urraca: It was only a dream. It was nothing.

104. Rodrigo is given the word.
He is wanted back at court in Castile.
He has long waited for this message. In spite of how Alfonso
has treated him, he has wanted to be a champion for the Castile
Kingdom.
He questions his men, loyal to him.
The King Alfonso is going to ask for our services, because he
fears his forces are not strong enough on their own. Do you
wish to return to Castile with me, and to fight for him?
The men agreed.
Rodrigo and his men set out.
When they arrived in Castile and in court Alfonso made a show
of his supreme confidence.
But it was show.
And it really did not matter one way or the other.
Rodrigo entered the Great Hall an older man than the one who
was exiled some ten years before. His face was lined now. But
his eyes were just as steady.

105. Alfonso sat on his throne, projecting only mild interest.
Rodrigo walks to a place just ahead of the three steps up to
Alfonso’s throne, and throws himself to the floor, face down, in
total supplication.
The message must be unmistakable: I serve you. I served you
before. I may have challenged you, but only on a matter of the
strictest protocol, and what had to be.
Alfonso glances down at Rodrigo and then away. His pride is
so gigantic that even now after all these years and with an
enemy army not far away, Alfonso can’t help himself from his
anger at Rodrigo. His hunger to have Rodrigo suffer somehow
for the indignity that this knight had once inflicted upon him.
Alfonso: Don Rodrigo. We have not forgotten or forgiven the
wrong you did our Royal person.
But when danger threatens, it is a king's duty... to put the
welfare of his subjects above all else.
That is why we summoned you here.
Rodrigo: Sire, I have all these years lived in the hope Your
Majesty would call me.
Especially now, since Ben Yusuf has landed on our shores.

106. Alfonso: Ben Yusuf has challenged us to meet him on the
plains of Sagrajas.
Rodrigo: Sire, you must not fight at Sagrajas. Valencia must
first be ---
Alfonso: We have already accepted the challenge.
Rodrigo: My liege, you must first take Valencia.
Alfonso does not see why.
Rodrigo: While the Moors hold Valencia Ben Yusuf can strike
out from there, overrun all Spain.
Your Majesty must not let this happen.
Rodrigo’s military tactical genius is well known to Alfonso.

107. For a decade he has assisted the Emir in Zaragosa to win battles
the Muslim might never have won otherwise.
Other generals thought mostly in terms of courage and
aggression. Rodrigo, Alfonoso knew, was always trying to
figure out the most perfect battle plan.
But Alfonso did not like making his own plan and then being
asked to change it. Especially not in front of a lot of people.
Rodrigo: Look, I have brought friends to help you in this fight.
From behind him step several emirs – Muslims –who come
forward now.
Alfonso: How dare they not kneel to us?
Rodrigo: (softly) Sire. These are kings. They come here as
allies.
Urraca: We need no such allies.

108. Alfonso: We are a Christian kingdom! We treat only with
Christians.
Rodrigo: They're ready to fight at your side for Valencia. They
fear Ben Yusuf as we do.
They are your friends.
Urraca: We do not consider them friends.
The emirs look at each other, and then turn and walk back the
long way out of the chamber.
Rodrigo cannot believe Alfonso’s error. He follows after the
Muslims.
Rodrigo: Sire! You risk having no Spain at all!
Alfonso calls after him.

109. Alfonso: Don Rodrigo, you will join us at Sagrajas and we
shall annul your banishment
and return your lands. But if you are not at Sagrajas we shall
consider you and yours our enemies!
Alfonso tries imprisoning Ximena to gain Rodrigo’s attention
Days pass.
Then weeks.
Rodrigo is back at the encampment on the outskirts of Valencia.
The plan to subdue the city, the kingdom, is working.
Inside the fortress the will of the soldiers is sinking and the will
of the people is sinking.
No resupply of food, of supplies has entered the fort for months.
Then a courier rides up to the base camp and gives Rodrigo a
message.
Rodrigo can’t believe it.

110. Rodrigo: Tell me what the King said again!
Courier: Your family is imprisoned in the castle. They have
been there for weeks. And they will stay.
Rodrigo: Does he expect me to fight for him while he holds my
family?
Courier: No! He hopes you will march on Burgos to rescue her.
Rodrigo: Burgos! Well, then, shall we disappoint our King?
What do we wait here for? To Burgos!
The emir stands near, listening. He finds Alfonso’s actions
disgraceful.
Al Mu-atamin: My Lord Cid, wait! My lord, the city is ready
to fall. More and more people are
coming over to our side. After all these months, we cannot

111. leave!
Rodrigo: Don't speak to me of Valencia, my Lord Moutamin.
Not now! Am I not a man, too, like you?
May I not sometimes think of my wife? My children?
Rodrigo mounts his horse, and calls out to his men, in anger.
Rodrigo: Well, then, what must I do?
The emir sighs and smiles.
He understands El Cid’s plight. And he understands Alfonso’s
desperation. Rodrigo refused to rejoin the King of Castile in
south west Spain, and instead, has been making his stand at
Valencia for months.
Rodrigo’s judgment is right, and Alfonso’s is wrong – but the
fact is Alfonso is a king. So from his perspective, Rodrigo is
simply defiant.

112. The emir can not be angry at Rodrigo because the very military
tactics that Rodrigo so brilliantly designed for Valencia, and
that they have imposed – a siege --- means that they do not
depend upon a brilliant attack led by a courageous general.
They depend upon nothing more complicated or dangerous than
waiting. Whether Rodrigo is here, on the beach, today or
tomorrow, will have no effect on the outcome.
The siege continues. Inside the Valencia fortress they will
never know whether Rodrigo is at the encampment or not.
They can do nothing to turn this into an advantage.
The more the Emir thinks of it, the more he relaxes.
They will wait. Wait for Rodrigo. He will ride to Burgos.
Burgos? And he will free his wife, probably in some daring
swordfight.
And then he will ride back to Valencia, probably bringing his
wife with him.
He will be gone for a week. Maybe as long as a month.
But the siege will hold. The army is well stocked and can
resupply easily. It was a very good plan that Rodrigo put in
place.
So the Emir can wait until Rodrigo returns.

113. Ximena is freed by Ordonez
Rodrigo’s plight was not as severe as he thought.
Alfonso imprisons his family to regain his obedience. But
Count Ordonez, so often Rodrigo’s enemy, intercedes. Ordonez
wants Alfonso’s army to succeed and he knows Rodrigo can
help this to happen.
Ordonez gets to the dungeon cell where Ximena is being held.
He defies Alfonso’s plans, risking his own life.
Ordonez releases Ximena so that she might re-join Rodrigo.
Alfonso will get his wish – that Rodrigo will join his attack,
and precious time will not be wasted with Rodrigo rampaging
until he can reunite with his captive family.
With his own small force, Ordonez rides, escorting Ximena.
Rodrigo is intercepted and pleased. So it is true: Ordonez has
rescued Ximena.
For Rodrigo. Not for himself.
Ordonez tells Rodrigo: Let me fight at your side.

114. Rodrigo has every reason not to trust Ordonez.
Years earlier he tried to get Rodrigo arrested, exiled or executed
by order of the King. And this count has pursued Ximena for
himself for all these years.
Ordonez could be trying to lure Rodrigo onto the battlefield
only to arrange for him to be killed in battle.
But a lot of time has passed. And Rodrigo recognizes the
strategic advantage of having Ordonez, a seasoned knight, and
his loyal force, join in the fight for the King of Castile.
Whatever the Count might think about Rodrigo in his deepest
thoughts, the fact remains that there is no way that Ordonez
could sabotage Afonso’s interests, or Castile’s. Ordonez needs
to show himself well against Ben Yusuf.
Rodrigo has to unite forces with him.
Rodrigo’s military advantage increases over time
Narrator: Because of these developments, El Cid became the
most powerful figure in the whole eastern territory.
Faced with the enormous wealth that El Cid began to
accumulate, in May 1092, Alfonso decided to take Valencia by
force. Faced with this combined attack orchestrated by his

115. former King, El Cid fought back, brilliantly.
El Cid laid waste to the lands of Calahorra and Njera and spread
fear in his wake.
The impact of the defeat at the hands of his vassal on King
Alfonso’s mood was immediate.
He wrote a letter to El Cid pardoning him and admitting his
own guilt for their disagreements.
El Cid had used measured military force to persuade King
Alfonso to acknowledge his, Rodrigo’s, correct judgment, and
loyalty all of this time.
Rodrigo’s [El Cid’s] journal
: What I longed for finally arrived. My king and
master’s pardon. I could do no more than fall to my hands and
knees and place my sword at his service. And all swords of
those who were with me.
Taking Valencia by Bread

116. At Valencia the armies of Al Mu-atamin, Rodrigo, and Ordonez
bring forward the great catapults.
Inside the fortress there is starvation, weakness, illness, and
near loss of hope. The end must be near, they think. The attack
is finally to happen.
But no flaming boulders come at them.
The catapults launch bread over the wall of the fortress. It is
not a military attack, as the Valencia people feared.
The army is hurling bread to a people who have been starving
from the siege. Hundreds of pieces of bread are rained down
over the walls.
Bread upon bread upon bread. Food flying through the air over
the walls and into the hands of starving people.
The gesture succeeds.
The soldiers and citizens inside the fortress surrender.
Rodrigo and Ordonez enter the fortress with all their men on
horses.
The citizens welcome them.

117. Ordonez: (to Rodrigo) The city is yours! Take the crown.
Proclaim yourself king!
Soldier: All our battles we have fought for you. We want you
to rule us.
Al Mu-tamin pushes through the crowd of people, and he holds
in his hand the crown.
Rodrigo’s strategy to capture Valencia without a battle, without
causing the death of either Christians or Muslims has resulted in
a victory. The Emir is awed by this.
Whatever else Ben Yusuf may do, he will not mount a new
attack by way of landing at Valencia.
This has been an achievement created by El Cid.
Al Mu-atamin: My Lord Cid! We have given up everything
for you. We implore you to take the crown.

118. Rodrigo takes the crown from the Emir. He is at a parapet
overlooking the vast crowd of people.
He holds the crown in the air.
Rodrigo: I take Valencia...in the name of my Sovereign Lord
Alfonso... King of Castile, Leon and Asturias...
of Sagunto and Almenara... of Castrejon and Alcantara... King
of Christians and Moors.
Valencia for Alfonso...by the grace of God, King of Spain!
Al Mu-atamin: (softly) What a noble subject. If he had only a
noble king.
THE END

119. Engl 2332
World Literature
Dr Shepard
Essay 12
500 word minimum
Double spaced
14 point font, not 12
Title of the essay should be a complete sentence,
And an argument, for ex. ‘Oedipus treated his mother very
warmly’
Your information at top left corner:
Tom Jones
ENGL 2332
Jan 2, 2011
Dr Shepard
Rodrigo Diaz, El Cid
El Cid, Rodrigo Diaz, is the national hero of Spain.
Rodrigo in some ways stands apart from other historic figures

120. and leaders because of a style all his own. What are some of
the actions taken by Rodrigo over the course of his dramatic
career that distinguish him?
What did Rodrigo experience that we see as unexpected, and his
decisions in certain situations, unique, unusual, and defining? --
That is, we read this, and can conclude, ‘that’s El Cid. Only El
Cid would handle it this way’ ?
And did Rodrigo’s choices, his way, show him to be wiser than
others, or not? Explain.