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The Prince and the Poem of the Cid

Becoming a strong leader has always proved to be an intricate affair throughout history. There

are no defined rules to steer a leader in the right direction. Niccolo Machiavelli, the Italian

renaissance author of The Prince, provides an insight on the steps he believes one must follow to

become a successful leader. Niccolo Machiavelli examines past leaders, determines the qualities

that propelled them to become successful leaders, and then elaborates on certain character traits

deemed admirable. Like the characters discussed by Machiavelli, the El Cid from the poem of

the Cid, a Spanish national folk hero renowned for its embodiment of gallantry and virtue. The

Poem of Cid relays the story of El Cid during his conquest of Spain and the moors. By

examining the characters discussed in Machiavelli’s The Prince and comparing them to EL Cid

in The Poem of Cid, one can draw parallels between their leadership qualities and social values.

The leadership qualities and values define how a successful leader should behave.

In The Prince, Niccolo Machiavelli outlines numerous qualities ad values that one must possess

to become a successful leader. For starters, the author states that to become a good leader, a

prince must be conversant with individual weaknesses, be cunning and ruthless when the need

arises.

He says that “So, as a prince is forced to know how to act like a beast, he must learn from

the fox and the lion; because the lion is defenseless against traps and a fox is defenseless against

wolves. Therefore, one must be a fox in order to recognize traps, and a lion to frighten off the
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wolves.” (Prince, 56). The lines show that a successful leader should not always resort to

violence when faced with obstacles but critically analyze a situation. However, a successful

leader can always resort to violence if the position dictates. A good leader can ascertain the

proper reaction when in conflict. The author relates the leadership model to Alexander VI.

Alexander VI was elected pope in 1942, and he was threatened by the French invasion of Italy

and War between France and Spain. He goes on t Sate that as a leader, Alexander VI never

thought of anything else apart from deceiving men and always found easy prey for his

deceptions. Machiavelli writes, ‘There never was a man capable of such convincing

asseverations, or so ready to swear to the truth of something, who would honor his word

less.’  Alexander VI, deceptions always had the intended outcomes as he was a master of the

craft. It is not necessary for a leader to possess the above-outlined qualities but should appear to

have them.

Just like Alexander Vi, El Cid was conversant with his weaknesses but could often resort

to force when necessary. El Cid submitted to Alfonso, knowing he was not as great and strong as

him. The author then says that the moment El Cid caught sight of the King, he commanded all

his soldiers to halt while he, with a bunch of his soldiers, dismounted and undertook what he had

planned to do. ‘He knelt down on his hands and knees on the ground with his teeth he pulled up

a mouthful of grass.” (Cid, 129).  The line show that El Cid knew the limit of his powers.

However, we can compare this to a more ruthless side of El Cid that we often see when he faces

warfare throughout the poem. “With the rest you will attack the front ranks of the Valencians,

striking hard and fearlessly. I shall attack them with my hundred knights in the flank. As I trust

in God, the field will be ours...The Cid and his companions rejoiced that God had helped them to

win this victory’ (Cid,85). The lines show the El Cid just like Alexander VI; he can both be a fox
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and a lion. According to Niccolo Machiavelli, such leadership qualities and values are crucial to

becoming a successful leader.

According to Machiavelli in The Prince, to become a successful leader, it is essential to

note that the end always justifies the means. Machiavelli opines that people, in general, make

conclusions based on their eyes as opposed to their hands, given that every person is in a position

to watch; only a tiny number can touch you. People, in general, perceive as defined by what they

see as opposed to what one is are. As such, a leader should go forth and conquer, and

maintaining his kingdom, his tactics will always be judged honorably and will generally be

praised. As opposed to the military and political characters in The Prince, the character traits of

the El Cid are in total contrast.

Throughout The Poem of the Cid, El Cid is described as a truthful and honest leader. For

instance, the authors state, “The Count set spurs to his horse and rode off, turning his head to

look back for fear the Cid should change his mind- a thing that famous man would not do for

anything in the world, for never in his life had he gone back on his word.” (Cid, 79). From the

passage, we can see the truthfulness of the El Cid. While the character in the Poem of the Cid

does not possess the traits outlined by Machiavelli, he still represents a successful medieval

times leader.

There was a rule that soldiers were to be drawn from noble families. This is evident in

The Prince; the author states that the knights in the military come from desirable homes in the

States. During the period, soldiers were the ones tasked with warfare, and, as such, we were able

to conquer territories, increasing the environment for the people. This is also evident in the El

Cid, where El Cid dominates many regions that make the king pardon him. Similarly, in The

Prince, the author outlines that the military was the most critical factor in battles.
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When comparing El Cid to Machiavelli’s The Prince, we can see the correlation between

how a successful ruler should operate. Looking at the ideas stated about Medieval and

Renaissance leadership qualities and societal values, we can conclude that the similarities

between the two are significant. Machiavelli describes a long list of qualities that will make for a

successful leader and a thriving city. El Cid demonstrates almost all of these qualities and

actions, as shown through various sections of the story in a multitude of forms. Societal values

are prominent in both medieval and Renaissance times due to the strong leadership skills

possessed during times of leadership, even though they existed in different places and at other

times in history.
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References

Cid. "The Poem Of The Cid". Notes And Queries, vol 2-, no. 14, 1856, pp. 271-271. Oxford

University Press (OUP), https://doi.org/10.1093/nq/s2-i.14.271a.

Machiavelli, Niccolo. "The Prince". Italica, vol 12, no. 3, 1935, p. 191. JSTOR,

https://doi.org/10.2307/475753.