El Cid

The Life and Afterlife of a Medieval Mercenary

Nora Berend

$59.99

Hardback

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English

Sceptre
10 March 2025

Biography: historical, political & military; History; European history; Medieval history; Social & cultural history

'A fascinating study of historical mythmaking . . . concise and absorbing'

Paul Freedman, author of Out of the East

'Lively, original and fascinating'

David Abulafia, Literary Review

'An enthralling study . . . exceptionally fascinating'

Washington Post

Rodrigo Diaz lived a violently colourful life in eleventh-century Spain. An ambitious military leader, exile and brutal mercenary, he served Christian kings, fought against Christian princes in service of Muslim rulers, raided and killed Muslims and eventually struck out on his own, carving out an independent principality.

While Rodrigo the man is long dead, El Cid lives on: a superhero; a quasi-saint; the 'spirit of Spain', according to military dictator Franco; and a champion of medieval Spanish multiculturalism.

Nora Berend uncovers how el Cid has been transformed across the centuries, confronting the gulf between truth and legend and examining how a military adventurer became a hero to people on opposite ends of the political spectrum.

What is it about this man that appeals to us? And why do we transform the most unsuitable people into heroes?

'Would the real El Cid please stand up? Nora Berend's fascinating new book covers nearly a thousand years of history and myth-making about this eleventh-century warrior . . . and presents all the delicious ironies of history'

Professor Marc David Baer, author of The Ottomans: Khans, Caliphs, and Caesars

By: Nora Berend
Imprint: Sceptre
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 236mm, Width: 160mm, Spine: 30mm
Weight: 460g
ISBN: 9781399709620
ISBN 10: 1399709623
Pages: 256
Publication Date: 10 March 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Nora Berend is Professor of European History at the University of Cambridge. She has published extensively on medieval history and has written for History Today among others.

Reviews for El Cid: The Life and Afterlife of a Medieval Mercenary

A fascinating study of historical mythmaking. Nora Berend shows what can be pieced together about the eleventh-century mercenary known as El Cid, as well as the complicated legendary ""afterlife"" built on his career. How did this opportunistic knight, who served Christian kings, Arab rulers and most of all his own interests, became a symbol of Spanish unity and Castilian-dominated national identity? Concisely and absorbingly, Berend supplies the answers. -- Paul Freedman, author of <i>Out of the East</i> Would the real El Cid please stand up? Nora Berend's fascinating new book covers nearly a thousand years of history and myth-making about this eleventh-century warrior . . . [and] presents all the delicious ironies of history -- Professor Marc David Baer, author of <i>The Ottomans: Khans, Caliphs, and Caesars</i> Lively, original and fascinating -- David Abulafia * Literary Review *