Tuesday, July 10, 2012

[July 10] Rodrigo, lord of Valencia


Surnamed: "El Cid Campeador (The Lord-Master of Military Arts)"
Parents: Diego Laínez
Date of Birth: 1043
Royal House: Díaz
Spouse: Jimena, daughter of Diego, count of Oviedo
Predecessor: Abu Ahmad Dja'far
Reign: 1094 – 1099
Summary: Few people in the medieval era in Europe could claim the title Hero, but El Cid is one of them. He built a small independent lordship for himself in eastern Spain without anyone's permission, and only death ended that domination. Rodrigo Díaz, the man who would become El Cid, was born to a Castilian bureaucrat family. His father, Diego, was a soldier and politician, but not overly famous or renowned. At the age of fourteen, Rodrigo was already making a name for himself fighting against the Morrish fortress at Zaragoza. By twenty, he was at the Battle of Graus fighting alongside Moors who were allied with Castile against Aragón. It is possible that during this battle, Rodrigo earned the name "compeador" for defeating an Aragonese knight in single combat. Rodrigo recognized Sancho II of León as his overlord, and as such was sent to Alfonso, a brother of the king, to negotiate peace in a long-standing feud between the two brothers. While Rodrigo was away, Sancho was assassinated and Alfonso became king. Castilians, including Rodrigo, did not trust Alfonso and made him swear upon holy relics that he was not involved in the death of Sancho. Rodrigo was removed of his military position and sent away from the court after this dispute. At the Battle of Cabra in 1079, Rodrigo rallied his army and routed Abdullah, emir of Granada. Since this battle was unauthorized by the Castilian king, Rodrigo was exiled from Castile. Rodrigo first went to Barcelona but he was refused. He then travelled to Zaragoza where he was accepted by the local populace. Although Zaragoza was a Moorish taifa, he was given command of the local army. It was there that he was named "El Cid" and he served as a leader of a mixed army of Spaniards, Muladis, Berbers, Arabs, and Malians. As the commander of the army, he held off advances from every direction and made a name for himself throughout Hispania. In 1086, the Almoravids invaded Spain from Morocco and the Christian forces were crushed. Alfonso of Castile recalled El Cid but the general was no mood to help the Christians who had turned against him. He sat aside the major battles between the two sides, waiting to make his move.

That chance came in early 1090. With a joint Christian-Muslim army, El Cid descended upon the region of Valencia south of Barcelona. In May 1090, El Cid defeated Berenguer Ramón II of Barcelona at the Battle of Tébar and captured him, forcing Berenguer's son to marry his own daughter to avoid future conflicts. By October 1092, all of the region was in his control except the city of Valencia, which he put to siege. The siege ended two years later and El Cid marched triumphantly in, the lord of a new realm carved out of Christian and Muslim holdings on the east coast of Hispania. It was the first multinational, multi-religious state in Spain, and El Cid was its lord. For five years, El Cid and his wife, Jimena, ruled Valencia in peace until the Almoravids came to displace them. El Cid died in 1099 due to low morale and the impact of famine of his besieged city. The city held against the Almoravids for three more years but it finally fell and Jimena was forced to flee to Castile. She took El Cid's body with her and buried him at the monastery of San Pedro de Cerdeña. He was later reburied at Burgos Cathedral. Valencia returned to the Moors for another 125 years before it was decisively captured by Castilian forces in the 1200s.
Date of Death: 10 July 1099
Successor: Jimena

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:
  • Hadrian, emperor of Rome (138 CE)
  • Li Shimin, emperor of China (649)
  • Eric I, king of Denmark (1103)
  • Ladislaus IV, king of Hungary (1290)
  • René I, king of Naples (1480)
  • Henry II, king of France (1559)
  • William I, prince of Orange (1584)
  • Charles II, archduke of Austria (1590)

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