Return to Europe

From May 1888 to March 1889, Rizal lived in London. He chose this English for city for three reasons:

1. In order to improve his command of the English language.

2. To research and annotate Morga's Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas which he heard was preserved in the
British Museum.

3.London was a safe haven from Spanish tyranny's attacks.

Rizal traveled to London on May 25, 1888. He stayed at the home of Dr. Antonio Ma. Regidor, a lawyer
in London, for a short time. By the end of May, he had become a boarder of the Becketts. His house was
close to public parks and the British Museum was a short walk away. He spent the much of his time at
the British Museum, where he studied Morga's Sucesos and other rare historical books about the
Philippines. Rizal's Love Interlude in London with Gertrude Beckette. He spent his Sundays at the home
of Dr. Rost, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' librarian and expert on Malayan languages and customs. Dr.
Rost was so impressed with Rizal's knowledge and personality that he gladly recommended him to the
British Museum's authorities. Rizal was dubbed "a pearl of a man" by him. Rizal was deeply immersed in
his historical studies in London for ten months. During that time, his compatriots in Spain were leading a
crusade for Philippine reforms.

He went to Paris for a week in September 1888 to look for more historical materials in the Bibliotheque
Nationale. Juan Luna and his wife entertained him. He returned to London after reading through the old
books. On December 1888, he travelled to Spain, visiting Madrid and Barcelona. He contacted
countrymen and assessed the political situation. He met Marcelo H. Del Pilar and Mariano Ponce, two
titans of the Propaganda Movement. He exchanged idea with these friends and promised to work with
them in the fight for reform.

On December 24, 1888, Rizal returned to London and spent Christmas and New Year's Day with the
Becketts. Rizal enjoyed Christmas Eves because they reminded him of many happy memories from his
childhood, as well as the fact that Christ was born. Mrs. Beckett gave Rizal a book titled The Life and
Adventures of Valentine Vox, the Ventriloquist. During his stay in London, he was elected honorary
president of Asociacion La Solidaridad, a patriotic society dedicated to reform. The desire to form a
purely Filipino organization was realized when La Solidaridad was founded in Barcelona on December
13, 1888. On December 31, 1888, it was officially inaugurated. Rizal also published his first article, Los
Agricultores Filipinos in the La Solidaridad, a patriotic newspaper founded by Graciano Lopez Jaena, on
March 25, 1889.

The Filipino colony in Spain had established a fortnightly review, published first in Barcelona and later in
Madrid, to enlighten Spaniards on their distant colony, and Rizal wrote for it from the start. Its name. La
Solidaridad, perhaps may be translated Equal Rights, as it aimed at like laws and the same privileges for
the Peninsula and the possessions overseas (Craig 1913)
While in London, Rizal completed several works. He also contributed articles to Dr. Rost's journal,
Specimens of Tagal Folklore and Two Eastem Fables, including La Vision del Fray Rodriguez and Letter to
the Young Women of Malolos. Rizal fell in love with Gertrude Beckett, one of the Beckett sisters. Rizal
left London for Paris on March 19, 1889, after saying his goodbyes to the Beckett family. As he crossed
the English Channel, he was sad because he had so many fond memories of London.

Rizal travelled to Paris in the spring of 1889. Because of the Universal Exposition, the city was buzzing
with activity, making it difficult to find a place to stay. Landlords have raised the rents of their rooms in
response to the high demand for living quarters. Rizal briefly resided in the home of his friend Valentin
Ventura. He also published his annotated edition of Morga's book there.

The Universal Exposition of Paris captivated Rizal. On May 5, 1989, it officially opened. The Eiffel Tower,
built by Alexander Eiffel, was the mos popular attraction at the exposition. Rizal also entered an art
contest but did no win. Rizal also established the R.D.L.M. Redencion de los Malayos (Redemption of the
Malays) Society in Paris. The secret society's goal is to spread all use knowledge in the Philippines.
Another goal is the redemption of the Malay race During his time in Europe, he was profoundly
influenced by his historical research on the Philippines. Rizal is interested in leaming more about his
Fatherland's history. Rizal's other work was The Indolence of the Filipinos. He also joined the
"International Association of Filipinologists," whose President is Dr. Ferdinand Blumentritt. In the fall of
1889, he wrote another satirical work called Por Telefono as a response to Fr. Salvador Font, who was
behind the banning of his Noli.

Rizal left Pans for Brussels, Belgium's capital, on January 28, 1890. When Rizal moved to Brussels, he was
accompanied by Jose Albert. They lived in a boarding house run by two Jacoby sisters at 38 Rue Philippe
Champagne. Rizal was working on his second novel, "El Filibusterismo," in Brussels. He wrote articles for
La Solidaridad in addition to writing chapters for it. He also spent time in a medical clinic and went to the
gymnasium for gymnastics. When Jose Albert left the city, Rizal joined Jose Alejandro at the boarding
house. Rizal was informed that Filipinos in Madrid, Spain were destroying their country's good image by
gambling excessively. He wrote a letter to these Filipinos, who became enraged when they learned of
Rizal's moralizing. While in Brussels, he learned of the persecution of his family and townmates back in
Calamba as a result of the Calamba estates conflict. He learned of the eviction petition filed before the
Justice of the Peace in a letter from his brother Paciano. His brother told him that they had hoped for a
favorable judgment at first, but that the case could only be heard in Spain's Supreme Court. He was a
little hesitant to seek justice. In a letter from his sister Lucia, he was told about how his family and
neighbors had suffered.

On June 2, 1890, he received tragic news from his sister Saturnina. Her husband, Manuel, was deported
again and was arrested while eating with his family on Christmas Day. It was the last letter Jose Rizal's
received from his brother in law, Silvestre Ubaldo before moving to Madrid.

Rizal arrived in Madrid, Spain in August 1890. He attempted every legal means to obtain justice for his
family and the Calamba tenants, but to no avail. Leonor Rivera also married a British engineer. Rizal
sought the assistance of the Filipino colony to protest the Dominicans' injustices against the Calamba
people. More dreadful news reached Rizal in Madrid through his brother-in-law, Silvestre, who received
a copy of the Dominicans' eviction order. He also learned of the deportation of Paciano, Antonio,
Silvestre, Teong, and Dandoy to Mindoro. Saturnina wrote him a letter in which she informed him that
their parents had been evicted from their home.

Source: Craig, A. (1913). Lineage, Life and Labors of Jose Rizal: Philippine Patriot. Manila: Philippine
Education Company.