Answer
El Cid was a Castilian nobleman and military leader who was active in the 11th century. He is best known for his exploits in the Reconquista, the Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors. In 1094, El Cid conquered the Taifa of Valencia, a Muslim kingdom located in eastern Spain. He ruled Valencia as an independent ruler for the next five years, before his death in 1099.