El Cid Shield

This Replica Medieval Shield . . .

is constructed of polished steel with brass trim. There is a brass emblem in the center consisting of castles and rampant lions. The shield size is 18" x 25" and it has a curved shape. It is the classic "Heater" style battle shield.

SH926721 El Cid Polished Display Shield with Hanging Chain

Rodrigo (Ruy) Diaz de Vivar was born around the year 1040AD in Vivar, Spain. He was raised and educated as minor nobility in the Castilian royal court, serving the prince and future king Sancho II, son of King Ferdinand I (the Great).

Ferdinand had a dispute with the king of Aragon. They chose two warriors to fight and the king whose champion won was to have the city. Ferdinand chose Rodrigo. Even though Ruy’s opponent was called the bravest knight in Spain, the young warrior vanquished him. By this time Rodrigo was about 23 years old. He also fought other battles alongside Sancho II acquiring victory after victory. It is said that he never lost a battle in man-to-man combat. This resulted in his allies and subjects giving him the nickname El Cid Campeador, meaning chief champion.

Ferdinand I, at his death, divided his kingdom between his children. Sancho being the eldest continued to enlarge his domain, conquering territories including those of his siblings. Sancho nominated El Cid as his commander of the Royal troops. Legend has it that the Cid was a reluctant supporter of Sancho’s aggression yet he played a prominent role in Sancho’s successful campaigns against his brother Alfonso VI.

In 1072 Sancho was killed while trying to besiege his sister’s land of Zamora leaving Alfonso as the heir and the Cid’s new boss. With his reputation of being a successful warrior and very well liked by the Castilians, Alfonso had no choice but to keep Rodrigo in the ranks. However, he lost his title of Royal Commander. Afraid that El Cid might attempt to take the throne, Alfonso made accusations against the Cid and he was exiled. This allowed El Cid to take and fight for himself. Rodrigo became a soldier of fortunes.

Needing the Cid’s help, Alfonso tried to recall him from exile. Ruy, instead, allowed Alfonso’s army to fight against its attackers without the Cid’s help in hopes that the armies would become weak as a result. This would make way for him to take on his own conquest in becoming ruler of Valencia.

El Cid’s army had an innovative approach to planning war strategy. They held brainstorming sessions before each engagement to discuss tactics. The Cid often ordered military theme books by Greek and Roman authors to be read aloud to him and his troops both for inspiration and entertainment during battle. He was also open to input from his soldiers. He used modern tactics that generals today would call psychological warfare.

Successfully over the next few years, the Cid gradually tightened his control over Valencia. His moment of destiny came in 1092 when the leader of Valencia was protested against and killed. Rodrigo immediately responded by attacking the rebel city which lasted for many months. In May of 1094 his opponents surrendered and El Cid finally entered Valencia as its conqueror.

Rodrigo "El Cid" Diaz ruled Valencia until he died of natural causes in 1099 but his legend still lives on today. His life and folklore have been portrayed in epic poems, songs, romances, plays and even a 1961 movie and a modern day video game both titled ‘El Cid’. Throughout the ages, El Cid has been and still is noted as the national hero of Spain.

Richard Lionheart	Shield of Jerusalem	Black Prince	Charlemagne	St. George Shield	Quadrant	Charlemagne	Hospitaller
Richard Lionheart	Carlos V	Charlemagne	Templar	El Cid Shield	El Cid	Templar	Carlos

How To Order . . .
Just click on the desired item. That will take you to a new page. Enter the quantity you want then hit the add-to-cart button to put an item into your cart. Checkout is fast and easy with our secure ordering system.

Lead Time . . .
We normally ship orders within 1 business day. Delivery lead time varies from 2-8 business days. Rush service is available via 2 day and next day air. Rush orders placed after 12:00 noon will be shipped the following day.

Our Shipping . . .
is done via either FED EX Ground or UPS. Both offer equivalent service to all areas of the country for retail delivery. Larger wholesale orders can sometimes be shipped via common carriers to save on freight. This only applies to multiple bolt orders shipped to the same location.

Our Online Ordering System . . .
is as easy as it can be . Returning customers can start a new order or place a duplicate order just like you did last time. Just place the items that you want into you cart, continue shopping, then checkout anytime you like. The entire process is secure to protect your information from hackers and credit card thieves.

Your Privacy . . .
We never , ever sell share or trade your personal information with anybody for any reason. Your email address is also guarded. We only ask for it to confirm your online order. We Hate SPAM Too ! Your information does not become part of a mailing list that is sold or used to market you additional products. It is provided strictly for the purpose of processing your order and communicating directly to regarding the status, cost, lead time and shipping particulars of your individual order. Did I mention the we really hate SPAM too ! We promise, you won't get any from us.

Our Secure Checkout System . . .
features a secure online server for privacy and convenience. You can order with confidence. Your credit card and personal information are all secured with a high level of encryption to protect you from theft. Your info is privately locked during the checkout process. We also protect all pages where you would be entering personal information like phone numbers and home addresses as well as your credit card information.

Payment Methods

We accept most major credit cards including Visa, Master Card, American Express and Discover Card
You can also pay via money order or cashiers check if you prefer. Orders paid by personal check will be subject to a 10 day waiting period to ensure proper funding availability. We do not accept PayPal because we process our own credit card payments in house.

Our Online Order System is Secure - but if you are...
Not Comfortable Giving Your Credit Card Over the Internet - No Problem!
Call Us at... 706-235-1670 (M-F, 8-5 est.) To Place Order by Phone

El Cid Shield - Polished