Medieval Spain: Society, Literature, and the Epic of El Cid

The Iberian Peninsula in the Middle Ages

Chronology and Cultural Coexistence

The Middle Ages lasted approximately 1,000 years, from the fall of the Roman Empire in the **5th century** until the discovery of the New World in 1492. During this period, several Christian kingdoms existed: León, Castile, Navarre, Aragon, and Portugal.

Muslims entered the peninsula in 711 and maintained control until 1492, primarily in the south. During the Middle Ages, three cultures coexisted in the peninsula: **Christian, Muslim, and Hebrew**. Many Jews were expelled in 1492.

It was during the Middle Ages that the first cultural Romance languages appeared, including Castilian, Galician, and Catalan.

The Medieval Social Structure (Three Estates)

Medieval society was divided into three rigid estates:

The Nobility

The nobility lived by war and enjoyed numerous privileges: economic, political, and social.

The Clergy

The clergy had the mission to pray and perform intellectual work. The ecclesiastical establishment held important privileges and produced eminently religious literature.

The Common People (Third Estate)

This was the social group lacking privileges. Their primary duty was to support the nobility and the Church financially. This estate included:

• **The Bourgeoisie:** Lived in cities and consisted of traders, artisans, and professionals.
• **Peasants:** Worked the land and lived under the harsh conditions imposed by the privileged estates. They were generally very poor but maintained a rich oral poetry tradition.

Literary Traditions of the Middle Ages

Early Oral Poetry: Jarchas and Popular Songs

From very early times, a tradition of sung oral poetry existed in the Iberian Peninsula. The first literary stream was the **Jarchas**, belonging to popular lyrical love songs. They are brief (three or four lines, often in Mozarabic).

Since the fifteenth century, collections included more than just love songs, featuring topics present in the lives of all peoples. Their stanzas are very simple and suitable for vocals (e.g., *Zejel*, *Carol*).

Mester de Juglaría (Minstrelsy)

The *Mester de Juglaría* (the office of the minstrels) was of great importance in medieval poetry. Minstrels were traveling actors who recited poems to the people in castles, villages, and cities to earn a living. It is believed they sometimes wrote their own versions. Minstrels also reported on fighting against Muslims.

The Chansons de Geste (Epic Poetry)

These were extensive verse narrative poems dealing with the exploits of a warrior hero. The minstrels learned these epic songs (*cantares de gesta*) by heart and sang them accompanied by string instruments. In Castilian, practically only the complete *Cantar de Mio Cid* is preserved.

The Cantar de Mio Cid

The *Cantar de Mio Cid* was composed during the twelfth century, probably by several successive authors. It tells the story of **Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar (El Cid)**, a low Castilian nobleman (*hidalgo*) who lived in the second half of the 11th century. King Alfonso VI of Castile banished him; however, El Cid conquered the Muslim kingdom of Valencia.

The poem is traditionally divided into three parts:

1. **Song of Exile:** Chronicles the exploits of the Cid from leaving Castile until the conquest of Valencia.
2. **Song of Marriage** (*Cantar de Bodas*).
3. **Song of the Affront at Corpes** (Implied third part, necessary for completeness of the epic structure).