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Silver Tizona Sword of the Champion Cid Silver Tizona Sword of the Champion CidThe sword Tizona del Cid Campeador, Rodrígo Díaz de Vivar
The Tizona sword is the sword that belonged to the Cid Campeador, Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar (1043-1099), according to written testimonies. This was a Castilian knight who came to have his own army and dominated the east of the Iberian Peninsula at the end of the eleventh century.
El Cid Campeador, hero of the Reconquest of Toledo
Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar has gone down in the history of Spain as a hero, especially for the important role he played in the Reconquista. He became the trusted knight of King Alfonso VI, along with which he conquered Toledo. His virtues, a strong and prudent gentleman, good warrior, but at the same time prudent, have encompassed the Cid in our literature.
The Song of Mío Cid: first reference to the Tizona.
The first reference to the Tizona appears in «The Song of Mío Cid» (1200), a work where the feats inspired by the life of this gentleman are narrated. In this song, «la Tizona» is called «Tizón». This name could come from Latin titio, and would come to mean «coal or hot wood». According to the «Cantar de Mío Cid», the Cid obtains this sword after defeating King Búcar of Morocco in Valencia.
More literary references to the Tizona
There are many more references to the Tizona. It appears in the inventory made by Gonzalo de Bricio, in the year 1503, under the command of Queen Elizabeth, of the weapons that were in the Alcázar de Segovia.
The Tizona is also mentioned in the chronicles of Fray Prudencio de Sandoval, between 1560 and 1621, when it was guarded by Marquises of Falces. It had apparently been ceded by King Ferdinand The Catholic to the grandfather of the first Marquis of Falces as a reward for his services for facilitating his marriage to Isabel.
Destination and exhibition of the Tizona
In the twentieth century, the sword was moved to the Army Museum in Madrid. It was subsequently acquired by the board of Castile and León for 1.6 million euros. It is established that the final destination of it will be the Cathedral of Burgos, where the remains of the champion are buried, but for the moment it is still on display in the Museum of Burgos.
La Tizona, Good of National Interest
In 2002, the sword was declared of National Interest. And it is not for nothing, according to The Song of Mío Cid: «The Tizona has its own personality, its strength varies depending on the arm that wields it, terrorizing the unworthy adversaries».
