During the time of the “Reconquista” in Spain against the Muslim Infidels, which began in the early 8th century, the Christian leaders were so desperate for Knights and men-at-arms that virtually anyone who was wealthy enough to buy a sword and a horse could become a full-fledged knight.
"The Code"
More “questionable” warriors would have been permitted to join the knightly brotherhood as opposed to the main areas of Europe, where the Knightly class was still very exclusive and only the truly ‘knightly’ were permitted to join. The vast majority of these men were of noble birth, and had trained for decades honing their skills.
This poem is a good source for analyzing the relaxation of knightly qualities in Spain during this time period. The main character, a knight known as The Cid, embodies the qualities of both the traditional honourable knight, but also exhibits the qualities more commonly associated to criminals, or later on, mercenaries of war.
Breaking the Chivalric Code
The poem opens with The Cid being exiled from his home land for stealing from the King. This breaks one of the premier chivalric codes: honour and defend the King.
Once he is exiled, The Cid travels in search of treasure and warfare which is also an action which goes against all knightly qualities; the knight is supposed to live a humble life free from riches, and not engage in warfare unless it was necessary (such as to defend his kingdom, or his religion).
Furthermore, during an attack on the city of Barcelona, he slaughtered many Christians and this action is clearly against the codes of chivalry in medieval Europe.
Honouring the Code
However, despite these flaws The Cid still possesses some admirable knightly characteristics. Despite being exiled by his King, he continues to send money and treasure back to the king as a sign of homage.
Furthermore, throughout the poem he does exhibit some mercy, he displays his high level of intellect, and his skill on the battle field is unparalleled. These are all highly prized characteristics of the medieval knight.
The juxtaposition which The Cid’s character and actions represent is a good indicator of how the Spanish knights could at times be more relaxed in their adherence to the code of chivalry, but that many knights would still wanted to maintain their high level of honour and knightly character; for many this may have been difficult to do in real life, much like The Cid.
Fletcher, Richard. The Quest for El Cid. Oxford University Press, 1991.
