Medieval Spanish Literature and the Cantar de Mio Cid

Historical Context of the Middle Ages

The medieval period spans from the fall of the Roman Empire (AD 476) to the discovery of America in 1492. The Muslim invasion in 711 led to the Reconquista in areas dominated by Arabs, fostering a period of cultural coexistence between Jews, Christians, and Arabs. The first Castilian literary works emerged leading up to the reign of the Catholic Monarchs, categorized into three stages: anonymous works, individual literary personalities, and the adaptation of Italian poetic forms.

Medieval Society

Society was based on feudalism, which required the fidelity of vassals to a lord who provided land and protection. The social hierarchy included:

• Nobility: Political and military leadership.
• Clergy: Cultural and religious domination.
• Commoners: Labor and production.
• Monarchy: Positioned at the top, with the bourgeoisie emerging later.

Thought and Culture

Medieval thought was governed by theocentrism. Culture was primarily preserved in monasteries, and the first universities were established during this era.

Mester de Juglaría: Epic Poetry

Epic literature was characterized by anonymous works intended to publicize events and serve as moral examples. These were transmitted orally by juglares (minstrels), whose craft is known as the Mester de Juglaría. These poems utilized oral sources, irregular verses, assonant rhyme, and fixed formulas.

Cantar de Mio Cid

The Cantar de Mio Cid is the first major epic poem in Spanish. The only extant manuscript was copied by Per Abbat and contains 3,700 verses. It depicts Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, an 11th-century Castilian knight of the lower nobility.

Authorship Theories

• Traditional: Dates back to 1120, likely authored in the area of San Esteban de Gormaz.
• Modern: Composed around 1140 by a minstrel from Medinaceli.

Structure of the Poem

• Song of Exile: The Cid is banished from Castile, leaves his wife and daughters, and begins a military campaign in non-Christian lands, sending gifts to the King after each victory to regain favor.
• Song of the Wedding: After regaining the King's confidence, the Cid's daughters are married to the Infantes of Carrión, who demonstrate cowardice and seek only economic gain.

Themes and Style

The central theme is the recovery of honor. The hero is portrayed as measured, faithful to the King, and a champion of justice. The style is defined by irregular verses, assonant rhyme, simple themes, fixed formulas, repetitions, and epic realism.