Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar (1043-1099) was a Castilian nobleman and military leader in medieval Spain. He was called El Cid (the Lord) by the Moors and El Campeador (the Campion) by Christians. He is the national hero of Spain.
Born a member of the minor nobility, el Cid was brought up at the court of the Spanish Emperor Ferdinand the Great and served in the household of Prince Sancho de Vivar rose to become commander and the royal standard-bearer of Castile upon Sancho´s ascension in 1065.
Babieca or Bavieca was El Cid´s warhorse. Several stories exist about El Cid and Babieca. A weapon traditionally identified as El Cid´s sword, Tizona, used to be displayed in the Army Museum in Toledo.
