Summary of DR.

RIZAL

José Rizal, in full José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda, (born June 19, 1861, Calamba,
Philippines—died December 30, 1896, Manila), patriot, physician, and man of letters who was an
inspiration to the Philippine nationalist movement.

Other names- Pepe, Jose

Notable work- Noli Me Tángere (1887) and El filibusterismo (1891)

Spouse- Josephine Bracken (1896)

Parents- Francisco Rizal Mercado (father) and Teodora Alonso Realonda (mother)

Jose Rizal is known as our national hero.

He is also a historian, linguist, reformer, opthalmologist, philosopher and poet. They are eleven siblings
in their family. He has nine sisters and one brother. His siblings according to their order are:

1. Saturnina Rizal - her second mother and eldest sister.

2. Paciano Rizal - his only and older brother.

3. Narcisa Rizal - his hospitable sister.

4. Olympia Rizal - the sister that Rizal loves to tease.

5. Lucia Rizal - partaker of Rizal's Sufferings

6. Maria Rizal - his confidant.

7. Conception Rizal - Rizal's first grief.

8. Josefa Rizal - The katipunera.

9. Trinidad Rizal - custodian of his greatest poem.

10. Soledad Rizal - his confidential sister.

The son of a prosperous landowner, Rizal was educated in Manila and at the University of Madrid. A
brilliant medical student, he soon committed himself to the reform of Spanish rule in his home country,
though he never advocated Philippine independence. Most of his writing was done in Europe, where he
resided between 1882 and 1892.
The son of a prosperous landowner, Rizal was educated in Manila and at the University of Madrid. A
brilliant medical student, he soon committed himself to the reform of Spanish rule in his home country,
though he never advocated Philippine independence. Most of his writing was done in Europe, where he
resided between 1882 and 1892.

In 1887 Rizal published his first novel, Noli me tangere (The Social Cancer), a passionate exposure of the
evils of Spanish rule in the Philippines. A sequel, El filibusterismo (1891; The Reign of Greed), established
his reputation as the leading spokesman of the Philippine reform movement. He published an annotated
edition (1890; reprinted 1958) of Antonio Morga’s Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas, hoping to show that the
native people of the Philippines had a long history before the coming of the Spaniards. He became the
leader of the Propaganda Movement, contributing numerous articles to its newspaper, La Solidaridad,
published in Barcelona. Rizal’s political program included integration of the Philippines as a province of
Spain, representation in the Cortes (the Spanish parliament), the replacement of Spanish friars by
Filipino priests, freedom of assembly and expression, and equality of Filipinos and Spaniards before the
law.