The Poem of Cid

The Poem Of The Cid is a one of the only surviving documents (not to mention one of the most detailed) from 11th century Iberia. Though this is a story, and not one hundred percent accurate, many of the people and things written on have been confirmed. Because of both of these (its rarity and its validation) we can consider this to be an accurate reflect of what life was like at that time, covering class; and shall use it as if there were no fictional occurrences written about.

In the poem, the lord and vassal relationship is a major concept in the 11th century. The relationship that the vassal has to his lord, is one that falls somewhere between a slave and a best friend. A vassal has pledged loyalty to his lord (be it a king, a knight, etc) and this pledge is one that shall not be broken even under the most strenuous circumstances. A vassal is loyal no matter what might happen. As the Cid said, " Ð''For the love I bear King Alfonso, who has banished me, no shears shall tough [my beard] and not a hair shall be cut. Let this be common talk among the Moors and Christians alike (89).' " In this passage, the Cid wants it to be known that he serves his lord, even when his lord has disowned him. This brings up the point of leaving; a vassal leaving is considered one of the highest insults and, generally, is punishable (due to the fact that most insults ended in a punishment), yet sometimes the lord decides to withdrawal the vassal's services (as is the case for the Cid). The only way for a vassal to leave service with dignity, is to be granted freedom by his lord (or his lord's lord). Ð"Ѓlvar FÐ"ÐŽÐ"±ez left with El Cid, early in the campaign and lost his land and property, but it was returned to him after talking to King Alfonso (69).

Vassals do not have to do whatever their lord wants, but you'll never catch one saying, "no." When you are a vassal, you often owe your life, income, and livelihood to your lord; to say no, is to insult you lord, and essentially throw your life away. All of those who disobeyed King Alfonso's decree not to help the Cid, lost all property and would be killed if seen (referred to as everyone fearing for their lives) (69). You may be banished and forced to find shelter with another king. This isn't common, and there are no blatant examples from the text, but history and the Infantes of CarriÐ"Ñ-n want to clear up their altercation (187) with the king (they do not care if the Cid is satisfied, so long as King Alfonso isn't mad), shows that going against a powerful lord is not something even noble families wish to do.

The real question is, however, why would you become a vassal in the first place? Some have been saved in war, or been bought out of poverty, or some just really like their lord and wish to serve them. For example, MartÐ"­n AntolÐ"­nez decided to help the Cid and his cause, even though his king forbade it (p27); for this, the Cid took AntolÐ"­nez as his vassal. Being in service isn't as terrible as it might sound; your lord could be a great military leader (like the Cid) or a King (like King Alfonso). The vassals of these men often get great rewards for their service; money, weapons, and a large cut of everything they bring in, is often incentive enough to want be a vassal. As the text says, "The Cid Ruy DÐ"­az has sold Alcocer, and how well he had rewarded his own vassals! He had enriched them all, knights and foot soldiers Ð'- you could not have found one poor man among them. Those who serve a good master are always well off! (67)" Yet, a vassal not only receives monetary tokens, they also get prestige; for if you serve a lord, you are a representative of him and your actions reflect back on to him. Ð"Ѓlvar FÐ"ÐŽÐ"±ez was greeted with the utmost respect, by the King himself, when he made one of his many trips as a messenger for the Cid (119). If you are righteous, then people will respect you and your lord, however if you act without reverence, then it not only reflects badly on you, but on your lord as well. This is not a smart act, because your lord may not appreciate it and that would lead to problems.

Being a vassal, you are not only a helper, but often you are a friend too. Your opinion would hold much validity to you lord and he will often help you get things you want, just because you have loyal and are his friend. The Cid's vassal and friend, Ð"Ѓlvar FÐ"ÐŽÐ"±ez, offered his opinion on a strategy, and though it was not asked for, the Cid appreciated it. It was a move only a friend and colleague could make (83). Not everyone can earn their lord's friendship; it is possible to be a vassal and not have your opinion way as heavily as you would like it to. Fernando GonzÐ"ÐŽlez's words fall on deaf ears (because they do not receive any thing more than a decline) when he spoke to King Alfonso (189). Most lords will have multiple vassals and one above the rest would stand out, such as Pedro BermÐ"Ñ"ndez and MartÐ"­n AntolÐ"­nez are to El Cid (187). To be the best you'd have to serve your lord well and do his will to the letter. You also often will have to show military or political might in the name of your lord. Winning a war for him was always an admirable thing and Minya fought valiant battles in the name of El Cid (113), and this won him great respect. And what did the lord owe his vassal? It could be anywhere from his life, to his land, his riches, or just his companionship. A powerful man keeps people by his side who he knows will be faithful to him, this is why only the best can serve him. In one battle verses the moors, his men take up arms to fight along side the Cid, for both food (which they all need), for their lives, and for the Cid in general; upon the Cid's request for a fight, all of his knights respond with "We shall, with a right good will" (111). Vassals also often do all their duty mostly out of respect of their lords, which made their service all the more valuable.

Most of the battles fought by El Cid and his vassals, occurred in Muslim controlled parts of (what is now) Spain. The Muslim controlled area is a complicated place to dissect. The area (historically) is made up of a mixture of races and religions (at this time predominantly roman catholics (both under their own control and Muslim control) and Muslims). This means that some of the people that the Cid comes in contact with are not necessarily Muslim; however, it is safe to assume that many of the kings/ rulers that he encounters on his escapades are Muslim. There are three ways in which the Muslims, that the cid comes in counter with, act; these are: friendly, neutral/passive, and aggressive. Lets work