Row Erupts In Spain Over Legendary Knight El Cid's Sword

M&C ^ | 6-10-2007 | Sinikka Tarvainen

[blam]

Row erupts in Spain over legendary knight El Cid's sword

By Sinikka Tarvainen Jun 10, 2007, 14:33 GMT

Madrid - A millennium after the death of the legendary Spanish knight El Cid, a row has erupted over his alleged sword.

The solid, 0.75-metre sword with a black handle, called La Tizona, has been known as Spain's answer to King Arthur's Excalibur or Charlemagne's Joyeuse.

Until now, nobody doubted that the sword, which was on display at Madrid's Military Museum for more than 60 years, once belonged to the country's national hero.

But when the northern region of Castile and Leon recently purchased the sword from its owner for 1.6 million euros (2 million dollars) in order to solemnly display it near El Cid's tomb in the cathedral of Burgos, the Culture Ministry suddenly debunked its myth.

El Cid never held the sword in his hand, the ministry announced, quoting four studies maintaining that the weapon had been forged long after the warrior's death.

The Castile and Leon authorities have held their ground, accusing the ministry of jealousy because it has lost custody of the sword, and stressing that the sword has long been attributed to El Cid.

The colourful history of the Tizona begins with Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar (1043-99), known as El Cid ('the lord') Campeador, a Castilian nobleman and military leader who finally established himself as an independent ruler.

El Cid was a mercenary who served both Christian kings and Muslim rulers in Moorish Spain, but Christian Spain later adopted him as a national hero.

The real El Cid may have engaged in pillage and other less reputable activities, but literature - such as the 12th-century epic poem El Cantar de Mio Cid - and a 1961 Hollywood movie starring Charlton Heston have portrayed him as a valiant and exalted figure.

Legend says El Cid snatched the Tizona from a Moorish opponent during a fight. He then gave it to a count who passed it on to the grandfather of Ferdinand the Catholic, the king who defeated the Moors and sent Christopher Columbus to the Americas.

In 1516, King Ferdinand is believed to have given the sword to the newly titled Marquis of Falces for services performed for the crown. The story says the marquis could have chosen land or palaces, but preferred the sword of El Cid.

The Tizona then allegedly passed on in the Falces family, which allowed the Military Museum to exhibit it from 1944 onwards, until the present marquis, Jose Ramon Suarez del Otero y Velluti, sold it to the region of Castile and Leon.

What would be more fitting than placing the sword in the cathedral of Burgos, the city where El Cid may have been born and where he lies buried next to his wife, Dona Jimena.

The regional authorities glowed with pride until the Culture Ministry interfered, estimating the real value of the sword at between 200,000 and 300,000 euros.

The ministry quoted four recent studies saying that the sword had not been forged in the 11th but in the 14th or 15th century.

Factors supporting that theory include the guard of the sword, a feature not in use in El Cid's time, and the late origin of most of the metal the blade is made of.

'There are no reliable documents linking the Tizona with El Cid,' archaeology professor Fernando Quiroga said.

Castile and Leon, however, continues insisting on the authenticity of the sword, which is supported by one earlier study.

The region intends to 'launch' the Tizona by making it the centrepiece of a September exhibition marking the 800th anniversary of El Cantar de Mio Cid in the Burgos cathedral.

If the Culture Ministry turns out to be right, however, not all is lost.

Castile and Leon can take consolation in the historic value of the sword which, even if it was never brandished by El Cid, is undoubtedly a rare piece, with only four of its kind existing in Spain.

[blam]

GGG Ping.

[blam]

GGG Ping.

[John123]

Castile and Leon can take consolation in the historic value of the sword which, even if it was never brandished by El Cid, is undoubtedly a rare piece, with only four of its kind existing in Spain.

Much ado about nothing...

I wonder if anyone will find the lost balls of the Spanish people in a thousand years when the Moors reconquer Spain?

[VOA]

“Moutamin: [after El Cid claims Valencia for the King]
What a noble subject, if only he had a noble King. “

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054847/quotes

Any of the younguns that haven’t, should rent the Charleton Heston movie
“El Cid”.

[Montanabound]

El Cid - Hero of the Reconquest. It took Spain over 700 years to expel the Muslims. What would he think of the Spaniards today - surrendering to the Moors?

[Argus]

And make sure to get the widescreen letter-boxed version. This great epic demands to be seen in its original glory.

[VOA]

Thanks for the cinematic low-down tip!

[VOA]

“What would he think of the Spaniards today - surrendering to the Moors?”

He’d probably think “history may not repeat, but it certainly
does rhyme”.

A read of Paul Fregosi’s “Jihad In The West” and a consideration of
the current “bend over and smile while taking it” approach to Islam
would probably leave El Cid saying something like:

“Corrupt ‘Christian’ leaders assisted the Islamic take-over of Al-Andalus
possible centuries before me...
now Spanish Socialists are going to assist the Islamic reclaimation
of Al-Andalus centuries after I died to save the Iberian peninsula
as a part of real civilization.”

[elcid1970]

King Arthur is the `once and future King” of England.

The Spaniards need El Cid Campeador to resurge as their future King, before the muzzies reconquer “al-Andaluz”.

It’s the Middle Ages all over again.

Muzzies. They’re like crabgrass.

[Liberty Valance]

Finding clues in metal

The key to revealing a metal object's origins is in the pattern of impurities locked into its metallurgy. The combination of elements and their relative quantities are unique to the geographic region of manufacture. By comparing the composition of an artifact with samples taken from objects of known origin, scientists can pinpoint the site of creation.

In this case, researchers used a predecessor of the Agilent 7500 series ICP-MS to identify the origin of the museum's sword. Agilent ICP-MS instruments can simultaneously measure most elements in the periodic table and determine their concentrations down to the parts-per-trillion (ppt) level. With such high sensitivity, only a very small sample is required to obtain a complete trace-metal comparison. This is especially beneficial when testing artifacts that may truly be rare and priceless.

Using a 10-mg sample, the analysis confirmed the steel as an alloy that also contained nickel, copper and antimony along with trace amounts of tungsten and platinum. These clues helped researchers conclude the blade was probably manufactured in the early 11th Century in Andalucia, now called Sierra de Córdoba.

With analytical methods such as ICP-MS at their disposal, historians and archaeologists will be able to test the origin of various artifacts—and perhaps enhance other heroic legends.

[Strategerist]

He’d probably think “history may not repeat, but it certainly does rhyme”.

El Cid worked for Muslim Lords for much of his career. His name itself is derived from Arabic.

[VOA]

El Cid worked for Muslim Lords for much of his career. His name
itself is derived from Arabic.

True. And a good addition to the fuller picture.
The situation was complex and alliances had to be made (and ended)
to reach certain ends.

And IIRC, after his forces took Valencia, the mosques were
converted to (Christian) churches.
From what I understand, El Cid wasn't out to erase Muslims,
but was out to re-establish Christian-based control.

[UnklGene]

El Cid's Shield

[SunkenCiv]

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[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Blam.

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[Tallguy]

Much ado about nothing...

He's only Spain's "George Washington"... yeah, no biggie (sarcasm off).

[sheik yerbouty]

In his grave, El Cid has gone positively gyroscopic!