Coffin of El Cid

High on the northwestern wall of the Capilla de Corpus Cristi, in the the catedral, is the coffin of El Cid.

Few names resonate through Spanish history quite like El Cid, the 11th-century soldier of fortune and adventurer whose story tells in microcosm the tumultuous years when Spain was divided into Muslim and Christian zones. That El Cid has become a romantic, idealised figure of history known for his unswerving loyalty and superhuman strength owes much to the way his exploits captured the popular imagination as expressed in an anonymous 12th-century epic poem and the 1961 film starring Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren. Reality, though, presents a very different picture.

El Cid (from the Arabic sidi for 'chief' or 'lord') was born Rodrígo Diaz in Vivar, a hamlet about 10km north of Burgos, in 1043. After the death of Ferdinand I, he entered into the murky world of royal succession which saw the king's five heirs squabbling over the throne and, ultimately, El Cid's banishment from Castilla in 1076. With few scruples as to whom he served, El Cid offered his services to a host of rulers, both Christian and Muslim. With each battle, he became ever more powerful and wealthy.

It is not known whether he suddenly developed a loyalty to the Christian kings or smelled the wind and saw that Spain's future would be Christian. Either way, when he heard that the Muslim armies had taken Valencia and expelled all the Christians, El Cid marched on the city, recaptured it and became its ruler in 1094 after a devastating siege. At the height of his powers and reputation, the man also known as El Campeador (the Champion) retired to spend the remainder of his days in Valencia where he died in 1099. His remains were returned to Burgos, where he lies buried along with his wife, Jimena.