El Cid by Nora Berend
An authoritative new history: The life and afterlife of a medieval hero and an exploration of heroism, myth-making and national identity through the centuries.
A fascinating study of historical mythmaking Nora Berend shows what can be pieced together about the eleventh-century mercenary known as El Cid, as well as the complicated legendary "afterlife" built on his career. How did this opportunistic knight, who served Christian kings, Arab rulers and most of all his own interests, became a symbol of Spanish unity and Castilian-dominated national identity? Concisely and absorbingly, Berend supplies the answers. -- Paul Freedman, author of Out of the East
Would the real El Cid please stand up? Nora Berend's fascinating new book covers nearly a thousand years of history and myth-making about this eleventh-century warrior . . . [and] presents all the delicious ironies of history -- Professor Marc David Baer, author of The Ottomans: Khans, Caliphs, and Caesars
Lively, original and fascinating -- David Abulafia * Literary Review *
An enthralling study. Berend aims to dismantle various ahistorical distortions and idealizations. Rodrigo, as she calls him throughout, was an easily customizable hero. For the most part, the real Cid was nothing like the saintly crusader and loyal vassal played by Charlton Heston in the 1961 film El Cid. Exceptionally fascinating. Being a careful, evidence-based work of scholarship, El Cid demonstrates again and again how insidiously political and religious institutions distort history for their own ends. * The Washington Post *
Berend tells this grotesque story well, with a lightness of touch not too often found in an academic. Her sentences are clear. Subtle arguments can be followed. And occasional, humorous remarks show her keen intelligence * Catalonia Today *
Would the real El Cid please stand up? Nora Berend's fascinating new book covers nearly a thousand years of history and myth-making about this eleventh-century warrior . . . [and] presents all the delicious ironies of history -- Professor Marc David Baer, author of The Ottomans: Khans, Caliphs, and Caesars
Lively, original and fascinating -- David Abulafia * Literary Review *
An enthralling study. Berend aims to dismantle various ahistorical distortions and idealizations. Rodrigo, as she calls him throughout, was an easily customizable hero. For the most part, the real Cid was nothing like the saintly crusader and loyal vassal played by Charlton Heston in the 1961 film El Cid. Exceptionally fascinating. Being a careful, evidence-based work of scholarship, El Cid demonstrates again and again how insidiously political and religious institutions distort history for their own ends. * The Washington Post *
Berend tells this grotesque story well, with a lightness of touch not too often found in an academic. Her sentences are clear. Subtle arguments can be followed. And occasional, humorous remarks show her keen intelligence * Catalonia Today *
Nora Berend is Professor of European History at the University of Cambridge. She has published extensively on medieval history and has written for History Today among others.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781399709620 |
| ISBN 10 | 1399709623 |
| Title | El Cid |
| Author | Nora Berend |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Hodder & Stoughton |
| Year published | 2024-11-07 |
| Number of pages | 256 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |