Jose Rizaal

8/12/2019 Jose Rizaal

1/33

SynopsisJos Rizal was born on June 19, 1861, in Calamba, Philippines. While living in Europe, Rizal wrote about the discrimination that accompanied Spain's colonial rule of his

country. He returned to the Philippines in 1892, but was exiled due to his desire for reform. Although he supported peaceful change, Rizal was convicted of sedition and

executed on December 30, 1896, at age 35.

Early Life

On June 19, 1861, Jos Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda was born in Calamba in the Philippines' Laguna Province. A brilliant student who became proficient in

multiple languages, Jos Rizal studied medicine in Manila. In 1882, he traveled to Spain to complete his medical degree.

Writing and ReformWhile in Europe, Jos Rizal became part of the Propaganda Movement, connecting with other Filipinos who wanted reform. He also wrote his first novel, Noli Me

Tangere (Touch Me Not/The Social Cancer), a work that detailed the dark aspects of Spain's colonial rule in the Philippines, with particular focus on the role of Catholic

friars. The book was banned in the Philippines, though copies were smuggled in. Because of this novel, Rizal's return to the Philippines in 1887 was cut short when he wa

targeted by police.

Rizal returned to Europe and continued to write, releasing his follow-up novel, El Filibusterismo (The Reign of Greed) in 1891. He also published articles in La

Solidaridad, a paper aligned with the Propaganda Movement. The reforms Rizal advocated for did not include independence he called for equal treatment of Filipinos

limiting the power of Spanish friars and representation for the Philippines in the Spanish Cortes (Spain's parliament).

Exile in the PhilippinesRizal returned to the Philippines in 1892, feeling he needed to be in the country to effect change. Although the reform society he founded, the Liga Filipino (Philippine

League), supported non-violent action, Rizal was still exiled to Dapitan, on the island of Mindanao. During the four years Rizal was in exile, he practiced medicine and

took on students.

Execution and Legacy

In 1895, Rizal asked for permission to travel to Cuba as an army doctor. His request was approved, but in August 1896, Katipunan, a nationalist Filipino society founded

by Andres Bonifacio, revolted. Though he had no ties to the group, and disapproved of its violent methods, Rizal was arrested shortly thereafter.

After a show trial, Rizal was convicted of sedition and sentenced to death by firing squad. Rizal's public execution was carr ied out in Manila on December 30, 1896, when

he was 35 years old. His execution created more opposition to Spanish rule.

Spain's control of the Philippines ended in 1898, though the country did not gain lasting independence until after World War II. Rizal remains a nationalist icon in the

Philippines for helping the country take its first steps toward independence.

Early Life:

On June 19, 1861, Francisco Rizal Mercado and Teodora Alonzo y Quintos welcomed their seventh child into the world at Calamba, Laguna. They named the boy Jose

Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda.

The Mercado family were wealthy farmers who rented land from the Dominican religious order. Descendants of a Chinese immigrant named Domingo Lam-co, they

changed their name to Mercado ("market") under the pressure of anti-Chinese feeling amongst the Spanish colonizers.

From an early age, Jose Rizal Mercado showed a precocious intellect. He learned the alphabet from his mother at 3, and could read and write at age 5.

Education:


2/33

Jose Rizal Mercado attended the Ateneo Municipal de Manila, graduating at the age of 16 with highest honors. He took a post-graduate course there in land surveying.

Rizal Mercado completed his surveyor's training in 1877, and passed the licensing exam in May 1878, but could not receive a license to practice because he was only 17

years old. (He was granted a license in 1881, when he reached the age of majority.)

In 1878, the young man also enrolled in the University of Santo Tomas as a medical student. He later quit the school, alleging discrimination against Filipino students by

the Dominican professors.

Rizal Goes to Madrid:

In May of 1882, Jose Rizal got on a ship to Spain without informing his parents of his intentions. He enrolled at the Universidad Central de Madrid.

In June of 1884, he received his medical degree at the age of 23; the following year, he also graduated from the Philosophy and Letters department.

Inspired by his mother's advancing blindness, Rizal next went to the University of Paris and then the University of Heidelberg to complete further study in the field of

ophthalmology. At Heidelberg, he studied under the famed professor Otto Becker. Rizal finished his second doctorate at Heidelberg in 1887.

Rizal's Life in Europe:

Jose Rizal lived in Europe for 10 years. During that time, he picked up a number of languages; in fact, he could converse in more than 10 different tongues.

While in Europe, the young Filipino impressed everyone who met him with his charm, his intelligence, and his mastery of an incredible range of different fields of study.

Rizal excelled at martial arts, fencing, sculpture, painting, teaching, anthropology, and journalism, among other things.

During his European sojourn, he also began to write novels. Rizal finished his first book,Noli Me Tangere, while living in Wilhemsfeld with the Reverend Karl Ullmer.

Novels and Other Works:

Rizal wroteNoli Me Tangerein Spanish; it was published in 1887 in Berlin. The novel is a scathing indictment of the Catholic Church and Spanish colonial rule in the

Philippines.

This book cemented Jose Rizal on the Spanish colonial government's list of troublemakers. When Rizal returned home for a visit, he received a summons from the

Governor General, and had to defend himself from charges of disseminating subversive ideas.

Although the Spanish governor accepted Rizal's explanations, the Catholic Church was less willing to forgive.

In 1891, Rizal published a sequel, titledEl Filibusterismo.

Program of Reforms:

Both in his novels and in newspaper editorials, Jose Rizal called for a number of reforms of the Spanish colonial system in the Philippines.

He advocated freedom of speech and assembly, equal rights before the law for Filipinos, and Filipino priests in place of the often-corrupt Spanish churchmen. In addition

Rizal called for the Philippines to become a province within Spain, with representation in the Spanish legislature (the Cortes Generales).


3/33

Rizal never called for independence for the Philippines. Nonetheless, the colonial government considered him a dangerous radical, and declared him an enemy of the state.

Exile and Courtship:

In 1892, Rizal returned to the Philippines. He was almost immediately accused of being involved in the brewing rebellion, and was exiled to Dapitan, on the island of

Mindanao. Rizal would stay there for four years, teaching school and encouraging agricultural reforms.

During that same period, the people of the Philippines grew more eager to revolt against the Spanish colonial presence. Inspired in part by Rizal's organization, La Liga

rebel leaders likeAndres Bonifaciobegan to press for military action against the Spanish regime.

In Dapitan, Rizal met and fell in love with Josephine Bracken, who brought her stepfather to him for a cataract operation. The couple applied for a marriage license, bu

were denied by the Church (which had excommunicated Rizal).

Trial and Execution:

The Philippine Revolution broke out in 1896. Rizal denounced the violence, and received permission to travel to Cuba in order to tend victims of yellow fever in exchange

for his freedom. Bonifacio and two associates sneaked aboard the ship to Cuba before it left the Philippines, trying to convince Rizal to escape with them, but Riza

refused.

He was arrested by the Spanish on the way, taken to Barcelona, and then extradited to Manila for trial. Jose Rizal was tried by court martial, charged with conspiracy

sedition and rebellion.

Despite a lack of any evidence of his complicity in the Revolution, Rizal was convicted on all counts and given the death sentence.

He was allowed to marry Josephine two hours before his execution by firing squad on December 30, 1896. Jose Rizal was just 35 years old.

Jose Rizal's Legacy:

Jose Rizal is remembered today throughout the Philippines for his brilliance, his courage, his peaceful resistance to tyranny, and his compassion. Filipino school children

study his final literary work, a poem calledMi Ultimo Adios("My Last Goodbye"), as well as his two famous novels.

Spurred on by Rizal's martyrdom, the Philippine Revolution continued until 1898. With assistance from the United States, the Philippine archipelago was able to defeat the

Spanish army. The Philippines declared its independence from Spain on June 12, 1898. It was the first democratic republic in Asia.

Dr Jose Rizal - National Hero of the Philippines

Dr Jose Protacio Rizal was born in the town of Calamba, Laguna on 19th June 1861. The second son and the seventh

among the eleven children of Francisco Mercado and Teodora Alonso.

With his mother as his first teacher, he began his early education at home and continued in Binan, Laguna. He

entered a Jesuit-run Ateneo Municipal deManilain 1872 and obtained a bachelor's degree with highest honors in

1876. He studied medicine at the University of Santo Tomas but had to stop because he felt that the Filipino students

were being discriminated by their Dominican tutors. He went to Madrid at Universidad Central de Madrid and in 1885

at the age of 24, he finished his course in Philosophy and Letters with a grade of "Excellent".
http://asianhistory.about.com/od/philippines/p/Biography-of-Andres-Bonifacio-Filipino-Anti-Colonial-Leader.htmhttp://asianhistory.about.com/od/philippines/p/Biography-of-Andres-Bonifacio-Filipino-Anti-Colonial-Leader.htmhttp://asianhistory.about.com/od/philippines/p/Biography-of-Andres-Bonifacio-Filipino-Anti-Colonial-Leader.htmhttp://www.joserizal.ph/pm03.htmlhttp://www.joserizal.ph/pm03.htmlhttp://www.joserizal.ph/pm03.htmlhttp://kathrynvercillo.hubpages.com/hub/15-Places-to-Visit-in-Metro-Manila--Philippineshttp://kathrynvercillo.hubpages.com/hub/15-Places-to-Visit-in-Metro-Manila--Philippineshttp://kathrynvercillo.hubpages.com/hub/15-Places-to-Visit-in-Metro-Manila--Philippineshttp://kathrynvercillo.hubpages.com/hub/15-Places-to-Visit-in-Metro-Manila--Philippineshttp://www.joserizal.ph/pm03.htmlhttp://asianhistory.about.com/od/philippines/p/Biography-of-Andres-Bonifacio-Filipino-Anti-Colonial-Leader.htm


4/33

He took graduate studies in Paris, France & Heidelberg, Germany. He also studied painting, sculpture, he learned to

read and write in at least 10 languages.

Rizal was a prolific writer and was anti-violence. He rather fight using his pen than his might. Rizal's two books "Nol i

Me Tangere" (Touch Me Not) which he wrote while he was in Berlin, Germany in 1887 and "El Fi l ibuster ismo" (The

Rebel) in Ghent, Belgiun in 1891 exposed the cruelties of the Spanish friars in the Philippines, the defects of the

Spanish administration and the vices of the clergy, these books told about the oppression of the Spanish colonial rule.

These two books made Rizal as a marked man to the Spanish friars.

In 1892 when Rizal returned to the Philippines, he formed La Liga Fil ipina ,an non violent reform society of

patriotic citizen and a forum for Filipinos to express their hopes for reform, to promote progress through

commerce, industry and agriculture and freedom from the oppressive Spanish colonial administration.

On July 6, 1892, he was imprisoned inFort Santiago,on the charge of instigating unrest against Spain, he was

exiled to Dapitan, in northwestern Mindanao. He remained in exile for four years, while he was in political exile in

Dapitan, he practice medicine, he established a school for boys, promoted community development projects, he

applied his knowledge in engineering by constructing a system of waterworks in order to furnish clean water to

the towns people. In Dapitan he also met, fell in love and lived with Josephine Bracken.

In 1896, the Katipunan, a nationalist secret society launched a revolt against the Spaniards, although Jose Rizal

had no connection with the organization, his enemies were able to linked him with the revolt. To avoid being

involved in the move to start a revolution, he asked Governor Ramon Blanco to send him to Cuba but instead he

was brought back to Manila and jailed for the second time in Fort Santiago.

Kung may mga taong saydang nadarapa

Sa halip tulungan, tinutulak pa nga,

Buong lakas silang dinudusta-dusta

Upang itong hapdi'y lalong managana

Rizal Monument at Luneta Park

The Rizal monument was created by a Swiss sculptor named Richard Kissling. The site is guarded 24 hours a day 7 days a week by

ceremonial soldiers known as Kabalyeros de Rizal.

On December 26, 1896, after a trial, Rizal was sentenced to die, he was convicted of rebellion, sedition, and of

forming illegal association. On the eve of his execution while confined in Fort Santiago, Rizal wrote a poem Mi Ultimo

Adios(My Last Farewell) and hid it inside the gas burner and gave the gas burner to his sister Trinidad and his wife

Josephine.

He was executed on December 30, 1896 at the age of 35 by a firing squad at Bagumbayan, now known as Luneta

Park in Manila.

Jose Rizal was a man of many accomplishments - a linguist, a novelist, a poet, a scientist, a doctor, a painter, an

educator, a reformer and a visionary, he left his people his greatest patriotic poem, Mi Ult imo Ad iosto serve as an

inspiration for the next generations.
http://richavady.hubpages.com/hub/Take-A-Walk-In-History-At-Fort-Santiagohttp://richavady.hubpages.com/hub/Take-A-Walk-In-History-At-Fort-Santiagohttp://richavady.hubpages.com/hub/Take-A-Walk-In-History-At-Fort-Santiagohttp://richavady.hubpages.com/hub/Take-A-Walk-In-History-At-Fort-Santiago


5/33


6/33


7/33


8/33


9/33

Map data 2013 Google

Terms of Use
http://www.google.com/intl/en-US_US/help/terms_maps.htmlhttp://maps.google.com/maps?ll=14.58325,120.97831&z=13&t=m&hl=en-US&mapclient=apiv3http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=14.58325,120.97831&z=13&t=m&hl=en-US&mapclient=apiv3http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=14.58325,120.97831&z=13&t=m&hl=en-US&mapclient=apiv3http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=14.58325,120.97831&z=13&t=m&hl=en-US&mapclient=apiv3http://www.google.com/intl/en-US_US/help/terms_maps.htmlhttp://maps.google.com/maps?ll=14.58325,120.97831&z=13&t=m&hl=en-US&mapclient=apiv3http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=14.58325,120.97831&z=13&t=m&hl=en-US&mapclient=apiv3


10/33


11/33

Map

Satellite

Luneta, Manila, Philippines-

Rizal Park, Manila, Philippines

[get directions]

Words of Wisdom

Quotes from Dr Jose Rizal -A collection of wise words from Dr Jose Rizal from his various writings. I hope you

will find this collection helpful if you are doing research for your assignments or projects in school.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&z=13&q=Rizal+Park%2C+Manila%[email protected],120.97831http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&z=13&q=Rizal+Park%2C+Manila%[email protected],120.97831http://mmdelrosario.hubpages.com/hub/jose-rizal-quoteshttp://mmdelrosario.hubpages.com/hub/jose-rizal-quoteshttp://mmdelrosario.hubpages.com/hub/jose-rizal-quoteshttp://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&z=13&q=Rizal+Park%2C+Manila%[email protected],120.97831


12/33

Dr.Jose Rizal Monument - site of countless wreath-laying activities year round honouring the national hero.

Philippines - Masonic FDC 1977 Jose Rizal / Recapture of Corregidor

Current Bid:$3.75

1994 Philippines Jose Rizal 1 Piso Anoa Mindoreses Selling Coin Collection

Current Bid:$1.00

Interesting Trivia About Dr Jose Rizal

Rizal's Contribution to Science
http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?ff3=2&toolid=10044&campid=5336909614&customid=423372-16698054&lgeo=1&vectorid=229466&item=181204011661http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?ff3=2&toolid=10044&campid=5336909614&customid=423372-16698054&lgeo=1&vectorid=229466&item=181204011661http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?ff3=2&toolid=10044&campid=5336909614&customid=423372-23892831&lgeo=1&vectorid=229466&item=251134030145http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?ff3=2&toolid=10044&campid=5336909614&customid=423372-23892831&lgeo=1&vectorid=229466&item=251134030145http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?type=1&campid=5336909614&toolid=10001&customid=423372-23892831http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?ff3=2&toolid=10044&campid=5336909614&customid=423372-23892831&lgeo=1&vectorid=229466&item=251134030145http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?type=1&campid=5336909614&toolid=10001&customid=423372-16698054http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?ff3=2&toolid=10044&campid=5336909614&customid=423372-16698054&lgeo=1&vectorid=229466&item=181204011661http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?type=1&campid=5336909614&toolid=10001&customid=423372-23892831http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?ff3=2&toolid=10044&campid=5336909614&customid=423372-23892831&lgeo=1&vectorid=229466&item=251134030145http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?type=1&campid=5336909614&toolid=10001&customid=423372-16698054http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?ff3=2&toolid=10044&campid=5336909614&customid=423372-16698054&lgeo=1&vectorid=229466&item=181204011661http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?type=1&campid=5336909614&toolid=10001&customid=423372-23892831http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?ff3=2&toolid=10044&campid=5336909614&customid=423372-23892831&lgeo=1&vectorid=229466&item=251134030145http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?type=1&campid=5336909614&toolid=10001&customid=423372-16698054http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?ff3=2&toolid=10044&campid=5336909614&customid=423372-16698054&lgeo=1&vectorid=229466&item=181204011661http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?type=1&campid=5336909614&toolid=10001&customid=423372-23892831http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?ff3=2&toolid=10044&campid=5336909614&customid=423372-23892831&lgeo=1&vectorid=229466&item=251134030145http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?type=1&campid=5336909614&toolid=10001&customid=423372-16698054http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?ff3=2&toolid=10044&campid=5336909614&customid=423372-16698054&lgeo=1&vectorid=229466&item=181204011661http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?type=1&campid=5336909614&toolid=10001&customid=423372-23892831http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?ff3=2&toolid=10044&campid=5336909614&customid=423372-23892831&lgeo=1&vectorid=229466&item=251134030145http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?type=1&campid=5336909614&toolid=10001&customid=423372-16698054http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?ff3=2&toolid=10044&campid=5336909614&customid=423372-16698054&lgeo=1&vectorid=229466&item=181204011661http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?type=1&campid=5336909614&toolid=10001&customid=423372-23892831http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?ff3=2&toolid=10044&campid=5336909614&customid=423372-23892831&lgeo=1&vectorid=229466&item=251134030145http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?type=1&campid=5336909614&toolid=10001&customid=423372-16698054http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?ff3=2&toolid=10044&campid=5336909614&customid=423372-16698054&lgeo=1&vectorid=229466&item=181204011661http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?type=1&campid=5336909614&toolid=10001&customid=423372-23892831http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?ff3=2&toolid=10044&campid=5336909614&customid=423372-23892831&lgeo=1&vectorid=229466&item=251134030145http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?type=1&campid=5336909614&toolid=10001&customid=423372-16698054http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?ff3=2&toolid=10044&campid=5336909614&customid=423372-16698054&lgeo=1&vectorid=229466&item=181204011661http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?ff3=2&toolid=10044&campid=5336909614&customid=423372-23892831&lgeo=1&vectorid=229466&item=251134030145http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?ff3=2&toolid=10044&campid=5336909614&customid=423372-16698054&lgeo=1&vectorid=229466&item=181204011661


13/33

Rizal found Mindanao a rich virgin field for collecting specimens. With his baroto(sailboat) and accompanied by his

pupils, he explored the jungles and coasts seeking specimens of insects, birds, snakes lizards frogs shells and plants.

He sent these specimens to the museum of Europe especially the Dresden Museum. In payment for these valuable

specimens, the European scientists sent him scientific books and surgical instruments.

Manila Lottery Winner

On September 21, 1892 the mail boatButuanarrived in Dapitan carrying lottery Ticket No. 9736 jointly owned by

Captain Carnicero, Dr Jose Rizal and Francisco Equilior won the second prize of P20,000 in the government-ownedManila Lottery.

Rizals share of the winning loterry was P6,200. He gave P2,000 to his father and P200 to his friend Basa in

Hongkong and the rest he invested well by purchasing agricultural lands along the coast of Talisay about one

kilometer away from Dapitan.

Rizal Discovered Rare Specimens

For four years during his exile in Dapitan, Rizal discovered some rare specimens which were named in his honor by

the scientists. Among these were :

Draco Rizalia flying dragon

Apogonia Rizali -a small beetle

Rhacophorus Rizalia rare frog

What is the complete legal name of Dr. Jose Rizal?

Jos Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda. Jose and Protacio are his baptismal names, Rizal Mercado yAlonso Realonda is his family's quadruple surname.

What was the date of birth of Dr. Jose Rizal?

June 19, 1861. It was on a moonlit night, between eleven and twelve, that Rizal was born.

What is the Spanish name for a Filipino native, which the Filipinos resented?

Indio. Spanish mestizos hatefully call Filipinos 'Indios Chonggo!'

Name Rizal's host at Wilhelmsfeld.

Karl Ulmer. Karl Ulmer helped Dr. Rizal brush up his German language upon knowing that Rizal was havingdifficulty communicating himself.

At 16, Rizal experienced his first romance. He fell in love with which girl?

Segunda Katigbak. It was on a Sunday when Rizal, together with his friend Mariano Katigbak visited his maternalgrandmother in Trozo, Manila that he came upon the most attractive girl---Segunda Katigbak. Segunda was thesister of his friend, Mariano.

Who is the older brother of Dr. Jose Rizal?

Paciano Mercado. Not only was Paciano an older brother of Jose Rizal but he was also more like a father of Rizal.

"Noli me tangere" is a Latin phrase which Rizal used as the title of one of his two novels. What does it mean?

Touch me not. "Noli mi tangere" was first published in Germany in 1887.


14/33

He was an Austrian and he became the best friend of Dr. Jose Rizal. Who was he?

Dr. Ferdinand Blumentritt.

Governor General Terrero assigned a bodyguard to Rizal. And between them, a wonderful friendship blossomed.Who was this bodyguard?

Lt. Jose Taviel de Andrade.

What is the real name of O-Sei-San?

Seiko Usui. Seiko Usui is a Japanese girl whom Rizal fell in love with. Jose Rizal affectionately call her O-Sei-San.

Jos Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda[6][7](June 19, 1861December 30, 1896), was

aFilipinonationalistandreformist.He is widely considered the greatestnational heroof thePhilippines.[8]Studying in

Europe, he was the most prominent advocate for reform in the Philippines during theSpanish colonial era.He was wrongly

implicated as the instigator of the anti-colonialPhilippine Revolutionwhich led to his execution on December 30, 1896, now

celebrated asRizal Day,anational holidayin the country.

Rizal was born to a wealthy family inCalamba,Lagunaand was the seventh of eleven children. He attended the Ateneo

Municipal de Manila,earning aBachelor of Artsdiploma and studied medicine at theUniversity of Santo Tomasin Manila.

He continued his studies at theUniversidad Central de Madridin Madrid, Spain, earning the degree of Licentiate in

Medicine, making him eligible to practice medicine. He also attended lectures at theUniversity of Parisand theUniversity of

Heidelberg.

Rizal was apolymath;besides medicine, he was also an artist who dabbled in painting, sketching, sculpting and

woodcarving. He was a prolific poet, essayist, and novelist whose most famous works were his two novels, Noli Me

Tngereand its sequel,El filibusterismo.[note 1][9]These social commentaries during theSpanish colonizationof the country

formed the nucleus of literature that inspired peaceful reformists and armed revolutionaries alike. Rizal was also apolyglot,

conversant in twenty-two languages.[note 2][note 3][10][11]

As apolitical figure,Jos Rizal was the founder ofLa Liga Filipina,a civic organization that subsequently gave birth to

theKatipunanled byAndrs Bonifacio,[note 4],a secret society which would start thePhilippine Revolutionagainst Spain that

eventually laid the foundation of theFirst Philippine RepublicunderEmilio Aguinaldo.He was a proponent of achieving

Philippine self-government peacefully through institutional reform rather than through violent revolution, and would only

support "violent means" as a last resort.[13]Rizal believed that the only justification for national liberation and self-

government was the restoration of the dignity of the people,[note 5]saying "Why independence, if the slaves of today will be

the tyrants of tomorrow?"[14]

The general consensus among Rizal scholars is that his execution by the Spanish government

further bolstered the Philippine Revolution.

Contents

[show]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-VIAF-6http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-VIAF-6http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filipino_peoplehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filipino_peoplehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filipino_nationalismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filipino_nationalismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filipino_nationalismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reformisthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reformisthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reformisthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_hero_of_the_Philippineshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_hero_of_the_Philippineshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_hero_of_the_Philippineshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippineshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippineshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-national-8http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-national-8http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-national-8http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Philippines_(1521-1898)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Philippines_(1521-1898)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Philippines_(1521-1898)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_Revolutionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_Revolutionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_Revolutionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rizal_Dayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rizal_Dayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rizal_Dayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holidays_in_the_Philippineshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holidays_in_the_Philippineshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holidays_in_the_Philippineshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calamba,_Lagunahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calamba,_Lagunahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calamba,_Lagunahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laguna_(province)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laguna_(province)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laguna_(province)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ateneo_de_Manila_Universityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ateneo_de_Manila_Universityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ateneo_de_Manila_Universityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ateneo_de_Manila_Universityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bachelor_of_Artshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bachelor_of_Artshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bachelor_of_Artshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Santo_Tomashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Santo_Tomashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Santo_Tomashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complutense_University_of_Madridhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complutense_University_of_Madridhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complutense_University_of_Madridhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Parishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Parishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Parishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Heidelberghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Heidelberghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Heidelberghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Heidelberghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polymathhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polymathhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polymathhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noli_Me_T%C3%A1ngere_(novel)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noli_Me_T%C3%A1ngere_(novel)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noli_Me_T%C3%A1ngere_(novel)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noli_Me_T%C3%A1ngere_(novel)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_filibusterismohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_filibusterismohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-9http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-9http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-9http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Philippines_(1521-1898)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Philippines_(1521-1898)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Philippines_(1521-1898)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyglot_(person)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyglot_(person)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyglot_(person)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-11http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-11http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-Laubach-13http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-Laubach-13http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_figurehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_figurehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_figurehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Liga_Filipinahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Liga_Filipinahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Liga_Filipinahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katipunanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katipunanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katipunanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A9s_Bonifaciohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A9s_Bonifaciohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-16http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-16http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-16http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_Revolutionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_Revolutionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_Revolutionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Philippine_Republichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Philippine_Republichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Philippine_Republichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emilio_Aguinaldohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emilio_Aguinaldohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emilio_Aguinaldohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-17http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-17http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-17http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-18http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-18http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-18http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-19http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-19http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-19http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-19http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-18http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-17http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emilio_Aguinaldohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Philippine_Republichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_Revolutionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-16http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A9s_Bonifaciohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katipunanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Liga_Filipinahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_figurehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-Laubach-13http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-Laubach-13http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-11http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-11http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyglot_(person)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Philippines_(1521-1898)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-9http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-9http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_filibusterismohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noli_Me_T%C3%A1ngere_(novel)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noli_Me_T%C3%A1ngere_(novel)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polymathhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Heidelberghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Heidelberghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Parishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complutense_University_of_Madridhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Santo_Tomashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bachelor_of_Artshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ateneo_de_Manila_Universityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ateneo_de_Manila_Universityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laguna_(province)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calamba,_Lagunahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holidays_in_the_Philippineshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rizal_Dayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_Revolutionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Philippines_(1521-1898)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-national-8http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippineshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_hero_of_the_Philippineshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reformisthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filipino_nationalismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filipino_peoplehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-VIAF-6http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-VIAF-6


15/33

The family of Jos Rizal[edit source|editbeta]

Francisco Rizal Mercado (18181897)

He was born to Francisco Engracio Rizal Mercado y Alejandro (18181897)[15]and Teodora Morales Alonso y Quintos

(1827-1911; whose family later changed their surname to "Realonda"),[16]who were both prosperous farmers that were

granted lease of ahaciendaand an accompanying rice farm by theDominicans.Rizal was the seventh child of their eleven

children namely: Saturina (Neneng) (18501913),Paciano(18511930), Narcisa (Sisa) (18521939), Olympia (1855

1887), Lucia (18571919), Mara (Biang) (18591945), Jos Protasio (18611896), Concepcin (Concha) (18621865),

Josefa (Panggoy) (18651945), Trinidad (Trining) (18681951) and Soledad (Choleng) (18701929).

Rizal was a 5th-generation patrilineal descendant of Domingo Lam-cotraditional Chinese:;simplified Chinese:

;pinyin:K Ynn;Pe h-e-j:Kho G-lm, a Chinese immigrant entrepreneur who sailed to the Philippines

fromJinjiang,Quanzhouin the mid-17th century.[17]

Lam-co married Inez de la Rosa, aSangleyof Luzon.[18]

Teodora Alonzo, mother of Dr. Jos Rizal
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jos%C3%A9_Rizal&action=edit&section=1http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jos%C3%A9_Rizal&action=edit&section=1http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jos%C3%A9_Rizal&action=edit&section=1http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jos%C3%A9_Rizal&veaction=edit&section=1http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jos%C3%A9_Rizal&veaction=edit&section=1http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jos%C3%A9_Rizal&veaction=edit&section=1http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jos%C3%A9_Rizal&veaction=edit&section=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-Rizalname-20http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-Rizalname-20http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-Rizalname-20http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-autogenerated2-21http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-autogenerated2-21http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-autogenerated2-21http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haciendahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haciendahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haciendahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominican_orderhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominican_orderhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominican_orderhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paciano_Rizalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paciano_Rizalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paciano_Rizalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_Chinese_charactershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_Chinese_charactershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_Chinese_charactershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simplified_Chinese_charactershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simplified_Chinese_charactershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simplified_Chinese_charactershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinyinhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinyinhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinyinhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pe%CC%8Dh-%C5%8De-j%C4%ABhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pe%CC%8Dh-%C5%8De-j%C4%ABhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pe%CC%8Dh-%C5%8De-j%C4%ABhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pe%CC%8Dh-%C5%8De-j%C4%ABhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pe%CC%8Dh-%C5%8De-j%C4%ABhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pe%CC%8Dh-%C5%8De-j%C4%ABhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pe%CC%8Dh-%C5%8De-j%C4%ABhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pe%CC%8Dh-%C5%8De-j%C4%ABhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pe%CC%8Dh-%C5%8De-j%C4%ABhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jinjiang_Cityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jinjiang_Cityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jinjiang_Cityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quanzhouhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quanzhouhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quanzhouhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-22http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-22http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-22http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sangleyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sangleyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sangleyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-23http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-23http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-23http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Theodora_alonzo_quintos.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Theodora_alonzo_quintos.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Francisco_r_mercado.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Francisco_r_mercado.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Theodora_alonzo_quintos.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Theodora_alonzo_quintos.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Francisco_r_mercado.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Francisco_r_mercado.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Theodora_alonzo_quintos.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Theodora_alonzo_quintos.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Francisco_r_mercado.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Francisco_r_mercado.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Theodora_alonzo_quintos.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Theodora_alonzo_quintos.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Francisco_r_mercado.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Francisco_r_mercado.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-23http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sangleyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-22http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quanzhouhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jinjiang_Cityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pe%CC%8Dh-%C5%8De-j%C4%ABhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinyinhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simplified_Chinese_charactershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_Chinese_charactershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paciano_Rizalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominican_orderhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haciendahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-autogenerated2-21http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-Rizalname-20http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jos%C3%A9_Rizal&veaction=edit&section=1http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jos%C3%A9_Rizal&action=edit&section=1


16/33

Jos Rizal also had Spanish and Japanese ancestors. His grandfather and father of Teodora was a half Spaniard engineer

named Lorenzo Alberto Alonzo.[19]

His maternal great-great-grandfather was Eugenio Ursua, a descendant of Japanese

settlers.

In 1849, thenGovernor-General of the PhilippinesNarciso Clavera,issued a Decree by which native Filipino and immigrant

families were to adopt Spanish surnames from alist of Spanish family names.Although the Chino Mestizos were allowed to

hold on to their Chinese surnames, Lam-co changed his surname to the Spanish "Mercado" (market), possibly to indicate

their Chinese merchant roots. Jos's father Francisco[15]

adopted the surname "Rizal" (originally Ricial,[20]

the green of

young growthor green fields), which was suggested to him by a provincial governor, or as Jos had described him, "a friend

of the family". However, the name change caused confusion in the business affairs of Francisco, most of which were begun

under the old name. After a few years, he settled on the name "Rizal Mercado" as a compromise, but usually just used the

original surname "Mercado".

Upon enrolling at the Ateneo Municipal de Manila, Jos dropped the last three names that make up his full name, on the

advice of his brother,Paciano Rizal,and the Rizal Mercado family, thus rendering his name as "Jos Protasio Rizal". Of this,

Rizal writes: "My family never paid much attention [to our second surname Rizal], but now I had to use it, thus giving me the

appearance of an illegitimate child!"[21]This was to enable him to travel freely and disassociate him from his brother, who

had gained notoriety with his earlier links toGomburza.From early childhood, Jos andPacianowere already advancing

unheard-of political ideas of freedom and individual rights which infuriated the authorities.[note 6][note 7]Despite the name

change, Jos, as "Rizal" soon distinguished himself in poetry writing contests, impressing his professors with his facility with

Castilian and other foreign languages, and later, in writing essays that were critical of the Spanish historical accounts of thepre-colonial Philippine societies. Indeed, by 1891, the year he finished hisEl filibusterismo,this second surname had

become so well known that, as he writes to another friend, "All my family now carry the name Rizal instead of Mercado

because the name Rizal means persecution! Good! I too want to join them and be worthy of this family name...".[21]

Education[edit source|editbeta]

Rizal, 11 years old, a student at the Ateneo Municipal de Manila.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-24http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-24http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-24http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governor-General_of_the_Philippineshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governor-General_of_the_Philippineshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narciso_Claver%C3%ADa_y_Zald%C3%BAahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narciso_Claver%C3%ADa_y_Zald%C3%BAahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narciso_Claver%C3%ADa_y_Zald%C3%BAahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat%C3%A1logo_alfab%C3%A9tico_de_apellidoshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat%C3%A1logo_alfab%C3%A9tico_de_apellidoshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat%C3%A1logo_alfab%C3%A9tico_de_apellidoshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-Rizalname-20http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-Rizalname-20http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-25http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-25http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-25http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paciano_Rizalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paciano_Rizalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paciano_Rizalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-repositories.cdlib.org-26http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-repositories.cdlib.org-26http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-repositories.cdlib.org-26http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gomburzahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gomburzahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gomburzahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paciano_Rizalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paciano_Rizalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paciano_Rizalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-27http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-27http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-27http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_filibusterismohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_filibusterismohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_filibusterismohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-repositories.cdlib.org-26http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-repositories.cdlib.org-26http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-repositories.cdlib.org-26http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jos%C3%A9_Rizal&action=edit&section=2http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jos%C3%A9_Rizal&action=edit&section=2http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jos%C3%A9_Rizal&action=edit&section=2http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jos%C3%A9_Rizal&veaction=edit&section=2http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jos%C3%A9_Rizal&veaction=edit&section=2http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jos%C3%A9_Rizal&veaction=edit&section=2http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jos%C3%A9_Rizal&veaction=edit&section=2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rizal-11.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rizal-11.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rizal-11.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rizal-11.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jos%C3%A9_Rizal&veaction=edit&section=2http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jos%C3%A9_Rizal&action=edit&section=2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-repositories.cdlib.org-26http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_filibusterismohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-27http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-27http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paciano_Rizalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gomburzahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-repositories.cdlib.org-26http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paciano_Rizalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-25http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-Rizalname-20http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat%C3%A1logo_alfab%C3%A9tico_de_apellidoshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narciso_Claver%C3%ADa_y_Zald%C3%BAahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governor-General_of_the_Philippineshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-24


17/33

Rizal first studied under Justiniano Aquino Cruz inBian, Lagunabefore he was sent toManila.As to his father's request,

he took the entrance examination inColegio de San Juan de Letranand studied there for almost three months. The

Dominican friars asked him to transfer to another school due to his radical and bold questions.[23]

He then enrolled at theAteneo Municipal de Manilaand graduated as one of the nine students in his class

declaredsobresalienteor outstanding. He continued his education at the Ateneo Municipal de Manila to obtain a land

surveyor and assessor's degree, and at the same time at the University of Santo Tomaswhere he did take up apreparatory

course in law.[24]Upon learning that his mother was going blind, he decided to switch to medicine at themedical schoolof

Santo Tomas specializing later inophthalmology.

Jos Rizal as a student at theUniversity of Santo Tomas.

Without his parents' knowledge and consent, but secretly supported by his brotherPaciano,he traveled alone toMadrid,

Spainin May 1882 and studied medicine at theUniversidad Central de Madridwhere he earned the degree, Licentiate in

Medicine. Also, he also attended medical lectures at theUniversity of Parisand theUniversity of Heidelberg.In Berlin he

was inducted as a member of the Berlin Ethnological Society and the Berlin Anthropological Society under the patronage of

the famouspathologistRudolf Virchow.Following custom, he delivered an address in German in April 1887 before theAnthropological Society on the orthography and structure of theTagalog language.He leftHeidelberga poem, "A las flores

del Heidelberg", which was both an evocation and a prayer for the welfare of his native land and the unification of common

values between East and West.

At Heidelberg, the 25-year-old Rizal, completed in 1887 his eye specialization under the renowned professor, Otto Becker.

There he used the newly inventedophthalmoscope(invented byHermann von Helmholtz)to later operate on his own

mother's eye. From Heidelberg, Rizal wrote his parents: "I spend half of the day in the study of German and the other half,

in the diseases of the eye. Twice a week, I go to the bierbrauerie, or beerhall, to speak German with my student friends." He

lived in a Karlstrae boarding house then moved to Ludwigsplatz. There, he met Reverend Karl Ullmer and stayed with

them inWilhelmsfeld,where he wrote the last few chapters ofNoli Me Tngere.

Rizal's multifacetedness was described by his German friend, Dr.Adolf Meyer,as "stupendous."[note 8]

Documented studiesshow him to be apolymathwith the ability to master various skills and subjects.[10][25][25][26]He was anophthalmologist,

sculptor, painter, educator, farmer, historian, playwright and journalist. Besides poetry and creative writing,he dabbled, with

varying degrees of expertise, in architecture,cartography,economics,ethnology,anthropology,sociology,dramatics,martial

arts,fencingandpistol shooting.He was also aFreemason,joining Acacia Lodge No. 9 during his time in Spain and

becoming a Master Mason in 1884.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bi%C3%B1an,_Lagunahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bi%C3%B1an,_Lagunahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bi%C3%B1an,_Lagunahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manilahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manilahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manilahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colegio_de_San_Juan_de_Letranhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colegio_de_San_Juan_de_Letranhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colegio_de_San_Juan_de_Letranhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-30http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-30http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-30http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ateneo_de_Manila_Universityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ateneo_de_Manila_Universityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ateneo_de_Manila_Universityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Santo_Tomashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Santo_Tomashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Santo_Tomashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-lawhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-lawhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-lawhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-31http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-31http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-31http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Santo_Tomas_Faculty_of_Medicine_and_Surgeryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Santo_Tomas_Faculty_of_Medicine_and_Surgeryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Santo_Tomas_Faculty_of_Medicine_and_Surgeryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophthalmologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophthalmologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophthalmologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Santo_Tomashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Santo_Tomashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Santo_Tomashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paciano_Rizalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paciano_Rizalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paciano_Rizalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madrid,_Spainhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madrid,_Spainhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madrid,_Spainhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madrid,_Spainhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complutense_University_of_Madridhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complutense_University_of_Madridhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complutense_University_of_Madridhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Parishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Parishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Parishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Heidelberghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Heidelberghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Heidelberghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pathologisthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pathologisthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf_Virchowhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf_Virchowhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf_Virchowhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tagalog_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tagalog_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tagalog_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heidelberg,_Germanyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heidelberg,_Germanyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heidelberg,_Germanyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophthalmoscopehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophthalmoscopehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophthalmoscopehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermann_von_Helmholtzhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermann_von_Helmholtzhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermann_von_Helmholtzhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelmsfeldhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelmsfeldhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelmsfeldhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noli_Me_T%C3%A1ngere_(novel)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noli_Me_T%C3%A1ngere_(novel)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noli_Me_T%C3%A1ngere_(novel)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Bernard_Meyerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Bernard_Meyerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Bernard_Meyerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-32http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-32http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-32http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polymathhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polymathhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polymathhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-Laubach-13http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-Laubach-13http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-joserizal1-33http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-joserizal1-33http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophthalmologisthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophthalmologisthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophthalmologisthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_writinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_writinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_writinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cartographyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cartographyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cartographyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthropologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthropologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthropologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sociologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sociologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dramaticshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dramaticshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dramaticshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fencinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fencinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fencinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pistol_shootinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pistol_shootinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pistol_shootinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freemasonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freemasonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freemasonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rizal-18.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rizal-18.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rizal-18.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rizal-18.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freemasonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pistol_shootinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fencinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dramaticshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sociologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthropologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cartographyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_writinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophthalmologisthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-joserizal1-33http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-joserizal1-33http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-Laubach-13http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-Laubach-13http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polymathhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-32http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Bernard_Meyerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noli_Me_T%C3%A1ngere_(novel)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelmsfeldhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermann_von_Helmholtzhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophthalmoscopehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heidelberg,_Germanyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tagalog_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf_Virchowhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pathologisthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Heidelberghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Parishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complutense_University_of_Madridhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madrid,_Spainhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madrid,_Spainhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paciano_Rizalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Santo_Tomashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophthalmologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Santo_Tomas_Faculty_of_Medicine_and_Surgeryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-31http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-lawhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-lawhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Santo_Tomashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ateneo_de_Manila_Universityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-30http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colegio_de_San_Juan_de_Letranhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manilahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bi%C3%B1an,_Laguna


18/33

Early relationships and ventures[edit source|editbeta]

Business Card shows Dr. Jos Rizal is an Ophthalmologist in Hong Kong

Rednaxela Terrace is where Dr. Jos Rizal lived during his self-imposed exile in Hong Kong (photo taken in 2011)

Jos Rizal's life is one of the most documented of the 19th century due to the vast and extensive records written by and

about him.[27]Almost everything in his short life is recorded somewhere, being himself a regular diarist and prolif ic letter

writer, much of the material having survived. His biographers, however, have faced difficulty in translating his writings

because of Rizal's habit of switching from one language to another.

They drew largely from his travel diaries with their insights of a young Asian encountering the West for the first time. They

included his later trips, home and back again to Europe through Japan and the United States, and, finally, through his self-

imposedexilein Hong Kong. During December 1891 to June 1892, Rizal lived with his family in Number 2 of Rednaxela

Terrace, Mid-levels, Hong Kong Island. Rizal used 5 D'Aguilar Street, Central district, Hong Kong Island as

hisophthalmologistclinic from 2 pm to 6 pm.

This period of his education and his frenetic pursuit of life included his recorded affections of which nine were identified.

They were Gertrude Becket of Chalcot Crescent (London), wealthy and high-minded Nelly Boustead of the English

andIberianmerchant family, last descendant of a noble Japanese family Seiko Usui (affectionately called O-Sei-san), his

earlier friendship with Segunda Katigbak, Leonor Valenzuela, and eight-year romantic relationship with a distant

cousin,Leonor Rivera.
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jos%C3%A9_Rizal&action=edit&section=3http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jos%C3%A9_Rizal&action=edit&section=3http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jos%C3%A9_Rizal&action=edit&section=3http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jos%C3%A9_Rizal&veaction=edit&section=3http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jos%C3%A9_Rizal&veaction=edit&section=3http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jos%C3%A9_Rizal&veaction=edit&section=3http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jos%C3%A9_Rizal&veaction=edit&section=3http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-Rizalino-35http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-Rizalino-35http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-Rizalino-35http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exilehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exilehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exilehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophthalmologisthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophthalmologisthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophthalmologisthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iberianshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iberianshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iberianshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonor_Riverahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonor_Riverahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonor_Riverahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rednaxela_Terrace.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rednaxela_Terrace.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ophthalmologist_Business_Card_of_Doctor_Jose_Rizal_from_Hong_Kong_End_of_19_Century.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ophthalmologist_Business_Card_of_Doctor_Jose_Rizal_from_Hong_Kong_End_of_19_Century.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rednaxela_Terrace.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rednaxela_Terrace.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ophthalmologist_Business_Card_of_Doctor_Jose_Rizal_from_Hong_Kong_End_of_19_Century.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ophthalmologist_Business_Card_of_Doctor_Jose_Rizal_from_Hong_Kong_End_of_19_Century.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rednaxela_Terrace.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rednaxela_Terrace.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ophthalmologist_Business_Card_of_Doctor_Jose_Rizal_from_Hong_Kong_End_of_19_Century.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ophthalmologist_Business_Card_of_Doctor_Jose_Rizal_from_Hong_Kong_End_of_19_Century.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rednaxela_Terrace.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rednaxela_Terrace.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ophthalmologist_Business_Card_of_Doctor_Jose_Rizal_from_Hong_Kong_End_of_19_Century.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ophthalmologist_Business_Card_of_Doctor_Jose_Rizal_from_Hong_Kong_End_of_19_Century.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonor_Riverahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iberianshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophthalmologisthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exilehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-Rizalino-35http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jos%C3%A9_Rizal&veaction=edit&section=3http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jos%C3%A9_Rizal&action=edit&section=3


19/33

Shortly after he graduated from theAteneo Municipal de Manila(nowAteneo de Manila University), Rizal (who was then 16

years old) and a friend, Mariano Katigbak, came to visit Rizal's maternal grandmother inTondo, Manila.Mariano brought

along his sister, Segunda Katigbak, a 14-year old Batanguea fromLipa, Batangas.It was the first time they met and Rizal

described Segunda as "rather short, with eyes that were eloquent and ardent at times and languid at others, rosycheeked,

with an enchanting and provocative smile that revealed very beautiful teeth, and the air of a sylph; her entire self diffused a

mysterious charm." His grandmother's guests were mostly college students and they knew that Rizal had skills in painting.

They suggested that Rizal should make a portrait of Segunda. He complied reluctantly and made a pencil sketch of her.

Unfortunately, Katigbak was engaged to Manuel Luz.[28]

Leonor Rivera[edit source|editbeta]

See also:Leonor Rivera

A crayon sketch of Leonor Rivera drawn by Jos Rizal.

Leonor Rivera is thought to be the inspiration for the character of Maria Clara in Noli Me Tngereand ElFilibusterismo.

[29]Rivera and Rizal first met in Manila when Rivera was only 14 years old. When Rizal left for Europe on May

3, 1882, Rivera was 16 years of age. Their correspondence began when Rizal left a poem for Rivera saying farewell .[30]

The correspondence between Rivera and Rizal kept Rizal focused on his studies in Europe. They employed codes in their

letters because Rivera's mother did not favor Rizal. A letter from Mariano Katigbak dated June 27, 1884 referred to Rivera

as Rizal's "betrothed". Katigbak described Rivera as having been greatly affected by Rizal's departure, frequently sick

because ofinsomnia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ateneo_Municipal_de_Manilahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ateneo_Municipal_de_Manilahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ateneo_Municipal_de_Manilahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ateneo_de_Manila_Universityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ateneo_de_Manila_Universityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ateneo_de_Manila_Universityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tondo,_Manilahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tondo,_Manilahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tondo,_Manilahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lipa,_Batangashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lipa,_Batangashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lipa,_Batangashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-36http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-36http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-36http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jos%C3%A9_Rizal&action=edit&section=4http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jos%C3%A9_Rizal&action=edit&section=4http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jos%C3%A9_Rizal&action=edit&section=4http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jos%C3%A9_Rizal&veaction=edit&section=4http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jos%C3%A9_Rizal&veaction=edit&section=4http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jos%C3%A9_Rizal&veaction=edit&section=4http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jos%C3%A9_Rizal&veaction=edit&section=4http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonor_Riverahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonor_Riverahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonor_Riverahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-inquirer-37http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-inquirer-37http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-inquirer-37http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-JR-38http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-JR-38http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-JR-38http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insomniahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insomniahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insomniahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:UPDilimanjf3556_04.JPGhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:UPDilimanjf3556_04.JPGhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Crayon_sketch_of_Leonor_Rivera_by_Rizal.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Crayon_sketch_of_Leonor_Rivera_by_Rizal.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:UPDilimanjf3556_04.JPGhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:UPDilimanjf3556_04.JPGhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Crayon_sketch_of_Leonor_Rivera_by_Rizal.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Crayon_sketch_of_Leonor_Rivera_by_Rizal.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:UPDilimanjf3556_04.JPGhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:UPDilimanjf3556_04.JPGhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Crayon_sketch_of_Leonor_Rivera_by_Rizal.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Crayon_sketch_of_Leonor_Rivera_by_Rizal.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:UPDilimanjf3556_04.JPGhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:UPDilimanjf3556_04.JPGhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Crayon_sketch_of_Leonor_Rivera_by_Rizal.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Crayon_sketch_of_Leonor_Rivera_by_Rizal.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insomniahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-JR-38http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-inquirer-37http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonor_Riverahttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jos%C3%A9_Rizal&veaction=edit&section=4http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jos%C3%A9_Rizal&action=edit&section=4http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-36http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lipa,_Batangashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tondo,_Manilahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ateneo_de_Manila_Universityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ateneo_Municipal_de_Manila


20/33

El filibusterismo (UP Diliman).

When Rizal returned to the Philippines on August 5, 1887, Rivera and her family had moved back to Dagupan, Pangasinan.

Rizal was forbidden by his father Francisco Mercado to see Rivera in order to avoid putting the Rivera family in danger

because at the time Rizal was already labeled by the Spaniards as a filibusteroorsubversive[30]because his novel Noli Me

Tngere. Rizal wanted to marry Rivera while he was still in the Philippines because of Rivera's uncomplaining fidelity. Rizal

asked permission from his father one more time before his second departure from the Philippines. The meeting never

happened. In 1888, Rizal stopped receiving letters from Rivera for a year, although Rizal kept sending letters to Rivera. The

reason for Rivera's year of silence was the connivance between Rivera's mother and the Englishman named Henry Kipping,arailway engineerwho fell in love with Rivera and was favored by Rivera's mother.

[30][31]The news of Leonor Rivera's

marriage to Kipping devastated Rizal.

His European friends kept almost everything he gave them, including doodlings on pieces of paper. In the home of a

Spanish liberal, Pedro Ortiga y Prez, he left an impression that was to be remembered by his daughter, Consuelo. In her

diary, she wrote of a day Rizal spent there and regaled them with his wit, social graces, and sleight-of-hand tricks. In

London, during his research on Morga's writings, he became a regular guest in the home of Dr. Reinhold Rost of the British

Museumwho referred to him as "a gem of a man."[27][note 9]The family of Karl Ullmer, pastor ofWilhelmsfeld,and the

Blumentritts saved even buttonholes and napkins with sketches and notes. They were ultimately bequeathed to the Rizal

family to form a treasure trove of memorabilia.

In 1890, Rizal, 29, left Paris forBrusselsas he was preparing for the publication of his annotations ofAntonio de Morga's"Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas." There, he lived in the boarding house of the two Jacoby sisters, Catherina and Suzanna

who had a niece also named Suzanna ("Thil"), 16. HistorianGregorio F. Zaidestates that Rizal had "his romance with

Suzanne Jacoby, 45, the petite niece of his landladies." Belgian Pros Slachmuylders, however, believed that Rizal had a

romance with the niece, Suzanna Thil, in 1890.[32]

Rizal's Brussels stay was short-lived, as he moved to Madrid, leaving the young Suzanna a box of chocolates. Suzanna

replied in French: "After your departure, I did not take the chocolate. The box is still intact as on the day of your parting.

Dont delay too long writing us because I wear out the soles of my for running to the mailbox to see if there is a letter fro m

you. There will never be any home in which you are so loved as in that in Brussels, so, you little bad boy, hurry up and come

back" (Oct. 1, 1890 letter). Slachmuylders group in 2007 unveiled a historical marker commemorating Rizal's stay in

Brussels in 1890.

[32]

The content of Rizal's writings changed considerably in his two most famous novels, Noli Me Tngere,published in Berlin in

1887, andEl Filibusterismo,published in Ghent in 1891 with funds borrowed largely from Rizal's friends. These writings

angered both the Spanish colonial elite and many educated Filipinos due to their insulting symbolism. They are critical of

Spanish friars and the power of the Church. Rizal's friendFerdinand Blumentritt,anAustria-Hungaryborn professor and

historian wrote that the novel's characters were drawn from real life and that every episode can be repeated on any day in

the Philippines.[33]

Blumentritt was the grandson of the Imperial Treasurer atViennain the formerAustro-Hungarian Empireand a staunch

defender of the Catholic faith. This did not dissuade him however from writing the preface of El filibusterismoafter he had

translated Noli Me Tngereinto German. As Blumentritt had warned, these led to Rizal's prosecution as the inciter of

revolution and eventually, to a military trial and execution. The intended consequence of teaching the natives where theystood brought about an adverse reaction, as thePhilippine Revolutionof 1896 took off virulently thereafter.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UP_Dilimanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UP_Dilimanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UP_Dilimanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dagupan,_Pangasinanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dagupan,_Pangasinanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dagupan,_Pangasinanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subversivehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subversivehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subversivehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subversivehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_engineerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_engineerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_engineerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-JR-38http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-JR-38http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-JR-38http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Museumhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Museumhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Museumhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Museumhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-Rizalino-35http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-Rizalino-35http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-Rizalino-35http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelmsfeldhttp://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelmsfeldhttp://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelmsfeldhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brusselshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brusselshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brusselshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_de_Morgahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_de_Morgahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_de_Morgahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorio_F._Zaidehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorio_F._Zaidehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-Suzanne-41http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-Suzanne-41http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-Suzanne-41http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-Suzanne-41http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-Suzanne-41http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-Suzanne-41http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noli_Me_T%C3%A1ngere_(novel)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noli_Me_T%C3%A1ngere_(novel)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noli_Me_T%C3%A1ngere_(novel)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Filibusterismohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Filibusterismohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Filibusterismohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_Blumentritthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_Blumentritthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_Blumentritthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austria-Hungaryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austria-Hungaryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austria-Hungaryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-42http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-42http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-42http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viennahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viennahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viennahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austria-Hungaryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austria-Hungaryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austria-Hungaryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_Revolutionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_Revolutionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_Revolutionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_Revolutionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austria-Hungaryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viennahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-42http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austria-Hungaryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_Blumentritthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Filibusterismohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noli_Me_T%C3%A1ngere_(novel)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-Suzanne-41http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-Suzanne-41http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorio_F._Zaidehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_de_Morgahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brusselshttp://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelmsfeldhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-Rizalino-35http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-Rizalino-35http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Museumhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Museumhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-JR-38http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-JR-38http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_engineerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subversivehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subversivehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dagupan,_Pangasinanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UP_Diliman


21/33

Leaders of the reform movement in Spain: Left to Right: Rizal, del Pilar, and Ponce (c.1890).

As leader of the reform movement of Filipino students in Spain, he contributed essays,allegories,poems, andeditorialsto

the Spanish newspaperLa Solidaridadin Barcelona (in this case Rizal used a pen name, Dimasalang). The core of his

writings centers on liberal and progressive ideas of individual rights and freedom; specifically, rights for the Filipino people.

He shared the same sentiments with members of the movement: that the Philippines is battling, in Rizal's own words, "a

double-faced Goliath"corrupt friars and bad government. His commentaries reiterate the following agenda:[note 10]

That the Philippines be a province of Spain

Representation in theCortes Filipino priests instead of Spanish friars--Augustinians,Dominicans,andFranciscansin parishes and remote sitios

Freedom of assembly and speech

Equal rights before the law (for both Filipino and Spanish plaintiffs)

The colonial authorities in the Philippines did not favor these reforms even if they were more openly endorsed by Spanish

intellectuals like Morayta,Unamuno,Pi y Margall,and others.

Wenceslao Retana,a political commentator in Spain, had slighted Rizal by writing an insulting article in "La Epoca", a

newspaper in Madrid, in which he insinuated that the family and friends of Rizal were ejected from their lands in Calamba

for not having paid their due rents. The incident (when Rizal was ten) stemmed from an accusation that Rizal's mother,

Teodora, tried to poison the wife of a cousin when she claimed she only intervened to help. With the approval of the Church

prelates, and without a hearing, she was ordered to prison inSanta Cruzin 1871. She was made to walk the ten miles(16 km) from Calamba. She was released after two-and-a-half years of appeals to the highest court.[26]In 1887, Rizal wrote

a petition on behalf of the tenants of Calamba, and later that year led them to speak out against the friars' attempts to raise

rent. They initiated a litigation which resulted in the Dominicans evicting them from their homes, including the Rizal family.

GeneralValeriano Weylerhad the buildings on the farm torn down.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegorieshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegorieshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegorieshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Editorialshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Editorialshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Editorialshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Solidaridadhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Solidaridadhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Solidaridadhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-43http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-43http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-43http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cortes_Generaleshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cortes_Generaleshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cortes_Generaleshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustinianshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustinianshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustinianshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominican_Orderhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominican_Orderhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominican_Orderhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franciscanshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franciscanshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miguel_de_Unamunohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miguel_de_Unamunohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miguel_de_Unamunohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francisco_Pi_y_Margallhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francisco_Pi_y_Margallhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francisco_Pi_y_Margallhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wenceslao_Retanahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wenceslao_Retanahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Cruz,_Lagunahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Cruz,_Lagunahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Cruz,_Lagunahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-Craig-34http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-Craig-34http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-Craig-34http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valeriano_Weylerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valeriano_Weylerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valeriano_Weylerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Filipino_Ilustrados_Jose_Rizal_Marcelo_del_Pilar_Mariano_Ponce.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Filipino_Ilustrados_Jose_Rizal_Marcelo_del_Pilar_Mariano_Ponce.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Filipino_Ilustrados_Jose_Rizal_Marcelo_del_Pilar_Mariano_Ponce.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Filipino_Ilustrados_Jose_Rizal_Marcelo_del_Pilar_Mariano_Ponce.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valeriano_Weylerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-Craig-34http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Cruz,_Lagunahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wenceslao_Retanahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francisco_Pi_y_Margallhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miguel_de_Unamunohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franciscanshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominican_Orderhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustinianshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cortes_Generaleshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-43http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Solidaridadhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Editorialshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegories


22/33

Upon reading the article, Rizal sent immediately a representative to challenge Retana to a duel. The painful memories of his

mother's treatment at the hands of the civil authorities explain his reaction. Retana published a public apology and later

became one of Rizal's biggest admirers, writing Rizal's most important biography - Vida y Escritos del Jos Rizal.[34][note 11]

Exile in Dapitan[edit source|editbeta]

Upon his return to Manila in 1892, he formed a civic movement called La Liga Filipina.The league advocated these

moderate social reforms through legal means, but was disbanded by the governor. At that time, he had already been

declared an enemy of the state by the Spanish authorities because of the publication of his novel.

Rizal was implicated in the activities of the nascent rebellion and in July 1892, was deported to Dapitanin the province

ofZamboanga,a peninsula ofMindanao.[35]There he built a school, a hospital and a water supply system, and taught and

engaged in farming and horticulture.[citation needed]Abaca,then the vital raw material for cordage and which Rizal and his

students planted in the thousands, was a memorial.[citation needed]

The boys' school, which taught in Spanish, and included English as a foreign language (considered a prescient if unusual

option then) was conceived by Rizal and antedatedGordonstounwith its aims of inculcating resourcefulness and self-

sufficiency in young men.[citation needed]They would later enjoy successful lives as farmers and honest government

officials.[citation needed]One, a Muslim, became adatu,and another, Jos Aseniero, who was with Rizal throughout the life of

the school, became Governor ofZamboanga.[citation needed]

In Dapitan, the Jesuits mounted a great effort to secure his return to the fold led by Fray Snchez, his former professor, whofailed in his mission. The task was resumed by Fray Pastells, a prominent member of the Order. In a letter to Pastells, Rizal

sails close to the ecumenism familiar to us today.[36]

"We are entirely in accord in admitting the existence of God. How can I doubt his when I am convinced of mine. Who so

recognizes the effect recognizes the cause. To doubt God is to doubt one's own conscience, and in consequence, it would

be to doubt everything; and then what is life for? Now then, myfaithin God, if the result of a ratiocination may be called

faith, is blind, blind in the sense of knowing nothing. I neither believe nor disbelieve the qualities which many attribute to

him; before theologians' and philosophers' definitions and lucubrations of this ineffable and inscrutable being I find myself

smiling. Faced with the conviction of seeing myself confronting the supreme Problem, which confused voices seek to

explain to me, I cannot but reply: 'It could be; but the God that I foreknow is far more grand, far more good:Plus Supra!...I

believe in (revelation); but not in revelation or revelations which each religion or religions claim to possess. Examining them

impartially, comparing them and scrutinizing them, one cannot avoid discerning the human 'fingernail' and the stamp of the

time in which they were written... No, let us not make God in our image, poor inhabitants that we are of a distant planet lost

in infinite space. However, brilliant and sublime our intelligence may be, it is scarcely more than a small spark which shines

and in an instant is extinguished, and it alone can give us no idea of that blaze, that conflagration, that ocean of light. I

believe in revelation, but in that living revelation which surrounds us on every side, in that voice, mighty, eternal, unceasing,

incorruptible, clear, distinct, universal as is the being from whom it proceeds, in that revelation which speaks to us and

penetrates us from the moment we are born until we die. What books can better reveal to us the goodness of God, his love,

his providence, his eternity, his glory, his wisdom? 'The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth his

handiwork'."[37]

His best friend, professorFerdinand Blumentritt,kept him in touch with European friends and fellow-scientists who wrote a

stream of letters which arrived in Dutch, French, German and English and which baffled the censors, delaying their

transmittal. Those four years of hisexilecoincided with the development of thePhilippine Revolutionfrom inception and to

its final breakout, which, from the viewpoint of the court which was to try him, suggested his complicity in it.[27]He

condemned the uprising, although all the members of the Katipunan had made him their honorary president and had used

his name as a cry for war, unity, and liberty.[38]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-44http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-44http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#cite_note-44h

Jose Rizaal

Documents

Transcript of Jose Rizaal