This Spanish expression or proverb is colloquially used to refer to a person who believes he is in a position of superiority because of his origin or lineage.
I would not like anyone to think that I can consider this supposed superiority, but in my particular case I can say that the expression, not the meaning of it, could be applied literally: I am descended from D. Rodrigo Díaz de VivarHe went down in history with the nickname of Cid Campeador.
Many, like me, are descendants of Don Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar. If we take into account the number of hundreds of years that have passed since his death and the countless descendants that generation after generation have been populating the lands of Spain and surely of many other countries, we are certainly many descendants of El Cid. But not many know that they really descend from such a legendary character of our history. I am perhaps one of the few who do know it.
Of course, I do not think I am superior in anything. It has no more merit than to have been born to the parents of whom I was born. And in that I have no merit. Some may consider it a joke and others may see it as an anecdote, but it is simply true.
Well, I take advantage of this reference to such a well-known and respected character in the history of Spain, to talk in this section of the Blog about a little known part of my life, which has to do with relevant deeds carried out by my ancestors, who in their day were rewarded or not by their Kings and whose memory I have had to honor.
For several of these relevant facts, some of my ancestors were honored with noble titles and some of these titles, years or rather, centuries later, fell on my person. With no other merit on my part, as I said before, than to have been born my father's son.
However, I cannot fail to bear in mind that these titles of nobility bestow honors that are real. I am proud of them and I feel a special respect for the memory of those who truly deserved them and for whom they were created. That is why I will try in this section to briefly review these titles, some of the history behind them, as well as some of the merits of my ancestors and also, when I have the opportunity, some stories of history, something I am fond of.
This one pulls a little bit of "the Cid's leg"It will probably also help to illustrate why, with some of the projects in which I am involved, I intend to contribute with my small grain of sand to do useful things that create wealth, help improve the quality of life of those around me and, as far as possible, leave a better world for the generations that will come after us. In doing so, I expect no greater recognition than the personal satisfaction of a job well done.
When talking about these things, I cannot forget my father and dedicate a memory to him. A man from another era, some of his friends used to call him "the man of the past".Agrarian Reform"He was the Marquis of Mejorada del Campo, who lived the transition between the old and our new Spain, with a great intelligence and an inexhaustible humor, who married in love with the daughter of a great Spanish industrialist who never understood him, they were both enormously happy, they had seven children with her and he died of an illness a few months after losing her in an accident, when my mother was only 33 years old and he was 46 years old.
He was Count of Floridablanca, Duke of San Miguel, Marquis of La Cañada, Marquis of Mejorada del Campo, Marquis of Hinojares and Marquis of Colomo. He distributed his titles among his sons when he passed away and I received the title of Count of Floridablanca, with Greatness of Spain, by his disposition, as his first-born son.
Later, when his only brother died, my uncle Alfonso Castillejo, who was married to the Duchess of Cardona, younger daughter of the Duke of Medinaceli, from him I received the titles of Marquis of Aldama, also with Greatness of Spain, and Count of Armíldez de Toledo. A few years later, when a sister of my grandfather died, my aunt Consuelo Castillejo, widow of the Marquis of Murrieta, I also received from her the title of Count of Fuente del Sauco.
As if that were not enough, to add a little more spice to this fun sauce, I married a fantastic woman, daughter of the Duke of Ahumada, who in turn is descended from the Great Emperor Montezuma of Mexico.
By a different route than that of the Cid, I am also descended from one of our conquistadors: Hernán Cortés.
Almost 600 years later, therefore, the blood of the Cid, Hernán Cortés and the Great Emperor Moctezuma has been reunited for the first time in history outside the battlefields and runs through the veins of our six sons. Interesting or not?
In a few words, as you can see, it has been a declaration of intentions to call this section of the Blog "the Cid's leg". Hopefully time, the research that my few free moments allow me to do and the collaboration and help of others, will give me the opportunity to develop topics that may be of interest and help those who read it to know some interesting things that others did.
I do not pretend otherwise by commenting on all this.