An insight into the life of a Spanish national heroRodrigo Diaz de Vivar, better known as El Cid, is revered as a great national hero of Spain. The name El Cid comes from the Arabic “El Seid” which means the Lord. Known to his admiring countrymen as the “campeador,” or champion, he was a Spanish warrior who later became a hero and symbol of chivalry and virtue in legend. El Cid was born in Vivar, near Burgos, in 1043. His father, Diego Lainez, was a member of the minor nobility, called "infanzones" of Castile. El Cid was also directly related on his mother's side to royalty. History paints two pictures of Rodrigo Diaz. He was an unscrupulous adventurer, who fought against Christians and Moors. And on the other hand, he was also a symbol of romance, legend and ballad. He is presented as a tender and loving husband and father, a loyal and courageous soldier, and an ever-present source of inspiration for Spanish patriotism. He established himself as the central figure in Christian Spain's long struggle against Muslim threats. Fernando I, known as Fernando the Great, died in 1065, and upon his death Fernando divided his lands between his three sons: Sancho, Alfonso and Garcia and his two daughters: Elvira and Urraca. He also asked them to promise him that they would respect his will and the divisions. But Sancho, who received the kingdom of Castile, being the eldest, thought that he should have inherited it....