The Long Way of the Cid: From Mercenary Looter to Francoist Myth

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In the 11th century, La Rioja was part of the vast uninhabited area of the Peninsula that served as a border between the Christian and Muslim kingdoms. It was a territory with very few people and many dangers. In 1092, a Christian mercenary did not hesitate to raze those places, even though they belonged to King Alfonso VI. “Cruelly and without mercy he burned all those lands to the ground in the harshest and most ungodly way. He devastated and …