The Conquerors

He was a ruthless leader with a gift for politics. In an age of short and often brutal lives, he reigned for over thirty years. And only then did he embark upon the campaign that made him a legend.

He was an experienced commander sent to impose order on a rebellious colony. He soundly defeated the man who would come to be called "the father of the country." Yet in the end, his victory proved fruitless.

He was a national hero, the commander who defeated the British at the Battle of New Orleans in the War of 1812. Five years later, he took on another European superpower in a private campaign that ultimately helped carry him to the White House.

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It was one of the most significant land grabs in history. Acting on what many believe to be secret orders from President Polk, John Charles Fremont fomented the Bear Flag Rebellion in June of 1846, which led to Mexico ceding the vast California territory to the United States. It was just one chapter in the full life of the man who mapped the Oregon Trail and became Arizona's first governor.

Though his name was Rodrigo Diaz, he was known simply as El Cid (The Leader). Yet recent scholarship has exposed many gaps between truth and myth in the tales about Spain's first national hero. Was he, as one contemporary said, ""the scourge of his time""? Or are the tales recorded in the epic Poema de Mio Cid a more accurate picture of this unique man?