Southey built this English narrative from the medieval Spanish chronicles compiled under Alfonso the Wise and from the old poem and ballads of the Cid. It follows Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar from his youth and banishment by King Alfonso VI through his wars against Moorish and Christian rivals to the siege and conquest of Valencia, in a grave, chronicle-like prose.
A classic English telling of the Cid story, with Henry Morley’s introduction on its sources. Download the free EPUB.