RIZAL IN EUROPE, THE

PROPAGANDA MOVEMENT,
AND NOLI ME TANGERE
RIZAL IN
EUROPE
After finishing the 4th year of his medical course in UST, Rizal,
decided to study abroad.
Aside from studying in Spain, he was on a secret mission; to keenly
observe the life and culture, languages and customs, industries and
commerce, and government and laws of the European nations in
order to prepare himself for the great task of liberating his
oppressed people from the Spanish tyranny.
Rizal’s departure for Spain was kept secret to avoid detection by the
Spanish authorities and the friars. Even his own parents did not
know because his mother would not allow him to do so.
ON MAY 3, 1882, RIZAL DEPARTED ON BOARD THE
SPANISH STEAMER SALVADORA BOUND FOR SINGAPORE.

COLOMBO
SUEZ CANAL
SINGAPORE

JUNE 16, 1882 NAPLES AND

MARSEILLES
BARCELONA,
SPAIN
BARCELONA
His first impression of Barcelona was unfavorable. He thought of it as an ugly, dirty and its
residents are inhospitable. Later, he changed his impression and liked the city
In Barcelona, Rizal wrote a nationalistic essay entitled “Amor Patrio” which was his first
written article on Spain’s soil.
While living in Barcelona, Rizal received bad news about the cholera outbreak ravaging
Manila and the provinces. Many people died and more were dying daily.

MADRID
On November 3, 1882, Rizal enrolled in the Universidad Central de Madrid. He took
courses—Medicine and Philosophy and Letters. He also studied painting and sculpture in
the Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando; he took lessons in French, German, and English
under private instructors; practiced fencing and shooting
On Saturday evening, he visits the home of Don Pablo Ortiga y Rey who lived with his son
and daughter. Don Pablo has been city mayor of Manila
PARIS
In Spain, he became close with prominent Spanish liberal and republican Spaniards, who
were mostly Masons. Rizal was impressed by the way the Spanish Masons openly and freely
criticized the government policies and lambasted the friars
In March 1883, he joined the Masonic lodge called Acacia in Madrid. His reason for joining
was to secure Freemasonry’s aid in his fight against the friars in the Philippines.
On June 21, 1884 Rizal completed his medical course in Spain. In the next academic year,
he studied and passed all subjects leading to the degree of Doctor of Medicine. Rizal also
finished his studies in Philosophy and Letters with excellent ratings.
Rizal went to Paris and Germany for his specialization in ophthalmology.
HEIDELBERG
On February 3, 1886, he arrived in Heidelberg
On April 22, 1886, spring in Heidelberg, he wrote a poem to the beautiful blooming flowers
at the Neckar River
On July 31, 1886, Rizal wrote his first letter in German to Professor Ferdinand Blumentritt

LEIPZIG AND DRESDEN

arrived in Leipzig on August 14, 1886
He attended some lectures in the University of Leipzig and befriended Professor Friedrich
Ratzel, a famous German historian, and Dr. Hans Meyer, German anthropologist.
Rizal left Leipzig to set course on Dresden on October 29, 1886. At Dresden, Rizal met Dr.
Adolph Meyer, the director of the Anthropological and Ethnological Museum.
BERLIN
Rizal liked Berlin because of its atmosphere which was very scientific and the absence of
race prejudice.
He met Dr. Feodor Jagor, author of Travels in the Philippines. Dr. Jagor in turn, introduced
Rizal to Dr. Rudolf Virchow, a famous anthropologist and to his son, Dr. Hans Virchow,
professor of Descriptive Anatomy. Rizal worked in the clinic of Dr. Karl Ernest Schweigger, a
famous German ophthalmologist.
Rizal led a methodological life in Berlin. He spends his leisure moments touring the
countryside of Berlin and observing the culture and life of the people
Noli Me Tangere during Rizal’s stay in Berlin was unable to be published. But with the help
of Maximo Viola, who gave him the necessary funds to publish the novel, Noli Me Tangere
was published.
GRAND TOUR OF EUROPE
After the publication of Noli, Rizal planned to visit important places in Europe. Rizal
received his money from Paciano worth 1,000 pesos.

DRESDEN
Rizal and Viola spent some time in Dresden. Their visit coincided with the regional floral
exposition. Rizal studied different plants because he was interested in botany.
BLUMENTRITT AND LEITMERITZ
At 1:30 p.m. of May 13, 1887, the train with Rizal and Viola on board arrived at the railroad
station of Leitmeritz, Bohemia
For the first time, Rizal and Blumentritt met each other. They greeted each other in fluent
German.
On May 16, at 9:45 A.M., Rizal and Viola left Leitmeritz by train. Blumentritt and his family
were at the railroad station to see them off, and they all shed tears in parting as the train
departed.
 HISTORY CITY OF PRAGUE
After their stay at Leitmeritz, Rizal together with Viola visited the city of Prague.
Dr. Willkomm, a professor of natural history in the University of Prague, together with his
wife and daughters welcomed them and showed them the city’s historic spots.
Rizal and Viola visited the tomb of Copernicus, the museum of natural history, the
bacteriological laboratories, the famous cave where San Juan Nepomuceno was
imprisoned, and the bridge from which the saint was hurled into the river.
After their stay at the home of the Willkomms, Rizal and Viola left Prague and went to
Brunn.
 QUEEN OF THE DANUBE
On May 20, Rizal and Viola arrived in the beautiful Vienna. Famous for its songs and story,
this city very much fascinated Rizal because of its beautiful buildings, religious images and
charm.
Rizal and Viola presented a letter of recommendation, from Blumentritt, to Norfenfals, one
of the greatest novelists in Europe during that time. The great novelist was impressed by
Rizal’s genius.

LINTZ
On May 24, Rizal and Viola left Vienna on a river boat to see the beautiful sights of the
Danube Rivera. As they both travel by boat, Rizal observes the different sights like the
barges loaded with products, the flowers and plants growing along the river banks, the
boats with families living on them, and the quaint villages on the riversides. They also
noticed that the passengers were using paper napkins during meals.
TO RHEINFALL, TO SALZBURG, TO MUNICH TO NUREMBERG
They traveled overland to Salzburg and from there to Munich where they sojourned for a
short time to savor the famous Munich beer, reputed to be the best in Germany.
From Munich they went to Nuremberg, an old city of Germany.
Viola and Rizal were greatly impressed by the manufacture of dolls in Nuremberg.
After Munich, they visited Ulm.
Viola got dizzy as they climbed its many hundred steps.
From Ulm, they went to Stuttgart, Baden and then Rheinfall.

SWITZERLAND
From Rheinfall, they crossed the frontier to Schaffhausen, Switzerland. They stayed in this
city from June 2 to 3, 1887.
They then continued their tour to Basel, Bern, and Lausanne. After sightseeing in
Lausanne, Rizal and Viola left on a little boat, crossing the foggy Leman Lake to Geneva.
GENEVA
Rizal and Viola visited Geneva. This Swiss city is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe
which was visited by world tourism every year.
The people of Geneva were linguists, speaking French, German, and Italian. Rizal
conversed with them in these three languages
On June 19, 1887, it was Rizal’s 26th birthday and treated Viola to a blow-out. Rizal and
Viola spent fifteen days in Geneva. On June 23, they parted ways. Viola decided to return
to Barcelona while Rizal continued his tour to Italy.

MADRID EXPOSITION
During his tour in Europe, Rizal received sad news from his friends in Madrid of the
deplorable conditions of primitive Igorots who were exhibited in this expositions, some of
whom died and whose clothing are inappropriate for the climate of Madrid, and crude
weapons were objects of mockery and laughter by the Spanish people and press. Rizal
being a champion of human dignity was outrageous.
 ITALY
Rizal went to Italy.
He visited Turin, Milan, Venice and Florence.
On June 27, 1887, he reached Rome. He was thrilled by the sights and memories of the
Eternal City—Rome.
On June 29th, Rizal visited for the first time the Vatican, the “City of the Popes” and the
capital Christendom.
After a week of staying in Rome, he prepared to return to the Philippines. He had already
written to his father that he was coming home.
 THE PROPAGANDA
MOVEMENT (1872-1892)
PROPAGANDA MOVEMENT
Peaceful crusade or campaign for reforms
It was organized and participated by the
illustrados.
Dr. Jose Rizal, Marcelo H. Del Pilar, and
Graciano Lopez-Jaena are the leaders of the
movement.
RISE OF THE PROPAGANDA
MOVEMENT
It began in 1872, when Fathers Mariano
Gomez, Jose Burgos, and Jacinto were
executed.
The Filipino Exiles of 1872 and many
patriotic students abroad met in Hong
Kong, Singapore, Barcelona, Madrid, Paris,
London and other foreign cities.
Work of promoting the welfare and happiness of the fatherland.
Aggressively but peacefully, by means of writing and speeches, they
crusaded for reforms to rectify the evils of the Spanish colonial
system.
 AIMS AND REFORMS
Equality of the Filipinos and Spaniards before the laws.
Human rights for Filipinos, such as freedom of speech, freedom of the
press, and freedom to meet and petition for redress of grievances
Restoration of the Philippine representation in the Spanish Cortes.
Assimilation of the Philippines as a regular province of Spain.
Filipinization of the Philippine parishes and expulsion of the Friars.
 THE PROPAGANDISTS
They were the patriots who
waged their movement by
means of pens and tongue to
expose the defects of the
Spanish rule in the
Philippines and the urgency
of reforms to remedy them.
 THE PROPAGANDISTS
Propagandists were largely young men, often mestizos and creoles
(Creole and Mestizo are colonial racial categories referring to children
to a Spanish parent and a Filipino or Chinese parent, usually a Spanish
father and Filipino or Chinese mother. They were favored during the
Spanish colonial period, and often granted opportunities for higher
education not afforded to children of two Indios parents.) whose
families could afford to send them to study in Spanish universities in
Madrid and Barcelona.
 THE PROPAGANDISTS
Dr. Jose Rizal Antonio Luna
Marcelo H. Del Pilar Pedro Serrano Laktaw
Graciano Lopez-Jaena Jose Ma. Panganiban
Marciano Ponce Fernando Canon
Juan Luna Jose Alejandrino
Felix Hidalgo Isabelo delos Reyes
Pedro Paterno Dominador Gomez
THE END OF THE PROPAGANDA MOVEMENT
Rizal's arrest marked the crucial period of the propagandists.
a. La Liga Filipina collapsed
b. Marcelo H. Del Pilar and Lopez-Jaena Died in Barcelona (1896)
The end marked the beginning, the writings by the Propaganda
Movements inspired Andres Bonifacio. He established the "Katipunan"
and set the Philippine revolution in place.
NOLI ME TANGERE
 A Latin word for “Touch me not”.
A novel published by Jose Rizal in 1887.
It was published during the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines.
It talks about the inequality between the laws and practices in terms of
the treatment by the ruling government and the Spanish Catholic Friars
hundred years ago.
Rizal feared that Noli Me Tangere might not be printed and would remain
unread because he was financially struggling at that time and It would be
hard for him to print the said novel.
It was printed at Berliner Buchdruckerei-Aktiengesellschaft in Berlin.
The book indirectly influenced the Philippine Revolution of independence
from the Spanish Empire, even though Rizal actually advocated direct
representation to the Spanish government and an overall larger role for
the Philippines within Spain's political affairs.
The work was instrumental in creating a unified Filipino national identity and
consciousness, as many natives previously identified with their respective
regions. It lampooned, caricatured and exposed various elements in colonial
society. Two characters in particular have become classics in Filipino culture:
Maria Clara and Father Damaso.
 MAXIMO VIOLA

A friend of Rizal that provided some financial assistance. He loaned ₱300

for 2,000 copies.
The printing was supposed to be done after 5 months but It finished earlier
than expected.
Viola arrived in Berlin in December 1886, and by March 21, 1887, Rizal had
sent a copy of the novel to his friend, Blumentritt.
Spanish authorities in the Philippines banned the book, but copies were
smuggled into the country. The first Philippine edition was printed in 1899
in Manila by Chofre y Compania in Escolta.
 MAJOR CHARACTERS
Crisostomo Ibarra
Maria Clara
Kapitan Tiago
Padre Damaso
Elias
Pilosopo Tasyo
Dona Victorina
Sisa
Crispin
Basilio
THANK YOU FOR
LISTENING!