This episode from the Crónica de Castilla (c. 1295) narrates the siege and eventual capture of Coimbra by King Fernando I of León-Castilla, an historical event that took place from January to July, ending on 9 July 1064. The episode incorporates the young Rodrigo de Bivar (aka El Cid), an actor who was not present in previous accounts. The original Castilian narration is followed by an English translation. The episode begins as paragraph 59 of the online version of the chronicle.
59) En el dizeocheno año del rey don Fernando que él ouo tomados estos logares, auiendo a coraçón él de auer a Coynbra, fuese para Santiago en romería, por conssejo de Rodrigo de Biuar que le dixo que le ayudaría Dios a cobrarla, et demás de tornada, que querría que lo armasse cauallero et cuidaua resçibir cauallería dentro en Coynbra. Et el rey, auiendo talante de cobrar este lugar et porque vio que lo aconssejaua bien Rodrigo, ffuesse para Santiago, e fezo su romería bien e mucho honestamente e faziendo mucho bien. Et quando llegó a Santiago, estudo en oraçión tres días, et desí mucho offresçiendo e tomando muy grand deuoçión que Dios le cunpliesse lo que cudiçiaua.
60) Et con la ayuda del apóstol Santiago, guisó su hueste muy grande et vino sobre Coynbra et çercóla. Et púsole sus engeños e sus castillos de madera; mas la villa era tan grande e tan fuerte que siete años la touo çercada.
61) Et auía allí, en la tierra en poder de los moros, vn monesterio de monges que dizen oy día Loruaçio, et aquellos monjes biuían de lauor de sus manos, et tenían alçado mucho trigo e mucho ordio et mucho mijo et muchas legunbres que non sabían los moros d’ello. Et tanto se alongaua la çerca de la çibdat que ya non auían viandas los christianos et queríanla desçercar. Et quando los monges lo oyeron, vinieron priado al rey et dixiéronle que la non desçercasse, ca ellos darían vianda de aquella que luengamente auían ganado. Et abondaron toda la hueste fasta que todos los de la villa enflaqueçieron de fanbre e de grand quexa.
62) Et los christianos lidiauan fuertemente e tirauan los enjeños de cada día, et fueron quebrantando del muro de la çiudat. Et quando esto vieron los moros, vinieron a la merçed del rey e echándose a sus pies e pidiéndole merçed que los dexasse salir, e que le darían la villa e todo el algo que en ella auía, et que le non rogauan tan solamente sinon por la vida. Et el rey con piadat otorgógelo. Et entráronles la villa vn domingo a ora de terçia.
63) Mas demientra que el rey tenía çercada la villa, acaesçió que vn romero de tierra de Greçia vino en romería a Santiago. Et auía nonbre estraño et era obispo, e dexara su obispado por trabajar su cuerpo en seruiçio de Dios. Et estando en la iglesia de Santiago faziendo su oraçión et en su vigilia, oyó vn día dezir a los de la villa e a los romeros que venían ende en romería que Santiago que apareçié como cauallero en las lides en ayuda de los christianos. Et quando él lo oyó, pesól’ et dixo así:
—Amigos, non le llamedes cauallero mas pescador.
64) Et él, teniendo esta porffía, plogo a Dios que se adormeçió e aparesçióle Santiago con vnas llaues en la mano, et díxole de muy buen alegre contenente
—Escriuano, tú tienes por escarnio por que me llaman cauallero et dizes que lo non só. Et por esso vine agora a ty mostrarme por que jamás nunca dubdes en mi cauallería, ca só cauallero de Jhesu Christo e ayudador de los christianos contra los moros.
65) Et él diziéndole esto, fuele traýdo vn cauallo muy blanco. Et el apóstol caualgó en él muy guarnido de todas armas e frescas e muy claras e fermosas, a guisa de cauallero, et díxole cómmo quería yr a ayudar al rey don Fernando que yazía sobre Coynbra siete años auía. «E por que seas mas çierto de esto que te yo digo, con estas llaues que yo tengo en las manos abriré cras a ora de terçia las puertas de la çiudat de Coynbra e darla he al rey don Fernando». Et desque le ouo dicho esto, tirósele delante, de guisa que non sopo d’él el obispo estraño.
66) Et otro día mañana llamó clérigos e legos quantos auía en la çiudat de Santiago et díxoles lo que viera e oyera, et el día e la ora señaladamente quando Cohinbra auía de seer tomada. Et bien anssí como él dixo, fue fallado después en verdat, commo d’esta guisa auemos dicho
67) Et fincó la tierra de Montejo fasta Granada çerca Saluatierra, e dexóla al rey en guarda de don Sizmando, que fuera echado de la tierra et boluiera guerra con Abondolo, rey de los moros; et por meresçimiento de su bondat e de sus fechos amólo aquel Abondalo e mucho, ca fuera muy buen guerrero e muy destruydor de los christianos que morauan en Lustania e en Portogal. Et perdonáralo el rey don Fernando, et era en su graçia e tornado en su honrra. Pero dize aquí don Luchas de Tuys que en otro tienpo, quando Abondalo aquel moro conquirió a Portogal, que catiuara ende aquel don Sizmando con otros muchos robos que fizo, et que tan bueno era contra los moros e tan guerrero contra los christianos que lo tenían los aláraues commo por rey, assí que non fazían cosa sin conssejo d’él. Mas después que veno para el rey don Fernando, fuera por sus fechos que fizo contra los moros preçiado, et era ome de grandes conssejos e buenos, et fezo mucho mal a moros fasta el día de su muerte.
68) Et estonces fezo el rey don Fernando cauallero a Rodrigo en la mesquita mayor de Coynbra, que pusieron nonbre Sancta María. Et fízol’ cauallero d’esta guisa: çiñiéndole su espada e diole paz en la boca, mas non le dio pescoçada. Et desque Rodrigo fue cauallero, ouo nonbre Ruy Díaz. Et tomó luego el espada ant’el altar estando e fezo nouezientos caualleros nobles.1Rochwert-Zuili suggests “noueles” as an alternative, which I follow in the translation. Et fizo el rey mucha honrra loándole mucho, et el rey quanto bien fiziera en conquerir a Coynbra e a los otros lugares. Et otrosí gradesçió el rey a Nuestro Señor Dios quanto bien le fiziera en [su] conquista.
69) Et fuesse para Santiago en romería et offreçió ende sus donas muy grandes. Et tornósse, e trabajósse de fazer buenas obras e fazer guerra a los moros e quanto mal les podía fazer.
Crónica de Castilla, edited by Patricia Rochwert-Zuili, e-Spania Books, 2010, website.
English translation: Chronicle of Castile (c. 1295)
59) In the 18th year of King Don Fernando that he had taken these places, having determined in his heart to take Coimbra, he decided to go to Santiago on a pilgrimage, on the advice of Rodrigo de Biuar who told him that God would help him take it, and after his return, he would like to be knighted and he planned to have his knighting ceremony inside Coimbra. And the king, wanting to take this place and because he saw that Rodrigo advised him well, went to Santiago, and carried out his pilgrimage well and honestly and doing a lot of good. And when he arrived in Santiago, he remained in prayer for three days, offering a lot and taking great gratitude that God would provide what he so desired.
60) And with the help of the apostle James, he prepared his very large host and approached Coimbra and lay siege to it. And he set up his siege engines and his wooden towers. But the town was so large and so strong that the siege lasted for seven years.
61) There was, in the land in the power of the Moors, a monastery of monks which today is called Loruaçio, and those monks lived from the labor of their hands, and they had a lot of wheat and a lot of barley and a lot of millet and a lot of legumes that the Moors did not know about. And the siege of the city lasted so long that the Christians no longer had food and wanted to raise it. And when the monks heard it, they came to the king and told him not to desert it, because they would give food from what they had long harvested. And they supplied the whole host until everyone in the town became weak with hunger and great suffering.
62) And the Christians fought hard and maneuvered the siege engines every day, and they were breaking the wall of the city. And when the Moors saw this, they came to the mercy of the king and threw themselves at his feet and asked him for favor that he would let them leave, and that they would give him the town and everything that was in it, and that they would not ask him for anything more than their lives. And the king with mercy granted it. And they entered the villa on a Sunday at hour of Terce (9am).
63) But while the king had the town surrounded, it happened that a pilgrim from Greece came on a pilgrimage to Santiago. And he had a strange name and he was a bishop, and he left his bishopric to devote himself to the service of God. While he was in the church of Santiago making his prayer during his vigil, he heard one day tell those of the town and the pilgrims who came there on a pilgrimage that Santiago appeared as a knight in the battles to the aid of the Christians. And when he heard it, he pondered it and said thus:
—Friends, don’t call him a knight but a fisherman.
64) And while he insisted on this, it pleased God that he should fall asleep and Santiago appeared to him with some keys in his hand, and told him in a very happy way:
—Escriuano, you think it’s an insult when they call me a knight and you say it’s not true. And that is why I came now to you and to show myself so that you never doubt my knighthood, since I am a knight of Jesus Christ and helper of the Christians against the Moors.
65) And while he was telling him this, a very white horse was brought to him. And the apostle mounted him, well equipped with all shiny, very clear and beautiful weapons, in the guise of a knight, and told him how he wanted to go and help King Don Fernando, who had been laying siege to Coimbra for seven years: “And so that you can be more certain about what I tell you, with these keys that I have in my hands I will open the doors of the city of Coimbra at the hour of Trece and give it to King Don Fernando.” And as soon as he had told him this, he rode off such that the strange bishop knew nothing more of him.
66) The next morning, he called the clerics and laymen who were in the city of Santiago and told them what he had seen and heard, and of the specific day in which Coimbra would be taken. And it happened just as he had said, as we said above.
67) And the land of Montejo up to Granada near Saluatierra was freed, and the king left it under the governance of Don Sizmando (Sisnando Davídiz or Davides in Portuguese), who had been expelled from the land and waged war with Abondolo, king of the Moors; And because of the merit of his goodness and his deeds, he loved him very much, because he was a very good warrior and a great destroyer of the Christians who lived in Lusitania and Portugal. And King Don Fernando forgave him, and he granted him his favor and returned him to his honor. But Don Lucas de Tuy says here that in another time, when Abondalo that Moor conquered Portugal, he captured Don Sizmando along with many other robberies that he carried out, and that he was so good against the Moors and such a warrior against the Christians, that the Arabs treated him like a king, such that they would not do anything without first asking his advice. But after he came to King Don Fernando, he was greatly admired for his campaigns against the Moors, and he was a man of great and good advice, and he did much harm to the Moors until the day of his death.
68) And then King Don Fernando knighted Rodrigo in the main mosque of Coimbra, which they named Sancta María. The knighting ceremony was carried out like this: He girded him with his sword and gave him the kiss of peace on his mouth, but he did not dub him. And once Rodrigo was a knight, he took the name Ruy Díaz. And he (the king) then took the sword before the altar and made nine-hundred new knights (“caballeros noveles”). And the king did much honor by praising him greatly, and the king did much good in conquering Coimbra and the other places. And the king also praised Our Lord God for all the good he did in [its] conquest.
69) And he went to Santiago on pilgrimage and there offered great gifts. And he turned back, and he endeavored to do good deeds and wage war on the Moors and do whatever harm he could do to them.
English translation by Matthew Bailey