El Cid - The Story of History's Greatest Knight

else it has been immortalized in story and song but he was a true historical man whose life is even more fascinating than the legend Rodrigo Diaz long before he earned the title of the CID which comes from an Arabic word meaning Lord was born around 10:43 in a tiny village called Vivar north of Burgos he was literate and was trained in his youth to be a skilled horseman and warrior he grew up during the reign of King Fernando the first of Leon Castile a great Conqueror who we discuss at length in a previous video Rodrigo came from a well-positioned Knightly family and he grew up alongside King Fernando's eldest son Sancho to whom he was devoted when Sancho himself became king he rewarded his faithful friend Rodrigo by making him Commander of his military thus during Sancho's brief reign Rodrigo is one of the most powerful men in the kingdom after Sancho's untimely death Rodrigo continued on in the service of the new king Sancho's brother Alphonse the sixth of Leon Castile Rodrigo is a learned man often attended to legal matters for his King in 1075 Alfonso rewarded the CID with a prestigious marriage to one of his own relatives a lady Jimena thus at the close of the ten 70s Rodrigo's seemed to be very much on the ascent however his status at Alfonso's court was about to change dramatically lately Alfonzo vi had serious designs on the Moorish type estate of toledo toledo had long been a great source of tribute for the kingdom of león castile but the region was coming under serious to molten factions among the Moors competed for power and Alfonso vi had to intervene personally to ensure that his puppet al-qadir remained on the throne however alkyd ears rule was unstable and he had little control over the many warlike Moorish bands roaming about his territory in the early summer of 1080 one a group of Moorish bandits emerged from Toledo territory entered Castile and raided the castle of Gorman's the CID responded by gathering together an army crossing into two leaden lands and ravaging the countryside historians have long been puzzled by Rodrigo's actions here surely he must have been aware that al-qadir himself would have never ordered this raid and a Castilian attack on alkyd ears lands was embarrassing to the king of Lanka Steele extracted considerable tribute from Toledo in exchange for protection at any rate King Alfonso could not overlook this transgression and was obliged to exile Rodrigo thus the CID departed for the east of the peninsula where he would in time perform deeds that would render his name immortal thus it set out in exile and 1081 leading a small band of his own Knights these were men who fought and trained alongside Rodrigo who forged them into a powerful fighting force the CID was a broad-minded man and we learned from eben bassam a hostile Moorish source how he valued literature it is said that books were studied in his presence the warlike deeds of the old heroes of Arabia were read to him and when the story of Malala was reached he was seized with delight and expressed himself full of admiration for this hero at first the CID travelled to Christian Catalonia with a count of Barcelona declined his offer of service from there he journeyed to Moorish Zaragoza where he was well received by the amir al multum in Alamosa men felt threatened by his brother and neighbor a lion who ruled Laurita and Tortosa and had designs on Zahra itself thus almal two men could make good use of a distinguished warrior in exile like El Cid in the summer of 1080 - al habe formed an alliance with King Sancho of Aragon and count berenguer Ramon of Barcelona both of whom had an interest in expanding their influence into Zaragoza in territory bolstered by his Christian allies Al Hayat launched an invasion into his brothers domain Roderigo organized a capable defence refortified key castles and leading a coalition force of Christians and Moors against the invaders the two armies clashed in battle near Tama right and the CID won a remarkable victory Rodrigo even captured the count of Barcelona himself a most prestigious prisoner the CID returned in triumph to Zaragoza or Alamo two men gave him a hero's welcome the count of Barcelona treated honorably since his capture was then released and returned to his own lands for another four years the CID would remain in almal two men service repeatedly he thought of the efforts of al-habib the King of Aragon in the count of Barcelona against Zaragoza by 1084 Rodrigo was one of the most prestigious figures at Alma women's court an indispensable commander in the army by serving Zaragoza Rodrigo could still act in some way to benefit his former lord King Alfonso the sixth who had long received tribute from Zaragoza and considered himself its overlord by thwarting the efforts of Aragon and Barcelona in the region he protected Leone's interests this is an interesting feature of the Syd's exile that he always retained a certain loyalty to King Alfonso despite their strained relationship indeed when Alfonso besieged Saragosa in 1085 Rodrigo refused to aid almal two men in defending the city in 1085 Alfonso the sixth king of león and Castile is at the pinnacle of his power with Toledo in his possession his kingdom now reached into the heart of Spain and stood poised to expand farther into the Muslim controlled portions of the peninsula known as al-andalus the Emir's who ruled the Muslim city-states in southern Spain called taifas recognized their inability to counter Alfonso's power and so appealed to the Almoravids of North Africa for help so who were these Almoravids the Almoravids were a Berber sect that maintained militaristic discipline while strictly observing the core tenets of Islam their leader was a stern enigmatic figure Youssef even Tosh Fein unlike the cultured muslim amirs of spain who lived in luxury Yusuf was a rugged warrior of the desert Yusuf's personal discipline inspired great loyalty his followers under him the Almoravids conquered morocco in western algeria and thus dominated much of north africa yusuf and his men rejected the wealth and luxury that they believed had corrupted the Muslim cities of the day and instead insisted on simple dress they veiled themselves to the eyes as a sign that they were set apart earning them the moniker of the veiled ones Yusuf considered the taifa Amir's of Spain to be a feat ineffectual and negligent of their obligations as Muslims and yet the Spanish Amir's were willing to risk being conquered themselves by the almoravids rather than see all of the Iberian Peninsula fall to the Christians almal to mid Emir of Sevilla wrote that he would rather herd camels for the Almoravids and tend hogs for Alfonzo the 6th Yusuf even tashfeen responded favorably to the appeal from the taifa states of Spain he had no interest in saving the taifa Amir's but was eager to extend his power into the Iberian Peninsula for the greater good of Islam gathering a tremendous army Yusuf landed at Allis Cirus on July 30th 1086 roughly a year since Alfonso the six that conquered Toledo at Sevilla Yusuf issued a call to all of Islamic Spain its unite with him against Alfonso the sixth the Emir's of Sevilla and Granada responded joining the North African army this Muslim coalition now marched on Badajoz Yusuf's priority was to drive the Christians from Toledo meanwhile Alphonse of the 6th was besieging Zaragoza the northernmost of the great Muslim taifa cities when he received news of the almoravid invasion Alfonzo abandoned the siege and assembled his forces he sent an appeal for health to Sancho the first King of Aragon who sent an arrogant ease contingent early in the autumn the Christians marched south to counter the almoravid advance on October 23rd 1086 the Christian and Muslim armies faced off in battle at segata house northeast of Badajoz Alfonso's army contained roughly 2,500 men composed of about 750 heavy cavalry plus some 750 less experienced light cavalry and around 1000 foot soldiers the Muslim coalition outnumbered the Christian forces by roughly 3 to 1 that Alfonso the 6th trusted in the strength of his heavy cavalry which he believed could break the enemy formations and deliver a quick victory initially the Christian forces decimated the Muslim Vanguard with a series of cavalry charges yusuf had placed the forces of the spanish Amir's in the front while keeping his own alma Ravitz in reserve finally yusuf unleashed his men in a solid formation to the rhythm of war drums the christian cavalry worn out from fighting all day began to be pressed back alfonso now saw that muslim troops were over running his camp and his entire army was in danger of being enveloped by the numerically superior enemy thus King Alfonso ordered a retreat which resulted in a fighting march into the nightfall as the Christian forces withdrew during the battle Alfonso was wounded in the calf leaving a bone scar that would be found by researchers 900 years later the Christian army retired to Korea some 125 kilometers to the northeast and then to Toledo where Alfonso prepared the city for a possible siege roughly half of the Christian army was destroyed the Almoravids decapitated the Christian dead and sent the heads in carts to the cities of al-andalus to announce the victory and yet despite this triumph yusuf was not able to conquer toledo nor any christian territory Alfons to the six was still in a strong position and organized a solid defense of toledo the Almoravids had suffered high casualties as well and yusuf doesn't seem to have had the numbers to contemplate an attack on Toledo instead he quickly withdrew to North Africa King Alfonso was now desperate for help against this dangerous new enemy he formally pardoned the CID though their relationship remains stormy for years to come the King authorized the CID to hold by hereditary right any lands he might conquer from the Moors in the east the CID set out for the Moorish Taif estate of Valencia which was a prime target for the Almoravids there Rodrigo established himself as protector of al-qadir Emir of Valencia and longtime puppet of Alfonso the sixth with in Valencia however the local Moorish Nobles were disgusted with al qadir obeisance to the Christians they sent word to the alma Rabbids requesting that they come and occupy the city by now the Almoravids controlled virtually all of the Moorish portions of Spain called al-andalus including the great cities of Cordoba Sevilla and Granada meanwhile the Moors of Valencia revolted in October of 1090 to al-qadir the puppet Emir tried to escape disguised as a woman but he was seized by the Moorish nobles and executed on October 28 the cid however was not about to let valencia fall unchallenged into the lap of the Almoravids in July of 1093 he besieged and blockaded the city trapping the rebels inside the Moors of Valencia were now in a desperate situation but they resisted for nearly a year finally reduced to starvation the Moors surrendered on June 15 1094 and the cid entered valencia in triumph concerned about security the CID expelled part of the Moorish population from Valencia distributing their property as booty to his troops you replace them with mows Arabs Christians who'd been living under Moorish rule in the suburbs whom he considered to be more loyal to him those Moors permitted to remain in Valencia were allowed to continue the practice of their faith and maintain their property so long as they paid tribute to El Cid as their Lord with his wife Dona Jimenez and his children the CID took up residence in the Alcazar Valencia's great fortress palace we are told that the CID climbed with his wife two daughters and son up to the highest tower to gaze out over the beautiful city that they now ruled Rodrigo's achievement was astounding in the heart of Moorish territory against all but impossible odds he'd won an independent principality the question now is how long could the CID maintain this precarious position the fall of Valencia horrified the Moorish world almost as much as the fall of Toledo nine years prior Yusuf m'intosh Veen ruler of the Almoravids dispatched his nephew Muhammad at the head of an African army augmented by Andalusian contingents with explicit orders to drive the cid from valencia by september of 1090 for the almoravid forces advanced on valencia the cid sought help from king alfonso vi of leon Castile as well as from King Pedro the first of Aragon but both were heavily occupied by other affairs and weren't able to send any immediate aid the cid and his small army were on their own and so rodrigo assembled his forces though he was badly outnumbered began to look for an opportunity to inflict damage on the almoravid host observing the enemy with his Scouts the cid noted a vulnerability in what should have been a strength for the ama Rabbids the large size of the army composed of a variety of contingents could render it unwieldy meanwhile Rodrigo and his men having fought together for years could operate tightly and quickly by early October the almoravid host was concentrated outside Valencia on a level plane called Duarte for over a week the Alma rabbit army made a great show of force outside of Valencia's walls howling their war cries and launching arrows finally Rodrigo executed a brilliant plan dividing his army in two he launched one force in a sortie with such ferocity that the Alma Ravitz concentrated themselves against it meanwhile the CID led his second force discreetly from one of Valencia's lesser gates and fell upon the enemy camp just as Rodrigo had anticipated the vast Alma rabbit host was slow to react to the surprise Rodrigo and his knights spread confusion and terror until the entire Elmer arrived an army was in full route the victory was totaled El Cid occupied the almoravid camp distributing its treasures among his men the Battle of Corte was the first defeat suffered by the almoravid since their arrival on the Iberian Peninsula in November of 1096 King pedra the first of Aragon conquered Wescoe freeing him to join Elsa in joint operations against the Almoravids he and the CID agreed to combine their armies and reinforce the southern frontier castle of benek adèle in the foothills between hot Eva and Denia Rodrigo himself had restored this castle in 1091 for it guarded the southern approach to Valencia making it strategically crucial as El Cid and King Pedro marched their armies southward they came upon an Alma rabbit host led by Mohammed m'intosh Finn nephew to the Grimm almoravid commander Yusuf even touch theme years earlier the CID had defeated Muhammad at the Battle of quartet outnumber the CID and the King supplied the castle then quickly swung eastward toward the Mediterranean coast hoping to strike north back toward Valencian territory but Muhammad determined to cut them off marched his army rapidly to outmaneuver them when Pedro and the CID arrived before by renn they found the almoravid forces occupying the high ground close to the sea almoravid ships had also arrived via their port at al meriya El Cid and the Aragon ease King found their troops pinned between the Berber cavalry on the high ground and the coast from which almoravid archers were bombarding them with arrows it was a desperate situation but the SID knew well that their only chance was to fight he rode among his troops delivering a rousing speech and ordered them to prepare for battle Rodrigo strategy was audacious but brilliant the SID began his attack by leading the Christian Knights in a sudden charge straight into the almoravid center the move was so bold that had been totally unexpected Muhammed watched in stunned silence as this small Christian cavalry burst upon his army but the SIDS attack was fierce and to Muhammad's shock it was his own men who faltered the almoravid center broke and Muhammad's divisions suffered heavy casualties by midday the Alma rabbits were in full route with many survivors leaping into the sea in an attempt to reach their ships only to drowned the SID and Pedro had achieved total victory virtually annihilating Muhammad's army they returned to Valencia loaded down with booty praising God for their triumph since they had defeated the king of Castile at the Battle of Sagara Hass in 1086 the Almoravids had been the most dangerous enemy of the Christian kingdoms of Spain now once again El Cid had shown that this enemy was not invincible and his victory was widely celebrated faithfully one of the Knights present at byron had been King Pedro's younger brother Alfonso the future King Alfonso the battler of Aragon who would one day conquer Zaragoza no doubt young Alfonso learned much that day from Spain's most legendary cavalier Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar El Cid the Campea Dora El Cid would have continued to rule in Valencia until at last he died on July 10 1099 five days before the first Crusaders far away in Palestine conquered Jerusalem and his passing Valencia's future was thrown into doubt for his only son Diego had already died fighting the Moors Rodrigo's Widow jimena was a woman of incredible strength and drive and continued to reign in place of her husband but in 1101 the Almoravids besieged Valencia for seven months Amana sends an urgent request for aid to King Alfonso the sixth when Alfonso advanced on the city the Almoravids withdrew but Alfonso concluded that Valencia was too remote from the rest of Christian Spain to be defensible in the long term thus the king evacuated the Christians from the city before setting the whole of it aflame he mayn't had traveled back to Castile with Alfonso's army bearing her husband's body to be buried in the land of his birth the burning ruins of Valencia were reoccupied and rebuilt by the Almoravids the city would remain in Moorish hands until it was reconquered by Jaime the first of Aragon in the 13th century El Cid's career is one of the most striking and adventures of the medieval era from loyal servants of the king of Leon Castile to mercenary captain to the Emir of Zaragoza to Prince of Valencia he showed himself to be one of the most talented military men of his age his striking victories in the Reconquista made him one of the great legends of medieval poetry and song El Cid today his name is synonymous with Spanish chivalry [Music] [Music]

Channel: Real Crusades History

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Keywords: medieval, middle ages, el cid, el cid documentary, el cid history, el cid spain, el cid knight of spain, el cid reconquista, reconquista history, reconquista documentary, el cid rodrigo diaz de vivar, el cid el campeador

Id: R2fps1itgZk

Length: 20min 53sec (1253 seconds)

Published: Fri Nov 01 2019