El cantar de mío Cid or Poema
del Cid (The Song of the Cid), composed around
1200, is no doubt the greatest epic of medieval Spain. It
is a chronicle of the life of a national hero, Rodrigo (or
Ruy) Diáz de Vivar, soldier and commander under King Alfonso
VI of Castile, who is said to have lived in the 11th Century.
Having fought firstly against the Moors and later against
the Christians, this chivalric knight also conquered the Kingdom
of Valencia, which he ruled to the end of his days.
His heroic figure
inspired this anonymous epic poem, which exalted honour, glory,
courage, generosity and loyalty. His title, El Cid Campeador
was derived partly from Moorish and Spanish origins, Cid
meaning "Lord" in Arabic (al sayyid) and
Campeador meaning "Champion" in Spanish.
