Andres Bonifacio, (born Nov.

30, 1863, Manila—died May 10, 1897,

Mt. Buntis, Phil.), Philippine patriot, founder and leader of the
nationalist Katipunan society, who instigated the revolt of August 1896
against the Spanish.

Bonifacio was born of poor parents in Manila and had little formal

education, working as a messenger and warehouse keeper before
becoming involved in revolutionary activity. He was, however, well-
read. Unlike the nationalist poet and novelist José Rizal, who wanted
to reform Spanish rule in the Philippines, Bonifacio advocated
complete independence from Spain. In 1892 he founded the
Katipunan in Manila, modelling its organization and ceremony on that
of the Masonic order. The Katipunan at first grew slowly, but by 1896
it had an estimated 100,000 members and branches not only in
Manila but also in central Luzon and on the islands of Panay,
Mindoro, and Mindanao. Its members were mostly workers and
peasants; the urban middle class supported reform rather than
revolution.

In August 1896 Bonifacio led the long-planned insurrection on Luzon;

but his forces were defeated by Spanish troops, and he was forced to
retreat to Montalban in the north, while Emilio Aguinaldo, one of his
lieutenants, carried on resistance. As the Spanish systematically
routed the insurrectos, it became increasingly clear that Bonifacio was
an ineffective military leader. In March 1897 a convention at Tejeros
named Aguinaldo, rather than Bonifacio, president of a new
Philippine republic. Refusing to recognize the convention, Bonifacio
tried to establish his own rebel government. In April 1897 Aguinaldo
had Bonifacio arrested and tried for treason; he was executed by a
firing squad.