Early in the eighth century, Berbers from Morocco invaded Spain and quickly gained control of almost the entire peninsula. During the centuries-long struggle to reconquer their country, Christian warlords carved out small territories from the Moors, including the kingdom of Castile. Rodrigo Diaz, a Castilian knight who reclaimed much of Islamic Spain, ultimately achieved legendary status, and his exploits were celebrated in ballads, songs, and stories — most famously, in the twelfth-century epic, Poema de Mio Cid.
One of the few Christian heroes of the Spanish Reconquest to be known familiarly by a Muslin title (from the Spanish Arabic al-sid, or "lord"), the Cid is presented as a hero perfectly suited to medieval Spain. Valiant in battle and loyal to his king, he is portrayed as an exemplary hero and vassal. His legend is embodied in the Poema de Mio Cid — the only Castilian epic poem that has endured in its essentially original form. This dual-language edition features a new translation of two-thirds of the Poema, with full English summaries of the omitted sections.
