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Cid, El, Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar
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Cid, El, Rodrigo Díaz De Vivar
Spanish soldier, nicknamed El Cid (‘the lord’) by the Moors. Born in Castile of a noble family, he fought against the king of Navarre and won his nickname el Campeador (‘the Champion’) by killing the Navarrese champion in single combat. Essentially a mercenary, fighting both with and against the Moors, he died while defending Valencia against them, and in subsequent romances became Spain's national hero.
Much of El Cid's present-day reputation is the result of the exploitation of the legendary character as a model Christian military hero by the Nationalists during the Civil War, with Franco presented as a modern equivalent in his reconquest of Spain.
© Research Machines plc 2008. All rights reserved. Helicon Publishing is a division of Research Machines plc.
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Yellow represents the golden land of South America. Blue stands for the ocean separating the country from Spain. Red symbolizes the blood and courage of the people resisting the tyrants. Effective date: 26 November 1861.
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