Latest news with #medieval
Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Times
Who was El Cid? Historian's biography starts debate in Spain
Lionised by Cervantes and Franco as well as by figures on the political left, the medieval Spanish knight El Cid was immortalised in epic poetry and a film featuring Charlton Heston. But now the 11th-century warrior Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar is engulfed in battle once more. A new biography by a Cambridge academic has ruffled Spanish feathers for calling him a 'mercenary' and a 'turncoat'. El Cid: The Life and Afterlife of a Medieval Mercenary, written by Nora Berend, a professor of European history, starts with an account of de Vivar massacring fellow Christians in 1092 near the northern city of Logrono. The book emphasises El Cid's changes of allegiance. Having fought first for his king, then in exile for a Muslim ruler and finally as an independent warlord, de Vivar was dubbed El Cid — from the Andalusian Arabic for 'chief' — after the conquest of Valencia in 1091. 'From a modern perspective,' Berend writes, 'one could easily characterise Rodrigo as a turncoat.' The work has incensed a host of Spanish academics who have branded it an inaccurate hatchet job on a national hero. 'The term 'mercenary' traditionally has clearly negative connotations, so Berend chose it with the clear intention of presenting a negative image of El Cid to the contemporary reader,' said Alberto Montaner, a professor of Spanish literature at the University of Zaragoza. 'This represents a completely useless value judgment and, above all, an anachronistic distortion.' Montaner stated that the relationship that united El Cid with the Muslim kings of the Taifa of Zaragoza 'only lasted from 1081 to 1086, that is, five years, when El Cid lived for about 50'. He added: 'The choice of mercenary is, therefore, not really biographical, but ideological.' José Luis Corral, a history professor at the same university, said: 'Judging El Cid through the eyes of the 21st century is a monumental mistake.' He pointed to the importance of contextualising El Cid in his era. 'War was a profession,' he added. 'Working for a Muslim king was not being a mercenary in the modern sense, but simply earning a living as a knight.' Speaking to The Times, Berend said that she was 'thrilled' by how much attention her work had received in Spain, where El Pais, for example, has published a favourable review of her attempt to explain the 'chasm between the history and myth' of El Cid. Seeking to 'recover him from the myths of left and right, the whitewashing by both', she said, her book describes how the myth-making began even during his lifetime. 'Monks, who benefited from his donations, started to transform their benefactor into a hero sent by divine providence,' she writes. Addressing her Spanish critics, she said they had 'misrepresented her work and did not want to properly engage with it'. She added: 'I have contextualised him as a man of his time but this does not mean we should take him as a model'. Her work describes how the dictator Francisco Franco took him as the perfect example of the Catholic knight, seeing him as 'the 'spirit of Spain' and himself as a modern-day Cid'. 'Franco turned the Cid into an exemplar, part of compulsory education in schools and at the military academy,' she writes. Her work has also drawn criticism for its 'woke' concern about the lack of agency accorded by the old poets and playwrights to Jimena, El Cid's wife, and her partisan description of the civil war which brought Franco to power in 1939. Felipe Fernández-Armesto, a British history professor, does not believe that Berend explains why the El Cid myth survives. 'Despite his dodgy loyalties he became the 'good vassal' of the Cantar de Mio Cid, the great 12th-century poem in which a monkish admirer elevated him to imperishable heroism,' he said. 'Reputations for piety, largesse, gallantry and courtliness were part of the harvest. Clearly, in spreading the renown of medieval mercenaries, the spin is mightier than the sword.'
Times
4 days ago
- Health
- Times
Clappers, colonies and poisoned wells: a surprising history of leprosy
'What strange ideas people have about leprosy, doctor,' a character wonders in Graham Greene's 1960 novel A Burnt-Out Case, set in a Congolese leper colony. 'They learn about it from the Bible, like sex,' the doctor replies wearily. There's a great deal of historical truth in this wry exchange, the journalist Oliver Basciano tells us in this wide-ranging, globetrotting survey of the disease. Leprosy makes its literary premiere in Leviticus. In the Old Testament, those stricken with tzaraath are unclean and unworthy, deserving of ostracism as well as charity. The coinage lepra — scaly, in the manner of a snake — we owe to the Alexandrian Jewish scribes who translated the Hebrew Bible into Greek. But in the New Testament and later in the Middle Ages leprosy was regarded as a divine blessing. Basciano's chapter on medieval leprosy is the most arresting of this book. Living with leprosy was deemed akin to suffering in purgatory. At death, then, the leper could expect an easy passage to Heaven.
BBC News
6 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Six-month conservation work to York medieval gateway begins
Stonemasons will spend up to six months restoring a leaking medieval city gateway, a council has Bar, which sits on the site of a gateway to York's Roman legionary fortress, is one of four fortified gateways along the two-mile (3.4km) city walls which encircle the work starting on Monday would include preserving the lead and timber covering the structure's roof, City of York Council said.A road closure will be in place at the High Petergate section of the walls, with access provided for pedestrians and cyclists who dismount. The Bootham Bar archway dates from the 11th century, and was heightened in the 14th Pete Kilbane, executive member at City of York Council, said: "We're one of only few of local authorities with an in-house stonemason's team."He said over the next few months craftsmen would be "applying their skills to Bootham Bar", which had been "leaking intermittently".The work would "maintain the ancient gateway and preserve our medieval walls for generations to come", he added.A diversion will be in place via Duncombe Place, with access provided to the section of road which runs through Bootham Bar to allow deliveries to local businesses, according to the council.A spokesperson said a temporary ramp would be in place for those using wheelchairs and mobility scooters. Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
CBS News
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Huzzah! The Colorado Renaissance Festival returns for 2025 season
An annual Colorado tradition that takes us back in time kicks off this weekend. The Colorado Renaissance Festival near Larkspur has opened for the 2025 season. With a costumed cast, the festival is a chance to get a taste of life in a 16th century European village. The outdoor event recreates the historical setting with costumed performers, live entertainment, craft vendors, and themed food and drinks, along with games and rides. Special events for children include costume contests, royal quests, pirate treasure hunts and more. Guests are encouraged to join in the fun, vendors offer clothing and accessories for peasants, pixies, pirates and peers of the realm alike. Craftsmen offer armor, jewelry, leatherwork, artwork and more inspired by medieval Europe. Each weekend highlights a special theme with unique offerings. Those include: June 14-15: Magical Fantasy Weekend June 21-22: Ale and Art Festival (also Military Appreciation Weekend) June 28-29: Celtic Weekend July 5-6: Children's Weekend July 12-13: Pirate Invasion Weekend July 19-20: Wine and Revelry Weekend July 26-27: Renaissance Romance and Masquerade Weekend Aug. 2-3: Time Travelers Weekend and Final Huzzah The ren faire is open every weekend now through August 3. CBS Colorado is a proud sponsor of the Colorado Renaissance Festival.
CBS News
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Colorado Renaissance Festival
CBS A performer jousts at the Colorado Renaisance Festival Colorado Renaissance Festival CBS Crowds watch a jousting match at the Colorado Renaissance Festival Colorado Renaissance Festival CBS A jouster performs at the Colorado Renaissance Festival Colorado Renaissance Festival CBS Shops line the walkway at the Colorado Renaissance Festival Colorado Renaissance Festival CBS Guests ride the rocking ships at the Colorado Renaissance Festival Colorado Renaissance Festival CBS Crowds make their way to the Colorado Renaissance Festival on opening weekend Colorado Renaissance Festival CBS A jester and herald call out to crowds entering the Colorado Renaissance Festival while a medieval lady looks on Colorado Renaissance Festival CBS Courtiers greet the crowd at the Colorado Renaissance Festival Colorado Renaissance Festival CBS Performers parade through the Colorado Renaissance Festival Colorado Renaissance Festival CBS Courtiers wave to guests as they parade through the Colorado Renaissance Festival
