(Spanish Cid Campeador, from the Arabic said, “lord,” and the Spanish campeador, “warrior”; real name Rodrigo Díaz de Bivar). Born between 1026 and 1043 in Bivar, near Burgos; died July 1099 in Valencia. Castilian knight famed for his heroic feats during the Reconquista.
El Cid defeated the Almoravides in the battle for Valencia, which he captured on June 15, 1094; he ruled over Valencia as an independent sovereign until his death. El Cid was idealized in the folk epos, as in the Cantar de Mío Cid. El Cid has been immortalized not only in the literary classics of Spain but also in those of other countries, for example, in works by P. Corneille in France and J. G. Herder in Germany.