On several occasions he also fought on the side of the Moors, but after some time Alfonso pardoned him and called him back to Castile where he continued to wage war against the Muslims.
On July 10, 1099, the Spanish folk hero Rodrigo Díaz of Vivaro, known by the nickname El Cid, died, according to available data. He gained influential status in Spanish history, especially because of the popularization of his heroism through literary works (e.g., The Song of Cido).
Rodrigo Díaz of Vivaro was born, according to tradition, in Vivaro near Burgos, the historic capital of Castile. Today, the place Vivar is named after him Vivar del Cid, and is located only about 8 and a half kilometers north of the center of Burgos.
He belonged to the lower nobility and fought in the service of Sancho II. He was a Castilian warrior and a hero who took an active part in the reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula in the service of the Castilian kings, but also independently. After Sancho’s death, his brother Alfonso came to the throne, against whom Rodrigo once fought and was forced into exile.
On several occasions he also fought on the side of the Moors, but after some time Alfonso pardoned him and called him back to Castile where he continued to wage war against the Muslims.
The death of Rodrigo Díaz of Vivaro was found in the city of Valencia, on this day or in the days around it in 1099 (dates from the 11th century can rarely be determined precisely and precisely). He was outlived by his wife Jimena Díaz, with whom he had been married for about a quarter of a century. His and her dead body were eventually buried in the magnificent Cathedral of Santa Maria in Burgos (Catedral de Santa María de Burgos), where their tomb can still be seen today. By the way, in the famous film El Cid from 1961, the character of Rodrigo Díaz of Vivaro was played by Oscar winner Charlton Heston, while the character of his wife Jimene Díaz was played by Sophia Loren, also an Oscar winner.
