José Rizal

National Hero of the Philippines

The birth of a hero

• José Rizal (June 19, 1861–December 30, 1896) was a

man of intellectual power and artistic talent whom
Filipinos honor as their national hero. He excelled at
anything that he put his mind to: medicine, poetry,
sketching, architecture, sociology, and more. Despite
little evidence, he was martyred by Spanish colonial
authorities on charges of conspiracy, sedition, and
rebellion when he was only 35.
Fast Facts about José Rizal

• Known For: National hero of the Philippines for his

key role inspiring the Philippine Revolution against
colonial Spain
• Also Known As: José Protasio Rizal Mercado y
Alonso Realonda
• Born: June 19, 1861, at Calamba, Laguna
• Died: December 30, 1896, in Manila, the Philippines
Fast Facts about José Rizal

• Parents: Francisco Rizal Mercado and Teodora

Alonzo y Quintos
• Education: Ateneo Municipal de Manila; studied
medicine at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila;
medicine and philosophy at the Universidad Central
de Madrid; ophthalmology at the University of Paris
and the University of Heidelberg
Fast Facts about José Rizal

• Published Works: Noli Me Tangere, El Filibusterismo

• Spouse: Josephine Bracken (married two hours
before his death)
• Notable Quote: "On this battlefield man has no
better weapon than his intelligence, no other force
but his heart."
Early Life

• José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda was

born on June 19, 1861, at Calamba, Laguna, the
seventh child of Francisco Rizal Mercado and
Teodora Alonzo y Quintos. The family were wealthy
farmers who rented land from the Dominican
religious order.
Early Life

• Descendants of a Chinese immigrant named

Domingo Lam-co, they changed their name to
Mercado ("market") under the pressure of anti-
Chinese feeling among the Spanish colonizers.
• From an early age, Rizal showed a precocious
intellect. He learned the alphabet from his mother at
the age of 3 and could read and write at age 5.
Education

• Rizal attended the Ateneo Municipal de Manila,

graduating at age 16 with the highest honors. He
took a post-graduate course there in land surveying.
• Rizal completed his surveyor's training in 1877 and
passed the licensing exam in May 1878, but he could
not receive a license to practice because he was only
17.
Education

• He was granted a license in 1881 when he reached

the age of majority.
• In 1878, the young man 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.
Madrid

• In May 1882, Rizal got on a ship to Spain without

informing his parents. He enrolled at the Universidad
Central de Madrid after arriving. In June 1884, he
received his medical degree at the age of 23; the
following year, he graduated from the Philosophy
and Letters department.
Madrid

• Inspired by his mother's advancing blindness, Rizal

next went to the University of Paris and then to the
University of Heidelberg for further study in
ophthalmology. At Heidelberg, he studied under the
famed professor Otto Becker (1828–1890). Rizal
finished his second doctorate at Heidelberg in 1887.
Life in Europe

• Rizal lived in Europe for 10 years and picked up a

number of languages. He could converse in more
than 10 different tongues. While in Europe, the
young Filipino impressed everyone he met with his
charm, intelligence, and mastery of a range of
different fields of study.
Life in Europe

• Rizal excelled at martial arts, fencing, sculpture,

painting, teaching, anthropology, and journalism,
among other areas.
• During his European sojourn, he also began to write
novels. Rizal finished his first book, ”Noli Me
Tangere" (Latin for "Touch Me Not"), while living in
Wilhelmsfeld, Germany, with the Rev. Karl Ullmer.
Novels and Other Writing

• Rizal wrote "Noli Me Tangere" in Spanish; it was

published in 1887 in Berlin, Germany. The novel is a
scathing indictment of the Catholic Church and
Spanish colonial rule in the Philippines, and its
publication cemented Rizal's position on the Spanish
colonial government's list of troublemakers.
Novels and Other Writing

• When Rizal returned home for a visit, he received a

summons from the governor-general and had to
defend himself against 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, titled ”El
Filibusterismo." When published in English, it was
titled "The Reign of Greed."
Program of Reforms

• In his novels and newspaper editorials, 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.
Program of Reforms

• In addition, Rizal called for the Philippines to

become a province of Spain, with representation in
the Spanish legislature, the Cortes Generales.
• 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 City, on
the island of Mindanao. Rizal would stay there for
four years, teaching school and encouraging
agricultural reforms.
• During that period, the people of the Philippines
grew more eager to revolt against the Spanish
colonial presence.
Exile and Courtship

• Inspired in part by Rizal's progressive

organization La Liga, rebel leaders such as Andres
Bonifacio (1863–1897) began 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 but 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 to tend to victims of yellow fever in
exchange for his freedom. Bonifacio and two
associates sneaked aboard the ship to Cuba before it
left the Philippines and tried to convince Rizal to
escape with them, but Rizal refused.
• He was arrested by the Spanish on the way, taken to
Barcelona, and then extradited to Manila for trial.
Trial and Execution

• Rizal was tried by court-martial and charged with

conspiracy, sedition, and rebellion. Despite a lack of
evidence of his complicity in the Revolution, Rizal
was convicted on all counts and given a death
sentence.
• He was allowed to marry Bracken two hours before
his execution by firing squad in Manila on December
30, 1896. Rizal was just 35 years old.
Legacy

• José Rizal is remembered today throughout the

Philippines for his brilliance, courage, peaceful
resistance to tyranny, and compassion. Filipino
schoolchildren study his final literary work, a poem
called ”Mi Ultimo Adios" ("My Last Goodbye"), and
his two famous novels.
Legacy

• Spurred by Rizal's martyrdom, the Philippine

Revolution continued until 1898. With assistance
from the United States, the Philippine archipelago
defeated the Spanish army. The Philippines declared
independence from Spain on June 12, 1898,
becoming the first democratic republic in Asia.