Vocabulary:

Chinese mestizo - a person of mixed Chinese and Filipino ancestry

Principalia - the ruling and usually educated upper class in Spanish colonial Philippines

Bachiller en Artes - Bachelor of Arts degree bestowed by colleges or universities

Spanish Cortes - Spain's lawmaking or legislative body

Ilustrado - a term which literally means " enlighten ones" or the Filipinois educated in Europe

Masonry - fraternal organization which strives for moral betterment

Introduction

A biography narrates how a person has lived during a certain period of time . It presents not only the life of an individual and hos he/she has influenced the society but also
how an individual and his/her have been shaped by historical events . Jose Rizal lived in the nineteenth century, a period in Philippines history when changes in public
consciousness were already being felt and progressive ideas were being realized . Studying Rizal's biography , therefore , will lead to a better understanding of how Rizal devoted
his life in shaping the Filipino character.

Presentation

Jose Rizal was born on June 19, 1861 in the town of Calamba, Laguna

JOSE PROTACIO MERCADO RIZAL ALONZO Y REALONDA

Doctor - completed his medical course in Spain and was conferred the degree of Licentiate in Medicine by the Universidad Central de Madrid

Jose- was chosen by his mother who was a devotee of the Christian saint San Jose (St. Joseph)

Protacio - from Gervacio P. which come from a Christian calendar

Mercado - adopted in 1731 by Domigo Lamco (the paternal great-great- grandfather of Jose Rizal) which the Spanish term mercado means ‘market’ in English

Rizal- from the word ‘Ricial’ in Spanish means a field where wheat, cut while still green, sprouts again

Alonzo - old surname of his mother

Y- and

Realonda - it was used by Doña Teodora from the surname of her godmother based on the culture by that time

June 19, 1861- moonlit of Wednesday between eleven and midnight Jose Rizal was born in the lakeshore town of Calamba, Laguna

June 22, 1861- aged three days old, Rizal was baptized in the Catholic church

Father Rufino Collantes - a Batangueño, the parish priest who baptized Rizal

Father Pedro Casanas - Rizal’s godfather, native of Calamba and close friend of the Rizal family

Lieutenant-General Jose Lemery- the governor general of the Philippines when Rizal was born

Rizal's Parents

Don Francisco Mercado (1818-1898)

-born in Biñan, Laguna on May 11, 1818

-studied Latin and Philosophy at the College of San Jose in Manila

-became a tenant

-farmer of the Dominican-owned hacienda

-a hardy and independent-minded man, who talked less and worked more, and was strong in body and valiant in spirit

-died in Manila on January 5, 1898 at the age of 80

-Rizal affectionately called him “a model of fathers”

Doña Teodora Alonso Realonda (1826-1911)

-educated at the College of Santa Rosa, a well-known college for girls in the city

-a remarkable woman, possessing refined culture, literary talent, business ability, and the fortitude of Spartan women

-is a woman of more than ordinary culture: she knows literature and speaks Spanish (according to Rizal)

-died in Manila on August 16, 1911 at the age of 85

Rizal's Ancestry

Fathers' Side -Domingo Lamco Ines de la Rosa (a Chinese immigrant from (Well-to-do Chinese the Fukien city arrived in Christian girl of Changchow Manila about 1690)

Francisco Mercado Cirila Bernacha Juan Mercado (Rizal’s grandfather) Cirila Alejandro . Had thirteen children, the youngest being Francisco Mercado (Rizal’s father)

Mother's Side - Lakandula (The last native king of Tondo) Eugenio Ursua (Rizal’s maternal Benigna Great-great Grandfather of (a Filipina) Japanese Ancestry) Manuel de Quintos
Regina (a Filipino from Pangasinan) Lorenzo Alberto Alonso Brigida (a prominent Spanish Filipino mestizo of Biñan) Narcisa, Teodora (Rizal’s mother), Gregorio, Manuel at Jose

Childhood years in Calamba

-Calamba was named after a big native jar

-Calamba was a hacienda town which belonged to the Dominican Order, which also owned all the lands around it

Un Recuerdo A Mi Pueblo (In Memory of My Town)

a poem about Rizal’s beloved town written by Rizal in 1876 when he was 15 years old and was student in the Ateneo de Manila

The first memory of Rizal, in his infancy, was his happy days in the family garden when he was three years old

Another childhood memory was the daily Angelus prayer. By nightfall, Rizal related, his mother gathered all the children at the house to pray the Angelus

Another memory of Rizal’s infancy was the nocturnal walk in the town, especially when there was a moon

The death of little Concha brought Rizal his first sorrow

At the age of three, Rizal began to take a part in the family prayers

When Rizal was five years old, he was able to read haltingly the Spanish family bible

The Story of the Moth- made the profoundest impression on Rizal -“died a martyr to its illusions”

At the age of five, Rizal began to make sketches with his pencil and to mould in clay and wax objects which attracted his fancy

Sa Aking Mga Kabata (To My Fellow Children)- Rizal’s first poem in native language at the age of eight -reveals Rizal’s earliest nationalist sentiment

At the age of eight, Rizal wrote his first dramatic work which was a Tagalog comedy

Influences on the Hero's Boyhood

(1) hereditary influence

(2) environmental influence

(3) aid of Divine Providence

Tio Jose Alberto

studied for eleven years in British school in Calcutta, India and had traveled in Europe inspired Rizal to develop his artistic ability

Tio Manuel

a husky and athletic man, encouraged Rizal to develop his frail body by means of physical exercises

Tio Gregorio

a book lover, intensified Rizal’s voracious reading of good book

Father Leoncio Lopez

the old and learned parish priest of Calamba, fostered Rizal’s love for scholarship and intellectual honesty
Early Education in Calamba and Binan

The first teacher of Rizal was his mother, who was remarkable woman of good character and fine culture —her mother

Maestro Celestino

Rizal’s first private tutor

Maestro Lucas Padua

Rizal’s second tutor

Leon Monroy

a former classmate of Rizal’s father became Rizal’s tutor that instructed Jose in Spanish and Latin.

Maestro Justiniano Aquino Cruz

Rizal’s teacher in a private school in Biñan

-Rizal described his teacher as follows: He was thin, long-necked, with a sharp nose and a body slightly bentforward

Pedro- the teacher’s son which Rizal challenged to a fight

Andres Salandanan - challenged Rizal to an arm-wrestling match

Juancho-an old painter who was the father-in-law of the school teacher; freely give Rizal lessons in drawing and painting

Jose Guevara- Rizal’s classmate who also loved painting, became apprentices of the old painter

“the favorite painters of the class”- because of his artistic talent

Christmas in 1870

-Rizal received a letter from his sister Saturnina, informing him of the arrival of the steamer Talim which would take him from Biñan to Calamba

Daily Life in Binan

-Heard the four o’ clock mass then at ten o’ clock went home at once and went at school at two and came out at five -The day was unusual when Rizal was not laid out on a bench
and given five or six blows because of fighting

Martyrdom of Gom-bur-za

Night of January 20, 1872- about 200 Filipino soldiers and workmen of the Cavite arsenal under the leadership of Lamadrid, Filipino sergeant, rose in violent mutiny because of the
abolition of their usual privileges

Fathers Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos and Jacinto Zamora- were executed at sunrise of February 17, 1872, by order of Governor General Izquierdo

The martyrdom of Gom-Bur-Za in 1872 truly inspired Rizal to fight the evils of Spanish tyranny and redeem his oppressed people

Rizal dedicated his second novel, El Filibusterismo, to Gom-Bur-Za

Injustice to Hero's Mother

Before June, 1872 - Doña Teodora was suddenly arrested on a malicious charge that she and her brother, Jose Alberto, tried to poison the latter’s perfidious wife

Antonio Vivencio del Rosario

Calamba’s gobernadorcillo, help arrest Doña Teodora

After arresting Doña Teodora, the sadistic Spanish lieutenant forced her to walk from Calamba to Santa Cruz (capital of Laguna province), a distance of 50 kilometers

Doña Teodora was incarcerated at the provincial prison, where she languished for two years and a half

Messrs. Francisco de Marcaida and Manuel Marzan - the most famous lawyers of Manila that defend Doña Teodora

Escuela Pia/Ateneo Municipal

a college under the supervision of the Spanish Jesuits

formerly name of Ateneo, a school for poor boys in Manila which was established by the city government in 1817

Escuela Pia----à Ateneo Municipal---à Ateneo de Manila

June 10, 1872 - Rizal accompanied by Paciano went to Manila

Father Magin Ferrando- was the college registrar, refused to admit Rizal in Ateneo for two reasons:

(1) he was late for registration

(2) he was sickly and undersized for his age

Manuel Xerez Burgos-because of his intercession, nephew of Father Burgos, Rizal was reluctantly admitted at the Ateneo

Jose was the first of his family to adopt the surname “Rizal”. He registered under this name at Ateneo because their family name “Mercado” had come under the suspicion of the
Spanish authorities

Jesuits Sytem of Education

-it trained the character of the student by rigid discipline and religious instructions

-Students were divided into two groups:

Roman Empire - consisting of internos (boarders); red banner

Carthaginian Empire - composed of the externos (non-boarders); blue banner

Emperor- the best student in each “empire”

Tribune-the second best

Decurion - the third best

Centurion-the fourth best

Stand-bearer- the fifth best

The Ateneo students in Rizal’s time wore a uniform which consisted of “hemp-fabric trousers” and “striped cotton coat” The coat material was called rayadillo

Ateneo

Father Jose Bech - Rizal’s first professor in Ateneo whom he described as a “tall thin man, with a body slightly bent forward, a harried walk, an ascetic face, severe and inspired,
small deep-sunken eyes, a sharp nose that was almost Greek, and thin lips forming an arc whose ends fell toward the chin

A Religious picture- Rizal’s first prize for being the brightest pupil in the whole class

*Rizal took private lessons in Santa Isabel College during the noon recesses. He paid three pesos for those extra Spanish lessons

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas - the first favorite novel of Rizal which made a deep impression on him

Universal History by Cesar Cantu- Rizal persuaded his father to buy him this set of historical work that was a great aid in his studies

Dr. Feodor Jagor- a German scientist-traveler who visited the Philippines in 1859-1860 who wrote Travels in the Philippines

-Rizal was impressed in this book because of (1) Jagor’s keen observations of the defects of Spanish colonization (2) his prophecy that someday Spain would lose the Philippines
and that America would come to succeed her as colonizer

Padre Francisco de Paula Sanchez- a great educator and scholar, one of Rizal’s professors who inspired him to study harder and to write poetry -Rizal described this Jesuiot
professor as “model of uprightness, earnestness, and love for the advancement of his pupils”

Rizal topped all his classmates in all subjects and won five medals at the end of the school term

The most brilliant Atenean of histime, he was truly “the pride of the Jesuits”

March 23, 1877- Commencement Day, Rizal, who was 16 years old, received from his Alma Mater, Ateneo Municipal, the degree of Bachelor of Arts, with highest honors

Marian Congregation - a religious society wherein Rizal was an active member and later became the secretary

Rizal cultivated his literary talent under the guidance of Father Sanchez
Father Jose Vilaclara- advised Rizal to stop communing with the Muse and pay more attention to more practical studies

Rizal studied painting under the famous Spanish painter, Agustin Saez, and sculpture under Romualdo de Jesus, noted Filipino sculptor

Rizal carved an image of the Virgin Mary on a piece of batikuling (Philippine hardwood) with his pocket- knife

Father Lleonart- impressed by Rizal’s sculptural talent, requested him to carve for him an image of Sacred Heart of Jesus

Poems Written in Ateneo

Mi Primera Inspiracion (My First Inspiration), 1874- the first poem Rizal probably wrote during his days in Ateneo which was dedicated to his mother on her birthday; Rizal wrote it
before he was 14 years old -In 1876, Rizal wrote poems on various topics-religion, education, childhood memories and war. They were as follows:

Un Recuerdo a Mi Pueblo (In Memory of My Town) - a tender poem in honor of Calamba, the hero’s natal town

*Alianza Intima Entre la Religion y la Buena Educacion (Intimate Alliance Between Religion and Good Education) - Rizal showed the importance of religion in education

*Por la Educacion Recibe Lustre la Patria (Through Education the Country Receives Light)- Rizal believed in the significant role which education plays in the progress and welfare of
a nation

Studies at the University of Sto Tomas (1887-1882)

After finishing the first year of a course in Philosophy and Letters (1877-1878), Rizal transferred to the medical course-“Don’t send him to Manila again; he knows enough. If he
gets to know more, the Spaniards will cut off his head.”

Doña Teodora, vigorously opposed the idea that Rizal pursue higher learning in the university

April 1877- Rizal who was then nearly 16 years old, matriculated in the University of Santo Tomas, taking the course on Philosophy and Letters because (1) his father like it (2) he
was “still uncertain as to what career to pursue”

Father Pablo Ramon-Rector of Ateneo, who had been good to him during his student days in that college, asking for advice on the choice of a career but unfortunately he was in
Mindanao

It was during the following term (1878-1879) that Rizal, having received the Ateneo Rector’s advice to study medicine

During Rizal’s first school term in the University of Santo Tomas (1877-1878), Rizal also studied in Ateneo. He took the vocational course leading to the title of perito agrimensor
(expert surveyor)

Rizal excelled in all subjects in the surveying course in Ateneo, obtaining gold medals in agriculture and topography

Liceo Artistico-Literario (Artistic-Literary Lyceum) of Manila- a society of literary men and artists, held a literary contest in the year 1879

A La Juventud Filipina (To the Filipino Youth) - Rizal, who was then 18 years old, submitted thi- is an inspiring poem of flawless form. Rizal beseeches the Filipino youth to rise
from lethargy, to let genius fly swifter than the wind and descend with art and science to break the chains that have long bound the spirit of the people -this winning poem of
Rizal is a classic in Philippine literature for two reasons:

(1) it was the great poem in Spanish written by a Filipino, whose merit was recognized by Spanish literary authorities

(2) it expressed for the first time the nationalistic concept that the Filipinos, and not the foreigners, were the “fair hope of the Fatherland”

The Board of Judges, composed of Spaniards, was impressed by Rizal’s poem and gave it the first prize which consisted of a silver pen, feather-shaped and decorated with a gold
ribbon

El Consejo de los Dioses (The Councils of the Gods) - an allegorical drama written by Rizal which he entered in the literary contest of Artistic-Literary Lyceum in 1880 to
commemorate the fourth centennial of the death of Cervantes -was a literary masterpiece based on the Greek classics

The prize was awarded to Rizal, a gold ring on which was engraved the bust of Cervantes

D.N. del Puzo- a Spanish writer, who won the second prize

Junto al Pasig (Beside the Pasig) - a zarzuela which was staged by the Ateneans on December 8, 1880, on the occasion of the annual celebration of the Feats Day of the
Immaculate Conception, Patroness of the Ateneo - Rizal wrote it as President of the Academy of Spanish Literature in Ateneo

Compañerismo (Comradeship)- Rizal founded a secret society of Filipino students in University of Santo Tomas in 1880

Unhappy days at the UST

-Rizal found the atmosphere at the University of Santo Tomas suffocating to his sensitive spirit. He was unhappy at this Dominican institution of higher learning because

(1) the Dominican professors were hostile to him

(2) the Filipino students were racially discriminated against by the Spaniards
(3) the method of instruction was obsolete and repressive-In Rizal’s novel, El Filibusterismo, he described how the Filipino students were humiliated and insulted by their
Dominican professors and how backward the method of instruction was, especially in the teaching of the natural sciences.He related in Chapter XIII, “The Class in Physics”

Sunny Spain (1882-1885)

-After finishing the 4th year of the medical course in the University of Santo Tomas, Rizal decided to complete his studies in Spain

-Aside from completing his studies in Spain, Rizal has his “secret mission”—was to observe keenly the life and culture,languages and customs, industries and commerce, and
government and laws of the European nations in order to prepare himself in the mighty task of liberating his oppressed people from Spanish tyranny

-This Rizalian secret mission was likewise disclosed by Paciano in his letter to his younger brother dated Manila, May 20,1892

-Rizal’s departure for Spain was kept secret to avoid detection by the Spanish authorities and the friars

• Jose Mercado- Rizal used this name; a cousin from Biñan

May 3, 1882- Rizal departed on board the Spanish streamer Salvadora bound for Singapore

Naples and Marseilles

Rizal visited the famous Chateau d’If, where Dantes, hero of the Count of Monte Cristo, was imprisoned

Rizal stayed two and a half days in Marseilles

Barcelona

Rizal’s first impression of Barcelona, the greatest city of Cataluña and Spain’s second largest city, was unfavorable

Las Ramblas- the most famous street in Barcelona

Amor Patrio (Love of Country)- nationalistic essay, Rizal’s first article written on Spain’s soil -under his pen-name Laong Laan, appeared in print in Diariong Tagalog on August 20,
1882 -it was published in two texts—Spanish and Tagalog—the Spanish text was the one originally written by Rizal in Barcelona, the tagalog text was a Tagalog translation made
by M.H. del Pilar

Basilio Teodoro Moran- a friend of Rizal in Manila and the publisher of Diariong Tagalog where Rizal sent this article

Diariong Tagalog- the first Manila bilingual newspaper (Spanish and Tagalog)

Los Viajes (Travels)- Rizal’s second article for Diariong Tagalog

Revista de Madrid (Review of Madrid)- Rizal’s third article written in Madrid on November 29, 1882 but returned to him because the Diariong Tagalog had ceased publication for
lack of funds

Rizal received sad news about the cholera that was ravaging Manila and the provinces according to Paciano’s letter, dated September 15, 1882

Another sad news from the Philippines was the chatty letter of Chengoy recounting the unhappiness of Leonor Rivera

In one of his letters (dated May 26, 1882), Paciano advised his younger brother to finish the medical course in Madrid

Rizal left Barcelona in the fall of 1882 and established himself in Madrid, the capital of Spain

Life in Madrid

Circulo Hispano-Filipino (Hispano-Philippine Circle) - a society of Spaniards and Filipinos which Rizal joined shortly after his arrival in Madrid in 1882

Me Piden Versos (They Ask Me For Verses)- upon the request of the members of this society, Rizal’s wrote this poem which he personally declaimed during the New Year’s Eve
reception of the Madrid Filipinos held in the evening of December 31, 1882 -in this sad poem, Rizal poured out the cry of his agonizing heart

Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin and Eugene Sue’s The Wandering Jew- these two books aroused Rizal’s sympathy for the oppressed and unfortunate people

First Visit to Paris (1883)

March 1883- Rizal joined the Masonic lodge called Acacia in Madrid

Rizal’s reason for becoming a mason was to secure Freemansory’s aid in his fight against the friars in the Philippines

Lodge Solidaridad (Madrid) – Rizal transferred where he became a Master Mason on November 15, 1890

February 15, 1892- Rizal was awarded the diploma as Master Mason by Le Grand Orient de France in Paris

Science, Virtue and Labor- Rizal’s only Masonic writing; a lecture which he delivered in 1889 at Lodge Solidaridad, Madrid
After Rizal’s departure for Spain, things turned from bad to worse in Calamba:

(1) harvests of rice and sugarcane failed on account of drought and locusts

(2) the manager of the Dominican-owned hacienda increased the rentals of the lands

(3) a dreadful pest killed most of the turkeys. Due to hard times in Calamba, the monthly allowances of Rizal in Madrid were late in arrival and there were times when they never
arrived

Evening of June 25, 1884- a banquet was sponsored by the Filipino community to celebrate the double victory of the Filipino artist in the National Exposition of Fine Arts in Madrid
—Luna’s Spoliarium winning the first prize and Hidalgo’s Christian Virgins Exposed to the Populace (Virgenes Cristianas Expuestas al Populacho), second prize

These student demonstrations were caused by the address of Dr. Miguel Morayta, professor of history, at the opening ceremonies of the academic year on November 20, in
which he proclaimed “the freedom of science and the teacher”

June 21, 1884- Rizal completed his medical course in Spain; he was conferred the degree of Licentiate in Medicine by the Universidad Central de Madrid • The next academic year
(1884-1885), Rizal studied and passed all subjects leading to the degree of Doctor of Medicine but he did not present the thesis required for graduation nor paid the
corresponding fees, he was not awarded his Doctor’s diploma

June 19, 1885- on his 24th birthday, Rizal was awarded the degree of Licentiate in Philosophy and Letters by the Universidad Central de Madrid with the rating of “Excellent”:
(Sobresaliente)

Paris to Berlin (1885-1887)

-Rizal went to Paris and Germany in order to specialize in ophthalmology—Rizal chose this branch of medicine because he wanted to cure his mother’s eye ailment

In Gay Paris (1185-1886) Maximo Viola- a medical student and a member of a rich family of San Miguel, Bulacan, Rizal’s friend

Señor Eusebio Corominas- editor of the newspaper La Publicidad and made a crayon sketch of Don Miguel Morayta, owner of La Publicidad

Rizal gave Editor Corominas an article on the Carolines Question, then a controversial issue, for publication

Dr. Louis de Weckert (1852-1906)- leading French ophthalmologist wherein Rizal worked as an assistant from November 1885 to February 1886

Paz Pardo de Tavera- was a pretty girl, who was engaged to Juan Luna

At the studio of Luna, Rizal spent many happy hours. Rizal helped Luna by posing as model in several paintings

In Luna’s canvas “The Death of Cleopatra,“ Rizal posed as an Egyptian priest. In another of Luna’s great paintings, “The Blood Compact,” he posed as Sikatuna, with Trinidad Pardo
de Tavera taking the role of Legazpi

La Deportacion (Deportation)- a sad danza which Rizal composed in Dapitan during his exile

In Historic Heidelberg

Dr. Otto Becker- distinguished German ophthalmologist where Rizal worked—University Eye Hospital

April 22, 1886- Rizal wrote a fine poem “A Las Flores de Heidelberg” (To the Flowers of Heidelberg)

In the spring of 1886, Rizal was fascinated by the blooming flowers along the cool banks of the Neckar River. Among them was his favorite flower—the light blue “forget-me-not”

Wilhelmsfeld- a mountainous village near Heidelberg where Rizal spent a three-month summer vacation

Dr. Karl Ullmer- a kind Protestant pastor where Rizal stayed, who became his good friend and admirer

In Leipzig and Dresden

Dr. Hans Meyer- German anthropologist, a friend of Rizal

In Leipzig, Rizal translated Schiller’s William Tell from German into Tagalog so that Filipino might know the story of that champion of Swiss independence

Rizal also translated into Tagalog for his nephews and niece Hans Andersen’s Fairy Tales

Rizal found out that the cost of living in Leipzig was cheapest in Europe so that he stayed two months and a half

October 29, 1886- Rizal left Leipzig for Dresden where he met Dr. Adolph B. Meyer, Director of the Anthropological and Ethnological Museum

Berlin

Rizal was enchanted by Berlin because of its scientific atmosphere and the absence of race prejudice
Rizal met for the first time Dr. Feodor Jagor, celebrated German scientist-traveler and author of Travels in the Philippines, a book which Rizal read and admired during his student
days in Manila

Dr. Rudolf Virchow- introduced to Rizal by Dr. Jagor; famous German anthropologist

Dr. Hans Virchow- son of Dr. Rudolf Virchow, professor of Descriptive Anatomy

Dr. Ernest Schweigger (1830-1905)- famous German ophthalmologist where Rizal worked

Rizal became a member of the Anthropological Society, the Ethnological Society, and the Geographical Society of Berlin, upon the recommendation of Dr. Jagor and Dr. Meyer

Tagalische Verkunst (Tagalog Metrical Art)- Rizal wrote this scholarly paper in German which he read before the society in April 1887 -this paper was published by the society in
the same year, and elicited favorable comments from all scientificquarters

Rizal lived in Berlin, famous capital of unified Germany for five reasons: (1) to gain further knowledge of ophthalmology (2) to further his studies of sciences and languages (3) to
observe the economic and political conditions of the German nation (4) to associate with famous German scientists and scholars (5) to publish his novel, Noli Me Tangere

Lietmeritz

Professor Blumentritt- a kind-hearted, old Austrian professor

May 13 to May 16, 1887- Rizal and Viola stayed in Leitmeritz

Tourist’s Club of Leitmeritz-which Blumentritt was the secretary; Rizal spoke extemporaneously in fluent Germany to the officers and members

Dr. Carlos Czepelak- renowned scientist of Europe

Professor Robert Klutschak- an eminent naturalist

May 16, 1887 at 9:45 AM- Rizal and Viola left Leitmeritz by train

Rizal in Italy

June 27, 1887- Rizal reached Rome, the “Eternal City” and also called the “City of the Caesars”

Rizal was thrilled by the sights and memories of the Eternal City. Describing to Blumentritt, the “grandeur that was Rome”, he wrote on June 27, 1887 16

June 29, 1887- the Feast Day of St. Peter and St. Paul, Rizal visited for the first time the Vatican, the “City of the Popes” and the capital of Christendom

Every night, after sightseeing the whole day, Rizal returned to his hotel, very tired. “I am tired as a dog,” he wrote to Blumentritt, “but I will sleep as a God”

Exile in Dapitan

* Rizal arrived in Dapitan on board the steamer CEBU on July 17, 1892 ( now a city within Zamboanga del Norte) was a remote town in Mindanao which served as a politico-
military's outpost of the Spaniards in the Philippines.

* It was headed by Captain Ricardo Carnicero, who became a friend of Rizal during his exile. He gave Rizal the permission to explore the place and required him to report once a
week in his office.

* He practiced medicine, pursued scientific studies , and continued his artistic pursuits in sculpture, painting, sketching, and writing poetry.

* He established a school for boys and promoted community development projects. He also found time to study the Malayan language and other Philippine languages.

* He engaged himself in farming and commerce and even invented a wooden machine for making bricks.

* Rizal won the second prize in a lottery. A portion of Rizal's winnings was used in purchasing land approximately one kilometer away from Dapitan in a place known as Talisay.He
built his house on the seashore of Talisay as well as a school and a hospital within the area.

*Rizal project is to improve and beautify Dapitan, he made a big relief map of Mindanao in the plaza and used it to teach geography. Rizal also constructed a water system to
supply the town with water for drinking and irrigation. he also helped the people in putting up lamppost at every corner of the town.

* Having heard of Rizal's fame as an ophthalmologist, George Taufer who was suffering from an eye ailment traveled from Hong Kong to Dapitan He was accompanied by his
adopted daughter, Josephine Bracken, who eventually fell in love with Rizal. They lived as husband and wife in Rizal's octagonal house after being denied the sacrament of
marriage by Father Obach, the parish priest of Dapitan, due to Rizal's refusal to retract his statements against the Church and to accept other conditions.

* Dr. Pio Valenzuela visited Rizal in Dapitan and informed him about the founding of Katipunan and planned revolution. Rizal objected to it, citing the importance of a well-
planned movement with sufficient arms.

* Rizal sending letters to Gov. General Blanco. he ask for a review of his case. he said that if his request would not be granted, he would volunteer to serve as a surgeon the
Spanish army fighting in the Cuban revolution.
* Rizal's request to go to Cuba was approved. The next day, he left for Manila on board the steamer Espana. He boarded the steamer Isla de Panay which bring him to Barcelona.
Upon arriving at the fort, however, Governor-General Despujol told him that there was an order to ship him back to Manila. Rizal arrived in Manila and was immediately brought
to Fort Santiago.

Trial and Execution

The preliminary investigation of Rizal's case began on Nov. 20, 1896. He was accused of being the main organizer of the revolution by having proliferated the ideas of
rebellion and of founding illegal organizations. Rizal pleaded not guilty and even wrote a manifesto appealing to the revolutionaries to discontinue the uprising.

* Rizal's lawyer, Lt. Luis Taviel de Andrade , tried his best to save Rizal. The trial ended and the sentence was read. Jose Rizal was found guilty and sentenced to death by firing
squad.

* On Dec. 28, 1896, Gov. General Camilo de Polavieja signed the court decision. He later decreed that Rizal be executed by firing squad at 7:00 am of December 30.

* Rizal, on his last remaining days, composed his longest poem, Mi Ultimo Adios, which was about his farewell to the Filipino people.

* Mother and sisters visited him om December 29, 1896, rizal gave away his remaining possessions. He handed his gas lamp to his sister Trinindad and murmered sofly in English,
' There is something inside." Eventually, trining and her sister Maria would extract from the lamp the copy of Rizal's last poem.

* At 6:30 in the morning of December 30, 1896, Rizal , in black suit with his arms tied behind his back, walked to Bagumbayan (Luneta) The orders were given and shots were
fired. Consummatum est! ( It's finished"!) Rizal died offering his life for his for his country and its freedom .

Summary

This topic covered the important stages of Rizal's life from his family history to his memorable childhood in Calamba and his first taste of education in the town of Binan in
Laguna. The narrative also showed hoe Rizal's ideas and works were influenced by his education in Manila and later in Europe. His active participation in the Propaganda
Movement made him one of the most known reformist . Rizal's writings and alleged involvement in the Philippine Revolution of 1896 were used by the Spanish colonial
government to justify his public execution on December 30, 1896.