family structure of this “Pearl” is further complicated by a Nuño Súarez, who lived either with or near them and helped raise Solana. The traditional historians have suggested the titillating prospect of a ménage à trois, but the existence of Súarez ’s wife, the war-like Almoravide Nugaymath, makes this unlikely. Nugaymath would likely have killed Súarez for marital infidelity.
Navarro only had the one child, but both she and the “Spanish Pearl” played some role in rearing the five children of Arturo al-Rashid, a Zaragozan artist, poet, and actor of unknown origin.
The Chronicles provide an unflinching portrait of Rodrigo Díaz, his weaknesses, his greed, but reveals a grudging respect for the man as he worked to improve the lives of all Valencians—Christian, Moor, and Jew alike—aided by his Jewish administrator, Carlos Sanchez.
Despite the work’s title, The Chronicles of El Cid, the manuscript continues for many years beyond El Cid’s death. The entries begin to shorten and falter in 1130 or so, when the “Pearl” is believed to be between sixty and seventy, an amazing age for that century. The journal therefore presents over thirty years of life beyond the time of El Cid. While the gender of the author of The Chronicles of El Cid may never be known, this mystery does not detract from the manuscript’s invaluable contribution to Spanish history.
Author’s Note
Whenever I read historical fiction, I always wonder which characters actually existed in history. Of course, Kate and Elena are more real to me than any of the ‘real’ characters, but that said, here’s the scoop on the real-life characters from The Spanish Pearl and The Crown of Valencia:
King Alfonso VI actually did rule Castile (and León and Asturias) from 1072 to 1109. Rodrigo Díaz of Vivar, “El Cid,” was a mercenary soldier whose relationship with King Alfonso was complex, to say the least. Alfonso sent Rodrigo into exile at least twice because Rodrigo had offended or enraged Alfonso in some way. They didn’t have the most mature of relationships.
When Rodrigo was exiled from Castile from 1081 to 1086, he spent much of that time in Zaragoza, where he worked as a mercenary soldier for al-Mu’tamin. Rodrigo brought with him one of his most trusted men, Alvar Fáñez. Rodrigo did take control of Valencia in 1094 and held it until his death in 1099.
When al-Mu’tamin died in 1085, he was succeeded by his son, al-Musta’in. There is no record of a daughter, but another Walladah did exist in the eleventh century. She was Walladah al-Mustakfi, daughter of the caliph of Cordoba and an Ethiopian slave. She was a fiery poet, designed her own clothes, and refused to wear a veil. On one jacket she embroidered the words: I feel free to give my kisses to whomever asks for them. She took both men and women lovers, falling especially hard for another Moorish woman poet, Ibn Zaydun. As Vicki Leon reported, “...whole camel-loads of their correspondence in verse still survive.”
A band of Almoravide women archers also fought during this time, but there exists very little information on them.
What I love most about writing historical fiction is that I don’t have to struggle to make up characters totally from scratch. All I need do is look over my shoulder—all the characters we could ever ask for have already come before us.
About the Author
Catherine Friend is the author of six children’s books, including The Perfect Nest, illustrated by John Manders, and was awarded the 2007 Loft/McKnight Artist Fellowship in Children’s Literature. Her memoir, Hit by a Farm: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Barn, won a 2007 Golden Crown Award and was a finalist for both a 2007 Lambda Literary Award and the Judy Grahn Award. Her nonfiction book, The Compassionate Carnivore, will be released by Da Capo in May, 2008.
After more than fifteen years of writing, not publishing much, and not making any money, she’s delighted to find herself in a new phase of her life: writing and publishing more. She’s still not making any money, but that’s not why she writes.
Friend is working on her next novel for Bold Strokes Books, A Pirate’s Heart, and raises sheep in southeastern Minnesota with her partner of twenty-four years.
Learn more about her books and her Farm Tales blog at: www.catherinefriend.com
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