© Mark Wade
| Cid's Spain © Mark Wade |
Once of the principle Christian kingdoms of northern Spain. King Don Ferrando contended with King Don Ramiro of Aragon for the city of Calahorra.
Aragon - Former kingdom, now autonomous community of Spain, with the capital at Zaragoza. Area 47,669 square kilometers. Estimated population in AD 1100, 330 thousand and population density 6.9 per square km.
Now the history relates that King Don Ferrando contended with King Don Ramiro of Aragon for the city of Calahorra, which each claimed as his own; in such guise that the King of Aragon placed it upon the trial by combat, confiding in the prowess of Don Martin Gonzalez, who was at that time held to be the best knight in all Spain.
Then came the King Don Ferrando to him, and alighted by him, and helped to disarm him, and embraced him much; and when he was disarmed he went with him from the field, he and all the Castillians greatly rejoicing; but as great as was the pleasure of King Don Ferrando and his people, so great was the sorrow of King Don Ramiro of Aragon and of his.
And now seeing that the kingdom of Ferrando was divided, he asked help of his uncle Don Ramiro, King of Aragon; and the men of Aragon and of Navarre entered Castille together.
Now the King of Castille was wroth against the King of Aragon, that he should thus have joined against him without cause; and in despite of him he marched against the Moors of Zaragoza, and laying waste their country with fire and sword, he came before their city and gave orders to assault it, and began to set up his engines.
Greatly was the King of Aragon displeased at this which King Don Sancho had done, thinking that it was to his great injury and abasement, for Zaragoza he held to be within his conquest.
When King Don Sancho heard this, being a man of great heart, he made answer, that he was the head of the kingdoms of Castille and Leon, and all the conquests in Spain were his, for the Kings of Aragon had no conquests appertaining unto them, being by right his tributaries, and bound to appear at his Cortes.
But the King of Aragon drew up his host for battle, and the onset was made, and heavy blows were dealt on both sides, and many horses were left without a master.
Then King Don Ramiro being discomfited, retired to a mountain, and King Don Sancho beset the mountain round about, and made a covenant with him that he should depart, and that the King of Zaragoza should remain tributary to Castille; and but for this covenant the King of Aragon would then have been slain, or made prisoner.
Then King Don Sancho gathered together a great host, Castillians and Leonese, and they of Navarre and Biscay, Asturians, and men of Aragon and of the border.
There was my Cid, the good man in battle, who fought well upon his gilt saddle; and Alvar Fanez Minaya, and Martin Antolinez the Burgalese of prowess, and Muno Gustios, and Martin Munoz who held Montemayor, and Alvar Alvarez, and Alvar Salvadores, and Galin Garcia the good one of Aragon, and Felez Munoz the nephew of the Campeador.
And King Don Pedro of Aragon, and the Count Don Ramon Berenguer of Barcelona, helped Abenalfange, and they were enemies to the Cid because he defended Zulema.
And King Pedro of Aragon came out against him, but my Cid took the Castle of Monzon in his sight; and then he went to Tamarit: and one day as he rode out hunting from thence with twelve of his knights, he fell in with a hundred and fifty of the King of Aragon's people, and he fought with them and put them to flight, and took seven knights prisoners, whom he let go freely.
After my Cid had done this good service to King Don Alfonso, he and King Zulema of Zaragoza entered Aragon, slaying, and burning, and plundering before them, and they returned to the Castle of Monzon with great booty.
But King Abenalfange being sorely grieved hereat, sent to King Pedro of Aragon, and besought him to come and help him against the Campeador.
And the King of Aragon gathered together a great host in his anger, and he and the King of Denia came against my Cid, and they halted that night upon the banks of the Ebro; and King Don Pedro sent letters to the Cid, bidding him leave the castle which he was then edifying.
And when the King of Aragon saw that he would not forsake the work, he marched against him, and attacked him.
The tidings of this great enterprise spread far and wide, and adventurers came from all parts to be present, not only they of Castille and Leon, Asturias and Nagera, Galicia and Portugal, but King Sancho Ramirez of Aragon came also, with the flower of Aragon and Navarre and Catalonia, and Franks and Germans and Italians, and men of other countries, to bear their part in so great and catholic a war.
And in those days my Cid gathered together a great force, and went to the borders of Aragon, and crost the Douro, and lodged that night in Fresno.
When these tidings came to Valencia, the Bishop who was there, and the forty knights who were with the messenger of the King of Aragon because of the friendship between their King and the Cid, and all the other Christians who were in the city, would no longer abide there, but took of their goods each as much as he could, and went away in fear.
At this time Abenrazin the Lord of Albarrazin covenanted with the King of Aragon that the King should help him to win Valencia, and he would give him great treasures; and he gave him in pledge a Castle which is called Toalba.
And when he knew this that he had done with the King of Aragon, he held himself to have been deceived and dealt falsely with; howbeit he dissembled this, and let none of his company wit, till they had gathered in all the corn from about Algezira de Xucar, and carried it to Juballa.
And they took counsel and made a letter for the leader of the army of the Almoravides, wherein they told him that the Cid had made a treaty with the King of Aragon, whereby the King bound himself to help him against them; and they bade him beware how he came towards Valencia, unless he chose to do battle with eight thousand Christian horsemen, covered with iron, and the best warriors in the world.
Alvar Fanez Minaya, and Pero Bermudez, and Martin Munoz, and Martin Antolinez that worthy Burgalese, and the Bishop Don Hieronymo that good one with the shaven crown, and Alvar Alvarez, and Alvar Salvadores, and Muno Gustios that knight of prowess, and Galind Garcia of Aragon; all these and all the others made ready to go with the Cid.
Now the Cid had performed his vigil in the Church of St. Servans, matins and primes were said, and mass performed; and then he made ready to go to the Cortes, and with him went Alvar Fanez Minaya, whom he called his right arm, and Pero Bermudez, and Muno Gustios, and Martin Antolinez that doughty Burgalese, and Alvar Alvarez, and Alvar Salvadorez, and Martin Munoz, and Felez Munoz the Cid's nephew, and Malanda who was a learned man, and Galin Garciez the good one of Aragon: these and others made ready to go with him, being a hundred of the best of his company.
Now when all this had been appointed, as ye have heard, and while they were all in the court, there came into the Palace messengers from the Kings of Aragon and of Navarre, who brought letters to King Don Alfonso, and to the Cid Campeador, wherein those Kings sent to ask the daughters of the Cid in marriage, the one for the Infante Don Sancho of Aragon, the other for the Infante Garcia Ramirez of Navarre.
And those knights did homage before the King, that in three months from that day the Infantes of Aragon and of Navarre should come to Valencia, to the Cid, to be wedded to his daughters.
And to the knights who had come from Aragon and Navarre concerning the marriages, he gave many horses, and money in gold, and sent them with great honour into their own country.
And the Cid said unto Dona Ximena, Now may you without let marry your daughters with the Infantes of Aragon and Navarre, and I trust in God that they will be well and honourably married, better than they were at first.
While yet that messenger of the Soldan of Persia abode in Valencia, tidings came to the Cid that the Infantes of Aragon and Navarre were coming to celebrate their marriage with his daughters, according as it had been appointed at the Cortes of Toledo.
He of Navarre hight Don Ramiro, and he was the son of King Don Sancho, him who was slain at Rueda; and he married with Dona Elvira, the elder: and the Infante of Aragon who married Dona Sol, the younger, hight Don Sancho, and was the son of King Don Pedro.
This King Don Pedro was he whom the Cid Ruydiez conquered and made prisoner, as the history hath related; but calling to mind the great courtesy which the Cid had shown in releasing him from prison, and how he had ordered all his own to be restored unto him, and moreover the great worth and the great goodness of the Cid, and the great feats which he had performed, he held it good that his son should match with his daughter, to the end that the race of so good a man might be preserved in Aragon.
And the first day the Infante Don Sancho of Aragon came up, and they waited for the Infante Don Ramiro; and when they were all met they proceeded to Valencia.
When eight days were overpast the Bishop Don Hieronymo married the Infantes of Aragon and Navarre to the daughters of the Cid in this manner: the Infante Don Ramiro of Navarre to Dona Elvira, and the Infante Don Sancho of Aragon to Dona Sol.
And from that day Valencia remained in the power of the Moors till it was won by King Don Jayme of Aragon, he who is called the Conqueror, which was a hundred and seventy years.
And when they reached Salvacanete, the Bishop Don Hieronymo, and Dona Ximena, and Alvar Fanez, and the other honourable men, sent their letters to all the kinsmen and friends of the Cid Ruydiez, bidding them come and do honour to his funeral; and they sent letters also to his sons-in-law, the Infantes of Aragon and Navarre, and to King Don Alfonso.
And at the end of fifteen days the Infante of Aragon arrived, with Dona Sol his wife, and they brought with them a hundred armed knights, all having their shields reversed hanging from the saddle bow, and all in grey cloaks, with the hoods rent.
And when they were within half a league of Santesteban, the company of the Cid went out to meet them, as they had the Infante of Aragon; and they made no other lamentation, save that they wept with Dona Elvira; and when she came up to the body of her father she kissed his hand, and the hand of Dona Ximena her mother.
The day when he drew nigh the Infante of Aragon and the King of Navarre went out to meet him, and they took the body of the Cid with them on horseback, as far as the Monastery of San Christoval de Ybeas, which is a league from Cardena; and they went, the King of Navarre on one side of the body, and the Infante of Aragon on the other.
Moreover he did great honour to the King of Navarre, and to the Infante of Aragon, ordering that all things which were needful should be given to them and their companies.
And he sent for the ivory chair which had been carried to the Cortes of Toledo, and gave order that it should be placed on the right of the altar of St. Peter; and he laid a cloth of gold upon it, and upon that placed a cushion covered with a right noble tartari, and he ordered a graven tabernacle to be made over the chair, richly wrought with azure and gold, having thereon the blazonry of the Kings of Castille and Leon, and the King of Navarre, and the Infante of Aragon, and of the Cid Ruydiez the Campeador.
And he himself, and the King of Navarre and the Infante of Aragon, and the Bishop Don Hieronymo, to do honour to the Cid, helped to take his body from between the two boards, in which it had been fastened at Valencia.
King Don Alfonso, and the sons-in-law of the Cid, King Don Ramiro of Navarre, and the Infante Don Sancho of Aragon, with all their companies, and all the other honourable men, abode three weeks in St. Pedro de Cardena, doing honour to the Cid.
And of the company of the Cid, some went with the King of Navarre, and other some with the Infante of Aragon; but the greater number, and the most honourable among them, betook themselves to King Don Alfonso, whose natural subjects they were.
Dona Sol, who was the younger, came first, because Aragon is nearer than Navarre, and also because she was a widow; for the Infante Don Sancho, her husband, had departed three years after the death of the Cid, and had left no child.
And when they had thus divided it, Dona Sol said that all which she had in the world should be for her nephew the Infante Don Garcia Ramirez, and with the good will of Queen Elvira his mother, she adopted him then to be her son, and she took him with her to Aragon, to the lands which had been given her in dower, and bred him up till he became a young man; and after the death of his father he was made King of Navarre, as may be seen in the book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Spain.