El Cid, God s Own Champion is an inspiring biography of the extraordinary Catholic knight chosen by God to save his nation from Islamic aggression. Known by the honorary title of El Cid, Rodrigo Diaz is a legendary hero who is directly relevant to modern times. Exiled by his king, insulted and maligned by those who should have supported him, he selflessly fought against seemingly insurmountable odds to save Christian Spain. Commanding the respect even of his enemies, upon his death a Muslim historian acclaimed him, a miracle among the great miracles of the Almighty. The Cid is an example of what can be achieved through devotion to duty, prayer, and trust in God.

El Cid: God's Own Champion

James Fitzhenry`

Arx Pub

The greatest Spanish monarch, King of Castile and Leon, St. Fernando III was born in the year 1199 - exactly 100 years after the death of his illustrious ancestor, El Cid. In him would be combined the soul of a knight dedicated entirely to God, the irresistible power of the Cid, and due to his royal heritage, the authority to marshal the might of an entire kingdom against the enemies of Christ. Personally leading his armies into battle, he took back more territory from Islam than any other king in history. First cousin of St. Louis IX of France, he died a saintly death in the year 1252. His incorrupt body can still be seen in the Cathedral of Seville, and his feastday, May 30th, is a holy day of obligation in Spain.

Saint Fernando III: A Kingdom for Christ

Battles - Honor - Miracles! This book is filled with amazing stories of little-known Catholic heroes presenting spectacles of bravery and valor never exceeded in all the annals of history. Demonstrating his gallantry through daring feats of arms, the knight's faith, coupled with his marvelous courage, made him nearly invincible on the field of battle. Built around a stirring chronicle of the Knights of St. John, these inspiring accounts bring to life Catholic heroes who fought with courage, chivalry, and an unwavering trust in God to protect their neighbor, their country, and their Faith.

Defenders of Christendom

History

Military

Catholic Vitality Publications

Pelayo is the hero who led the remnant of the Catholic Visigoths into battle against the Moslem invaders of Spain. He was confronted by an adversary so deadly and potent that it seemed useless, and perhaps even unreasonable, to resist. Yet hope and great faith remained with him. Everything else had already been taken away, and resistance was all he had left - even though his defiance seemed foolhardy and certain to lead to his utter ruin. Pelayo's tenacity was nothing short of amazing, and what he went on to achieve went so far beyond what a man could ordinarily hope to accomplish that one is left to conclude that either the entire undertaking was proof of an outrageous and irrational audacity which would flow from generation to generation, or was nothing less than the result of Divine Intervention. Pelayo is the source of the Spanish monarchy, and all of Spain's mighty achievements, all of the pageantry and glory of Spain, whose presence was so strongly felt at various turning points in history throughout the ages, depended upon Pelayo and his victory at Covadonga. Pelayo's resistance initiated the nearly 800-year-long Reconquista to take back his country from the ruthless invader who had conquered his homeland and sought to erase his culture and his faith. His actions would lay the foundations of a Kingdom for Christ that would eventually reach around the world and spread the Catholic faith to millions of souls.

Pelayo, King of Asturias

Saint Fernando III