La Tizona or Tizón is one of the swords (along with Colada) that tradition or literature attributes to El Cid Campeador, Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar (1043-1099). According to the "Cantar de mio Cid" (1200), El Cid obtained it after defeating King Búcar of Morocco in Valencia, and later gave it to the Infantes de Carrión, for their marriage to his daughters.
Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, known as El Cid Campeador, was a Castilian knight and a historical and legendary figure of the Reconquista. Born in the mid-11th century, son of Diego Laínez, he was educated alongside Prince Sancho, son of King Fernando I of Castile and León, who, upon ascending the Castilian throne, appointed him royal standard-bearer (1065).
A Castilian nobleman and warrior, who at the head of his own army came to dominate practically the entire eastern part of the Iberian Peninsula at the end of the 11th century. He embodied the prototype of a knight with the highest virtues: strong and loyal, just and brave, prudent and temperate, a warrior and cultured, and a faithful vassal of his King Alfonso VI, alongside whom he conquered Toledo, and later expelled the Arabs from the city and kingdom of Valencia.
The first reference to the Tizona appears in the Cantar de mio Cid, where it is called Tizón. This name, according to the Tesoro de la lengua castellana o española of 1611, comes from the Latin titio, a synonym for 'embers, burning log'.
In 1503, Gonzalo de Bricio, by order of Queen Isabella the Catholic, carried out an inventory of the weapons found in the Alcázar of Segovia, and among them "La Tizona" is described.
Between 1560 and 1621, Fray Prudencio de Sandoval, in his chronicle of the Kings of Castile and León, mentions the Tizona held in their entail by the Marquises of Falces, and which apparently was ceded to them by King Fernando The Catholic as a reward for their services, on the condition of taking it to the Palace for the Kings of Spain to swear their oath.
In 1936, it disappeared from its home, along with the documents of grant and legitimization. The sword reappeared after the Civil War, in 1939, in Figueras Castle, from where it was transferred to the Army Museum in Madrid. It was subsequently acquired by the Junta de Castilla y León, aided by private donations, for 1.6 million euros. Its final destination will be Burgos Cathedral, where the remains of the Campeador are buried.
I AM TISONA I WAS MADE IN THE YEAR ONE THOUSAND FORTY
HAIL MARY FULL OF GRACE THE LORD IS WITH YOU
SILVER FINISH
A high-quality sword from the exclusive "Historical, Fantastic and Legendary Swords" Collection manufactured by MARTO.
Certificate of Quality and Origin, Made in Toledo.