El Cid: life of the week

Summary

History Extra Podcast – “El Cid: Life of the Week”

Date: September 8, 2025
Guest: Dr. Nora Behrend, Professor of European History, St Catherine's College, Cambridge
Host: Danny Byrd

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Overview

This episode of History Extra’s “Life of the Week” unpacks the real life and posthumous legend of Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar—better known as El Cid. Historian Dr. Nora Behrend traces El Cid’s career as a Castilian nobleman, soldier, mercenary, and eventual ruler, emphasizing his flexible loyalties and complex relationships with both Christian and Muslim rulers during the eleventh-century Reconquista. The episode explores the mythmaking process that shaped both medieval and modern perceptions of El Cid, discussing how he’s been stereotyped alternately as a national Christian hero, a symbol of multiculturalism, and an opportunistic warlord.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Real Man Behind the Myth (02:51–04:33)

• Background: El Cid was born Rodrigo Díaz into the Castilian aristocracy, becoming a major military figure initially in service of King Sancho, then Alfonso VI.
• Ambition and Exile: His increasing personal ambition led to several exiles; during these, he served Muslim rulers and eventually seized and ruled Valencia for himself.
• Quote:

  “He basically became insubordinate...He started to collect tribute, revenues, booty in wars for himself.”
  —Narrator/Voiceover, (03:23)

2. The Political and Military Landscape of 11th-century Iberia (04:33–06:17)

• The period was marked by a breakdown of central power in Al-Andalus (Muslim Iberia), creating “taifas” (small kingdoms).
• Constant shifting of alliances; both Christians and Muslims often fought one another and with/against each other across faith lines.
• Quote:

  “This was really an ideal world, so to speak, for warriors who were not very scrupulous.”
  —Narrator/Voiceover, (06:12)

3. El Cid’s Relationship with King Alfonso VI (06:59–11:58)

• Myth vs. Reality: Later stories painted El Cid as a defender of justice or victim of jealous courtiers; in reality, his break with Alfonso was likely due to his growing power and independence.
• He periodically returned to royal service but consistently pursued self-interest, culminating in his conquest and rule over Valencia.
• Quote:

  “It was really a question of a noble who was gaining too much independent power and becoming a sort of rival.”
  —Narrator/Voiceover, (09:44)

4. Opportunism versus Christian Knight Ideals (11:58–13:02)

• Motivations: The episode counters the myth that El Cid was a purely Christian crusader, highlighting his pragmatic service to Muslim and Christian lords alike.
• Quote:

  “He was definitely an opportunist. I should say most everyone was at the time.”
  —Narrator/Voiceover, (12:09)

5. The Governance of Valencia (14:34–16:51)

• Rule in Valencia: Documentation is scarce and sometimes contradictory; he may have allowed Muslim legal autonomy, but was also depicted as harsh and avaricious by some sources.
• Most chronicles focus on his military feats rather than administrative policies.
• Quote:

  “The chronicles are really only interested in his military achievements...not particularly interested in what he was doing [as a ruler].”
  —Narrator/Voiceover, (15:40)

6. Differing Historical Perspectives (16:51–18:03)

• Muslim Writers: Mostly negative, viewing him as a tyrant.
• Christian Sources: Range from mixed to increasingly heroic over time.
• Quote:

  “The Arabic sources really are quite negative...they definite condemn him as this horrible tyrant.”
  —Narrator/Voiceover, (17:02)
  “By the 13th century…he was really transformed into this Christian leader.”
  —Narrator/Voiceover, (17:42)

7. The Epic Poem “El Cantar de Mio Cid” and Its Influence (18:03–19:49)

• Date and Authenticity: Likely written in the late 12th or early 13th century; mostly legendary, with invented episodes and characters.
• Quote:

  “The stories themselves are very much invented...There is definitely an influence of French literary sources.”
  —Narrator/Voiceover, (18:54)

8. El Cid’s Legacy in Spanish Culture and Nationalism (19:40–25:46)

• Mythic Afterlife: He became a model for Spanish Christian knighthood; cited by Cervantes, the Conquistadors, and modern Spanish nationalism.
• Film and Francoist Propaganda: The 1961 “El Cid” film, though drawing from historical advice, perpetuates the myth more than the messy history; Franco’s regime appropriated El Cid as an emblem of military virtue and nationalist unity.
• Quote:

  “Franco’s entourage started to compare Franco to the [Cid] and see him as a kind of new [Cid].”
  —Narrator/Voiceover, (22:37)

9. The Name “El Cid” and Its Etymology (23:57–25:46)

• Meaning: 'Cid' derives from the Arabic “sidi” (lord); its use postdates Rodrigo’s life, either as an honorific or simply as a regional nobiliary title.
• Quote:

  “First it appears as so my lord, and eventually it becomes kind of the lord."
  —Narrator/Voiceover, (24:12)

10. El Cid’s Legacy in Contemporary Spain (25:46–27:19)

• Post-Franco Era: For a time, El Cid was avoided due to his association with Francoist propaganda. Recently, both right-wing and left-wing groups reinterpret his legacy for their purposes, and he remains a figure for pop culture and tourism.
• There are now tours following the route of places associated with El Cid's legend (“Camino Delsted”).
• Quote:

  “There’s a whole range of ways of commemorating him and remembering him.”
  —Narrator/Voiceover, (27:11)

11. Persistent Myths and Misconceptions (27:19–29:03)

• Multiculturalist vs. Christian Hero: Both myths are oversimplifications; El Cid was not an intentional bridge-builder, nor a single-minded crusader.
• Quote:

  “The two crucial ones really are: the multicultural [Cid]...and the Christian warrior who is fighting against the enemies of the faith...that this was not the reality of everyday interaction.”
  —Narrator/Voiceover, (27:34)

12. The Women in El Cid’s Life (29:03–29:57)

• Role of Ximena, His Wife: More active and powerful than sources suggest; effectively governed during and after his death.
• Quote:

  “She’s really not this passive lady forever waiting for her husband.”
  —Narrator/Voiceover, (29:45)

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Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On opportunism:

  “He was definitely an opportunist. I should say most everyone was at the time.”
  —Narrator/Voiceover, (12:09)

• On myth-making:

  “The same myths continue to persist...they are undying, a bit like vampires, I guess, no matter how often you try to slay them.”
  —Narrator/Voiceover, (27:24)

• On the legend vs. the man:

  “But in the end, the film is really the legend and not the history of Rodrigo.”
  —Narrator/Voiceover, (21:51)

• On everyday politics:

  “It was much more opportunistic.”
  —Narrator/Voiceover, (27:56)

• On sources and fact vs. fiction:

  “It makes it almost sound like a kind of stasi or some sort of much, much later, better organized system of extortion.”
  —Narrator/Voiceover, (15:19)

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Important Segment Timestamps

• 02:51 — El Cid’s background and ascent
• 04:40 — Geopolitical situation in 11th-century Iberia
• 06:59–11:58 — Relationship and conflicts with King Alfonso VI
• 12:09 — Debunking the Christian knight myth
• 14:43 — Ruling Valencia: policies and controversies
• 16:51 — Christian and Muslim source perspectives
• 18:03 — The “Cantar de Mio Cid” and distinguishing fiction from fact
• 19:49 — El Cid’s posthumous cultural influence
• 21:53 — The Franco regime and El Cid as a symbol
• 24:05 — The etymology of “El Cid”
• 25:56 — Modern Spanish attitudes and uses of El Cid
• 27:19 — Myths modern historians correct
• 29:09 — The active political role of Ximena

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Conclusion

Dr. Nora Behrend’s account dismantles many popular illusions about El Cid, emphasizing the complexities and ambiguities of identity, loyalty, and legend in medieval Spain. El Cid emerges less as a one-dimensional hero or villain, and more as a clever, ambitious, and adaptable figure—whose life and myth have been ceaselessly reshaped to fit the changing needs of history, politics, and culture.

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Transcript

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[Podcast Host]

Hello and welcome to Life of the Week where leading historians delve into the lives of some of history's most intriguing and significant figures. From ancient Egyptian pharaohs and medieval warriors to daring 20th century spies. The life of El Cid, the famed 11th century Castilian warrior otherwise known as Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar, is steeped in legend. In today's episode, historian Nora Behrend joins Danny Byrd to examine his real life exploits during the centuries long series of campaigns by Christian kingdoms to reclaim the Iberian peninsula from Muslim rule known as the Reconquista. She unpacks El Cid's complex loyalties to both Christian and Muslim Rulers and explores how his story has been continually reshaped to serve politics, culture and Spanish national identity.

[Historian Nora Behrend]

Let's start with the man behind the myth. Who exactly was El Cid? What kind of world did he grow up in? And how did that set him up on the path to becoming a legendary warrior?

[Narrator/Voiceover]

He was born Rodrigo Diaz in the aristocracy. We know that he became a significant military leader for Sancho. So the king Sancho. And then soon after Sancho's assassination, he transferred his services to Alfonso vi. And he served Alfonso in a military capacity, but also carried out various tasks. So for example, he, with other people at the court, judged some cases, and he collected tribute from Muslim rulers for the king and so on. He also married very well, a relative of the king. So he was one of the sort of warrior nobility of the period. He basically became insubordinate, to use a modern term. He started to collect tribute, revenues, booty in wars for himself. He built up his own military retinue. He had various clashes with the king. He was exiled twice. The first time he ended up going to the Muslim ruler of Zaragoza. And he served the ruler and then his heirs for several years. And he returned to Alfonso's service after that, but was exiled again. And eventually he basically conquered this area, Valencia, for himself and ruled it until his death.

[Historian Nora Behrend]

And can you tell me a little bit about the period we're discussing here and what the geopolitical situation was on the Iberian Peninsula at the time?

[Narrator/Voiceover]

Yeah, so we're talking about roughly the second half of the 11th century. This was a period which was very, very volatile on the Iberian Peninsula. Earlier, in the early 8th century, there was a conquest led by Arabs, or an Arab bear bear conquest, which then resulted in the conversion of a lot of the population to Islam and the creation of Muslim Iberia Al Andalus. But in the early 11th century, this Al Andalus fell apart into lots of basically city states, the so called taifas, party or faction state. And each one had its own ruler. Each one tried to get more territory and try to protect itself from various neighbors and others who wanted their territory. So there was all kinds of warfare going on. The Northern Christians took the opportunity to raid these taifas and take a lot of loot. And the taifas were paying in gold for protection. The historian Angus Mackay called this a protection racket because it really kind of worked like the mafia to pay not to be attacked. But then also Christian rulers started to take some territories, so make territorial conquest. But at the same time, Muslims fought against Muslims, Christians fought against Christians, and there were alliances between Christians and Muslims. So this was really an ideal world, so to speak, for warriors who were not very scrupulous.

[Historian Nora Behrend]

In terms of El Cid's birth, do we know whereabouts he was born on the iberian Peninsula?

[Narrator/Voiceover]

The 13th century poem, our Cantar de Meylcid, claims that he came from Bibar, and so this became a kind of established part of his identity. In fact, what we know is that his family had lands in the Burgos area. So that is sort of part of where Bibar is. But whether he really came from that particular city or somewhere else in the region, we don't know. We don't know where he was born. And later legends also tied his birth to Burgos and even elsewhere. So historically, the only thing we can be sure of is that his family definitely had lands in this Burgos area.

[Historian Nora Behrend]

And as you've mentioned, El Cid had quite a complicated relationship with King Alfonso vi. Sometimes they were allies, sometimes they were at odds. Can you walk us through that dynamic and how it influenced his rise and then his subsequent exile?

[Narrator/Voiceover]

Yes, again, there's history, and then there are legendary versions of a lot of these things. So historically, he started to serve Alfonso when Alfonso took power. So Alfonso and his siblings were at odds and fighting against each other. So at one point, Alfonso had been exiled, and he returned and took power after his brother Sancho was assassinated. Now, later legend created the story that nobles in Castile were not willing to take an oath to Alfonso unless he first took an oath that he had no part in the assassination of his brother, and that it was Rodrigo who, finally, for the common good, accepted to administer this oath, and Alfonso hated him because of that. But this is really later myth. There's no evidence at all that Afonso had to take such an oath, even less that Rodrigo had any role in it. Rodrigo clearly served Afonso for many years in various capacities, as many of these aristocrats did at the time. First, fallout and exile happened because of attack against a trifa that was under the protection of Alphonso. So there was a Muslim attack, and Rodrigo retaliated. But of course, the king couldn't really accept that one of his own nobles would attack a territory that is paying to be protected by him. Again, later legends created all sorts of other stories around that exile. So the cantar obviously depicted Rodrigo as being completely innocent and Alfonso as being unjust, unfair. As I mentioned, according to one later legend, it was because of that oath that Rodrigo administered. But according to other versions, it was because of the hostility of jealous nobles at the court. So they would have disliked Rodrigo because he was the best and poisoned the king's mind against him. But I think, as far as we can ascertain, it was really a question of a noble who was gaining too much independent power and becoming a sort of rival, in a sense. He then served very successfully for five years the Muslim rulers of Zaragoza, and he fought against Christians in that period. Alfonso probably recalled him again. I mean, we don't have the exact details of how this happened, but these typhoid rulers became very alarmed when Alfonso attached Toledo to his realm. So it was no longer just paying tribute, it was losing land. And so they called on the Almoravids. These were a Muslim dynasty in Morocco, northern Africa, and they answered this call. They crossed the south of Spain and started basically trying to retake territories from Christians and eventually kind of conquered the Teufas as well. But in this first period, they successfully fought against Afonso. So Afonso lost the major battle, and after that, he really needed all the warriors he could get. So probably he recalled Rodrigo. According to other ideas, it was Rodrigo who kind of wanted to return. And then Rodrigo served Alfonso again. Yet again, the kind of final falling out was explained by very strange sort of story. So according to the story, Rodrigo was to go with his army to help Alfonso against the kind of Muslim troops. And he was waiting, and somehow his men failed to notice that Alfonso's army already passed by. And so he was too late. He couldn't join the king. By the time he kind of started it, it was too late. The king was already turning back. So according to this version, it was some unfortunate accident. But again, it's much more likely that it was Rodrigo basically kind of thinking about his own interests rather than being a loyal vassal, King Alfonso. So this led to this final rupture, and then Rodrigo setting out, without any kind of links to Alfonso vi, to conquer Valencia. There was an interesting epilogue after Rodrigo's death. So after he died, for a few more years, his widow Ximena held Valencia. But then basically, she had to ask Alfonso VI for help. At the time, Valencia was too deep in Muslim lands, and she was unable to hold it any longer. And Alfonso came with his troops and helped evacuate Valencia. So all the Christians from there went north with him.

[Historian Nora Behrend]

Many people have grown up with an ideal of El Cid as this noble Christian knight fighting to reclaim Spain for Christendom. But was that really the case, or was he more of an opportunist who played both sides?

[Narrator/Voiceover]

I think it was Definitely not the case. He was definitely an opportunist. I should say most everyone was at the time. So, you know, when we say he was an opportunist, he played both sides. It might come across as something particularly nasty, but it was fairly typical in the period. There were a lot of people who switched sides repeatedly between Christians and Muslims. There was a religious rhetoric, but there wasn't a kind of matching reality of, you know, just Christians fighting for the faith. So this idea of him as a Christian knight was created a bit later. It already started towards the end of his life. Ecclesiastics started to create this before he died, but then especially after his death in texts subsequent to his death in the 12th, 13th century and thereafter, he was really transformed into this Christian leader.

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[Historian Nora Behrend]

And as you've referenced already, one of his greatest achievements was the conquest of Valencia. But what kind of ruler was El Cid? How did he manage to govern such a diverse city at the time?

[Narrator/Voiceover]

The strange thing is that the contemporary sources are not very interested in that, so we have very little actual evidence and Even the bits and pieces we have, we have to treat with very great caution, because all these texts, all these sources come from certain perspectives. They're not necessarily reality. So according to one later text, he appointed Muslim judges, and he assured the Muslim inhabitants that they can keep their laws and they would stay still be governed according to their own laws. But there's another text which ultimately comes from someone who supposedly was an eyewitness, which states that he actually had the judge of Valencia burned alive and was only dissuaded by other Christians in his entourage from burning the whole family of this judge. And he did this because he wanted to find out. He wanted to get the treasure that this judge had accumulated before. There is a text that claims that he employed Jews who followed every Muslim and extorted money from them. It makes it almost sound like a kind of stasi or some sort of much, much later, better organized system of extortion. And the chronicles are really only interested in his military achievements. So even after his conquest of Valencia, they celebrate him for defeating various Muslim armies, and they're not particularly interested in what he was doing. We do know that he re established the bishopric there, and he gave donations to the bishop and to the bishopric. And we also know that Ximena still kind of gave donations after his death and also envisioned new conquests which were not materialized. So it's quite likely that also Rodrigo would have liked to consolidate his rule and make maybe expand his rule, but he only had a few years left.

[Historian Nora Behrend]

We have sources from both Christian and Muslim writers that talk about El Cid. And I was curious to know, how did their perspectives differ? Was he seen as a hero, a villain, or something in between?

[Narrator/Voiceover]

The Arabic sources really are quite negative. They acknowledge his military leadership, but sometimes even attribute various ruses. So it's not necessarily just his military skills. They see even his victories in a more negative light, and they definite condemn him as this horrible tyrant. The Christian sources vary as well. So the 12th century chronicle, for example, historia, overall it's positive, but has some negative things to say about him, and notably condemns him for looting and devastating Christian lands as well. By the 13th century, when the Poemo Cantar of the Meusid was written, this really transforms him into a wonderful Christian hero who's also a Castilian patriot and a loyal vassal of Alfonso. So there's a range of texts, but I would say that overall the Arabic texts are more negative and the Christian ones are more positive.

[Historian Nora Behrend]

Could we focus a little bit on El Canto da Mirzid, this epic poem that you've alluded to, when was it written and how much of it is based on reality, or is it just pure storytelling?

[Narrator/Voiceover]

The first question in terms of when it was written is a very good one, and scholars have been debating it for generations. Some historians wanted to see it as a very early text and as transmitting authentic oral stories. Others see it as much, much later. The latest dating would be the early 13th century. That's when one dated manuscript was written. And the question is really, was it composed then, or is that already a copy? If it is a copy, when was the original written? I find the arguments for very late 12th, very early 13th century dating the most convincing. But I have to say that there is no absolute proof. In terms of the contents, it's pretty much invention. Obviously, the fact that he was a military leader and so on is factual, but the stories themselves are very much invented, adopted from other sources. So there is definitely an influence of French literary sources, for example. And of course, a large part of the poema is this entirely invented story of his daughters. Historically, he did have daughters, but even their names are changed. So the names Elvira and Sol in the Cantar are just invented names. And the whole story of their marriage and humiliation and rehabilitation is just pure fiction.

[Historian Nora Behrend]

Now, even after his death, El Cid's legacy lives on. How did his story influence the later Reconquista and even early modern Spanish identity?

[Narrator/Voiceover]

He became really the exemplar for the perfect Spanish Christian knight who fights for the faith. So you find him by the early modern period in all sorts of literary sources. Cervantes refers to him, the Conquistadores refer to him. So he's both a kind of model and a constant reference point. And of course, it's this kind of mythicized FID that becomes this reference point.

[Historian Nora Behrend]

For most people listening. I suppose their recollection of El Cid will probably be the Charlton Heston film. Just wondered how much of that film is based on the historical sources. Or is it again another reinvention of the El Cid legend?

[Narrator/Voiceover]

It is a very strange mixture because in strange ways, the sources actually do influence the film. But probably most viewers do not realize that. One example is that in the latter part of the film, we start seeing him with a beard. My guess would be most viewers just think that signifies time passing. But in fact, in the Cantar, you have this idea that he takes a vow not to cut his beard as a kind of sign of loyalty to Alfonso. So until Alfonso pardons him. And all these things got into the film because its Historical advisor was Ramon Menendez Vital, who actually spent most of his life working on the sources and writing about the Thid. But he was one of these historians who really tried to rehabilitate the Thed, so to speak, and who thought of him as a real hero and who accepted, for example, the Kantar as transmitting authentic historical information. So strangely, because of him, there are all these historical sources that were used for the making of the film. But in the end, the film is really the legend and not the history of Rodrigo.

[Historian Nora Behrend]

Do you know much about how the Franco dictatorship in the 20th century looked back to the El Cid legend?

[Narrator/Voiceover]

Again, it was Menendez Vidal's work that very much inspired the Francois. Menendez Vidal himself was not a Francois, and he was even in exile for a short time at the beginning, but he returned to Spain and eventually sort of gained eminent positions. And definitely his work was used very much by the Francois. It became obligatory reading at the military academy. It wasn't Franco himself, but his entourage started to compare Franco to the Fed and see him as a kind of new fid. So this idea of a military leader who takes power for the good of the nation, who acts not out of a kind of desire for power, but for the common good, who unite Spain against the common enemy. The Francoists, of course, also depicted their own war against the republicans as this kind of war against international communism. So they really distorted the historical Rodrigo and used him for their own purposes. There was a big mural painting prepared for what used to be called the Bahia de los Caidos. And this was a huge monument built by the slave laborer of republicans to glorify Francoism. And eventually Franco himself was buried there. And this mural painting depicted Franco as a new Cid, holding a sword and in the kind of medieval looking armor in the middle, and all these people who contribute to Spanish society around him. And kind of white horseman on the top, who is a reference to St. James the Apostle, who was seen as Santiago Matamoros, so The Moor killer, St. James, and in medieval stories sort of comes and helps Christians against Moors. So it's really visually expressing this identity between the said and Franco.

[Historian Nora Behrend]

Obviously his name was Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar. But I was wondering, could you tell me a little bit about the etymology of El Cid?

[Narrator/Voiceover]

Yes, I think that's also very interesting. So first, perhaps the term itself is basically using a vernacular, El the and, which comes from Arabic, sidi, lord. So it's kind of the lord. Now, in the medieval sources, it appears posthumously, so we never have any text call him Thid. In his lifetime. But first it appears as so my lord, and eventually it becomes kind of the lord. There have been various ideas about how this term was born and when it was born. So according to some people, although we don't have any proof, it was already used in his lifetime, and it was used by Muslim subjects either in Zaragoza or in Valencia, as a kind of way of honoring him. And it would be a one of the proofs of his unique, extraordinary status. According to others, it's not a term that was used in his lifetime, but it's only a kind of posthumous term. But now there's a new article, fairly recent article, that argues that actually in this area of Castile from around 1100 onwards, so just after his death. So again, it's not absolute proof. There is evidence of other nobles being called thid. So it would have then been the way to call nobles in the area, and even not necessarily directly from Arabic, but already from the vernacular. So maybe it was an existing way of calling nobles, in which case, of course, it would not have been unique to him.

[Historian Nora Behrend]

And I was wondering, Nora, I don't know if you have much information on how Spain since 1975 has dealt with the legacy of El Cid. Is there anything you want to add about that?

[Narrator/Voiceover]

So after Franco's death and after the return of Spain to a kind of democratic system, for a while he was very toxic and people preferred not to talk about him or celebrate him. And then very curious transformations are happening, because on the one hand, the right, the extreme right again, has taken him up as a sort of exemplar of, well, kind of the forerunner of white supremacists. But the left is also trying to, in a sense, return to some supposed kind of more correct image. But I think it's just a different kind of legend. So a sort of multiculturalist who lived together with Muslims and learned from them and so on. So I think now you have both at the same time. And of course there's also just for entertainment TV series and for tourism, especially in the region. And also there's a Camino Delsted, so it's modeled in a sense on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela. And every place that is mentioned in the Cantare de Mievstead is on that route. And sort of you can, as a tourist, visit these places. So there's a whole range of ways of commemorating him and remembering him.

[Historian Nora Behrend]

What are the biggest misconceptions about El Cid that historians are trying to set straight today?

[Narrator/Voiceover]

I think the same myths continue to persist. So Already many people have argued against various parts of the myth, but they are undying, a bit like vampires, I guess, no matter how often you try to slay them. But I would say that the two crucial ones really are the multicultural fit, because I think it's very important to remember that although it's true that he didn't just kill Muslims, he did live with them as well. And presumably, as many people at the time, he did learn things, military strategy, whatever else, we don't know exactly, but that is quite likely. But that is not the same. It's not the same as being a multiculturalist. It was not based on some kind of explicit recognition that other kinds of people are equally valuable or have the right to exist. It was much more opportunistic. So I would say kind of, that's one of the important myths. And the other one, of course, is still the Christian warrior who is fighting against the enemies of the faith. And there too, it's very important to remember that although there was a kind of religious rhetoric, and already very late in his life, in the Donation charter to the bishopric of Valencia, ecclesiastics call him in this way, so they describe him in this way, that he was sent by God to save the Christians, but that this was not the reality of everyday interaction, that everyday interaction was much messier and people were not actually divided by religious lines, they just fought against each other as much as cooperated.

[Historian Nora Behrend]

And is there anything that you feel we've neglected that you think needs to be.

[Narrator/Voiceover]

Well, perhaps just a little bit about his wife and daughters, who in many of the sources are either neglected or depicted as these kind of passive recipients of his bounty and care and so on. And that the historical women were much more active. We don't know that much about his daughters, but about Ximena at least. We do know that she governed with him initially and then in her own right, that in her own donation she is ordering her sons in law to obey her and she's envisioning kind of territorial conquest. So she's really not this passive lady forever waiting for her husband.

[Podcast Host]

That was Nora Behrend, Prince, professor of European history at St Catherine's College, Cambridge, specialising in medieval history and the use of medieval themes in modern nationalism. Her book El Cid the Life and Afterlife of a Medieval Mercenary, is out now published by septa. Thanks for listening to today's Life of the Week. Be sure to join us again next time to learn about about another fascinating figure from the past.

[Greg Jenner]

Hello, I'm Greg Jenner, host of youf're Dead to Me, the comedy podcast from the BBC that takes history seriously. Each week, I'm joined by a comedian and an expert historian to learn and laugh about the past. In our all new season, we cover unique areas of history that your school lessons may have missed, from getting ready in the Renaissance era to the Kellogg brothers. Listen to youo're Dead to Me Now. Wherever you get your podcast.