When Ferdinand I of Castile died under the walls of Valencia in
1065 he divided his kingdom among his five children. To Sancho he
left Castile, to Alphonso León, to García Galicia, to doña Urraca
the city and lands of Zamora, and to doña Elvira Toro. Sancho,
like his father, soon set about uniting the scattered inheritance.
Ruy Diaz, a native of Bivar near Burgos, was his standard bearer
against Alphonso at the battle of Volpéjar, aided him in the
Galician campaign and was active at the siege of Zamora, where
Sancho was treacherously slain. Alphonso, the despoiled lord of
León, succeeded to the throne of Castile. Ruy Diaz, now called the
Campeador (Champion) in honor of his victory over a knight of
Navarre, was sent with a force of men to collect the annual taxes
from the tributary Moorish kings of Andalusia. Mudafar of Granada,
eager to throw off the yoke of Castile, marched against the
Campeador and the loyal Motamid of Seville, and was routed at the
battle of Cabra. García Ordoñez who was fighting in the ranks of
Mudafar was taken prisoner. It was here probably that the Cid
acquired that tuft of García's beard which he later produced with
such convincing effect at Toledo. The Cid returned to Castile
laden with booty and honors. The jealousy aroused by this exploit
and by an equally successful raid against the region about Toledo
caused the banishment of the Cid. From this time until his death
he was ceaselessly occupied in warfare against the Moors.
The way to Valencia was beset with more and greater difficulties
than those described in the poem. The events of the first years of
exile are closely associated with the moorish state of Zaragoza.
At the death of its sovereign Almoktadir bitter strife arose
between his two sons, Almutamin in Zaragoza and Alfagib in Denia.
The Cid and his followers cast their lot with the former, while
Alfagib sought in vain to maintain the balance by allying himself
with Sancho of Aragon and Berenguer of Barcelona. After a decisive
victory in which Berenguer was taken prisoner Almutamin returned
to Zaragoza with his champion, "honoring him above his own son,
his realm and all his possessions, so that he seemed almost the
lord of the kingdom." There the Cid continued to increase in
wealth and fame at the expense of Sancho of Aragon and Alfagib
until the death of Almutamin.
For a short time the Cid was restored to the good graces of
Alphonso, but a misunderstanding during some joint military
expedition brought a second decree of banishment. The Cid's
possessions were confiscated and his wife and children cast into
prison.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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