Bernardo del Carpio

[1] Until the end of the nineteenth century and the labors of Ramón Menéndez Pidal, he, not El Cid, was considered to have been the chief hero of medieval Christian Spain and was believed to be a historical person.

The earliest form of the legend of Bernardo is found in the Chronicon mundi of Lucas of Tuy (1236), followed closely by the Historia Gothica of Rodrigo Jiménez de Rada (1243) and the Primera Crónica General (1270).

[2] According to the form of the legend found in the 13th-century chronicles, Bernardo was the son of the secret marriage of Sancho Díaz, count of Saldaña, and Jimena, daughter of King Alfonso II of Asturias (r. 791–835), although rumour had it that his mother was Timbor, sister of the Frankish king Charlemagne.

He was born early in his Alfonso's reign, but when the king learned of the illicit marriage he had Sancho imprisoned and Jimena placed in a convent.

Bernardo, leading the army, and his Moorish ally, King Marsil of Zaragoza, defeated the Franks at the Battle of Roncevaux Pass, where Roland was killed.

He built up a large retinue and constructed a castle he called El Carpio near Salamanca as his headquarters.

He liberated Berbegal, Barbastro and Sobrarbe before settling down to marry Doña Galinda, daughter of Count Alardos de Latre.

[2] The original legend of Bernardo del Carpio was sung by the jongleurs (minstrels, professional reciters, entertainers) of the Kingdom of León.