Oxford Univ Pr on Demand
The Quest for El Cid
Richard A. Fletcher
A painstaking biographical inquiry into the life of Rodrigo Diaz, the legendary eleventh-century Castilian warrior known as El Cid, disentangling historical fact from myth. Drawing on primary sources, Fletcher scrutinizes the conventional image of the devout Christian hero and reveals instead a more complex figure who served as a mercenary under Muslim rulers. The book illuminates how the heroic legend was constructed against the turbulent backdrop of medieval Spain's political, religious, and cultural conflicts.
