Biography of Jose Rizal
Biography of Jose Rizal
Biography of Jose Rizal
José Rizal (June 19, 1861–December 30, 1896) was a man of incredible
intellectual power and amazing artistic talent. He excelled at anything that he put
his mind to—medicine, poetry, sketching, architecture, sociology, and more.
Rizal's martyrdom by the Spanish colonial authorities, while he was still quite
young, was a huge loss to the Philippines and to the world at large. Today, the
people of the Philippines honor him as their national hero.
Known For: National hero of the Philippines for his key role inspiring
and leading the Philippine Revolution against colonial Spain
Born: June 19, 1861 at Calamba, Laguna
Parents: Francisco Rizal Mercado and Teodora Alonzo y Quintos
Died: December 30, 1896 in Barcelona, Spain
Education: Ateneo Municipal de Manila, studied medicine at the
University of Santo Tomas and medicine and philosophy at
the Universidad Central de Madrid (1884); ophthalmology at the
University of Paris and the University of Heidelberg
Published Works: Noli Me Tangere, El Filibusterismo
Spouse(s): Josephine Bracken (married two hours before his death)
Children: None
Early Life
José Rizal was born on June 19, 1861, at Calamba, Laguna, the seventh child of
Francisco Rizal Mercado and Teodora Alonzo y Quintos. They named the boy
Jose Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda. The Mercado family were
wealthy farmers who rented land from the Dominican religious order.
Descendants of a Chinese immigrant named Domingo Lam-co, they changed
their name to Mercado ("market") under the pressure of anti-Chinese feeling
among the Spanish colonizers.
From an early age, Jose Rizal Mercado showed a precocious intellect. He learned
the alphabet from his mother at the age of 3 and could read and write at age 5.
Education
José Rizal Mercado attended the Ateneo Municipal de Manila, graduating at the
age of 16 with the highest honors. He took a post-graduate course there in land
surveying.
Rizal Mercado completed his surveyor's training in 1877 and passed the licensing
exam in May 1878, but he could not receive a license to practice because he was
only 17 years old. (He was eventually granted a license in 1881 when he reached
the age of majority.)
In 1878, the young man also enrolled in the University of Santo Tomas as a
medical student. He later quit the school, alleging discrimination against Filipino
students by the Dominican professors.
In Madrid
In May 1882, José Rizal got on a ship to Spain without informing his parents of
his intentions. He enrolled at the Universidad Central de Madrid after arriving.
In June 1884, he received his medical degree at the age of 23; the following year,
he also graduated from the Philosophy and Letters department.
Inspired by his mother's advancing blindness, Rizal next went to the University of
Paris and then to the University of Heidelberg to complete further study in the
field of ophthalmology. At Heidelberg, he studied under the famed professor Otto
Becker. Rizal finished his second doctorate at Heidelberg in 1887.
During his European sojourn, he also began to write novels. Rizal finished his
first book, "Noli Me Tangere," while living in Wilhemsfeld with the Reverend Karl
Ullmer.
Program of Reforms
In both his novels and newspaper editorials, Jose Rizal called for a number of
reforms of the Spanish colonial system in the Philippines. He advocated for
freedom of speech and assembly, equal rights before the law for Filipinos, and
Filipino priests in place of the often-corrupt Spanish churchmen. In addition,
Rizal called for the Philippines to become a province of Spain, with
representation in the Spanish legislature (the Cortes Generales).
Rizal never called for independence for the Philippines. Nonetheless, the colonial
government considered him a dangerous radical and declared him an enemy of
the state.
During that same period, the people of the Philippines grew more eager to revolt
against the Spanish colonial presence. Inspired in part by Rizal's organization La
Liga, rebel leaders like Andres Bonifacio began to press for military action
against the Spanish regime.
In Dapitan, Rizal met and fell in love with Josephine Bracken, who brought her
stepfather to him for a cataract operation. The couple applied for a marriage
license but were denied by the Church (which had excommunicated Rizal).
Trial and Execution
The Philippine Revolution broke out in 1896. Rizal denounced the violence and
received permission to travel to Cuba in order to tend victims of yellow fever in
exchange for his freedom. Bonifacio and two associates sneaked aboard the ship
to Cuba before it left the Philippines and tried to convince Rizal to escape with
them, but Rizal refused.
He was arrested by the Spanish on the way, taken to Barcelona, and then
extradited to Manila for trial. José Rizal was tried by court-martial and charged
with conspiracy, sedition, and rebellion. Despite a lack of any evidence of his
complicity in the Revolution, Rizal was convicted on all counts and given a death
sentence.
He was allowed to marry Josephine two hours before his execution by firing
squad on December 30, 1896. Jose Rizal was just 35 years old.
Legacy
José Rizal is remembered today throughout the Philippines for his brilliance,
courage, peaceful resistance to tyranny, and his compassion. Filipino
schoolchildren study his final literary work, a poem called Mi Ultimo Adios ("My
Last Goodbye"), and his two famous novels.