4/25/2019 Jose Rizal - Education, Contribution & Death - Biography

José Rizal Biography

Poet, Journalist, Doctor (1861–1896)

José Rizal called for peaceful reform of Spain's colonial

rule in the Philippines. After his 1896 execution, he
NAME became an icon for the nationalist movement.
José Rizal
OCCUPATION Synopsis
Poet, Journalist,
José Rizal was born on June 19, 1861, in Calamba, Philippines. While living in
Doctor
Europe, Rizal wrote about the discrimination that accompanied Spain's colonial
BIRTH DATE rule of his country. He returned to the Philippines in 1892, but was exiled due
June 19, 1861 to his desire for reform. Although he supported peaceful change, Rizal was
convicted of sedition and executed on December 30, 1896, at age 35.
DEATH DATE
December 30,
Early Life
1896
EDUCATION On June 19, 1861, José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda was born in
University of Calamba in the Philippines' Laguna Province. A brilliant student who became
pro cient in multiple languages, José Rizal studied medicine in Manila. In 1882,
Madrid,
he traveled to Spain to complete his medical degree.
University of
Heidelberg, Writing and Reform
University of
Santo Tomas While in Europe, José Rizal became part of the Propaganda Movement,
PLACE OF BIRTH connecting with other Filipinos who wanted reform. He also wrote his rst
novel, Noli Me Tangere (Touch Me Not/The Social Cancer), a work that detailed
Calamba, Laguna
the dark aspects of Spain's colonial rule in the Philippines, with particular focus
Province, on the role of Catholic friars. The book was banned in the Philippines, though
Philippines copies were smuggled in. Because of this novel, Rizal's return to the Philippines
PLACE OF DEATH in 1887 was cut short when he was targeted by police.
Manila, Rizal returned to Europe and continued to write, releasing his follow-up novel,
Philippines El Filibusterismo (The Reign of Greed) in 1891. He also published articles in La
AKA Solidaridad, a paper aligned with the Propaganda Movement. The reforms Rizal
advocated for did not include independence—he called for equal treatment of
José Rizal
Filipinos, limiting the power of Spanish friars and representation for the
FULL NAME Philippines in the Spanish Cortes (Spain's parliament).
José Protasio
Rizal Mercado y Exile in the Philippines
Alonso Realonda

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4/25/2019 Jose Rizal - Education, Contribution & Death - Biography

Rizal returned to the Philippines in 1892, feeling he needed to be in the country

to e ect change. Although the reform society he founded, the Liga Filipino (Philippine League), supported non-
violent action, Rizal was still exiled to Dapitan, on the island of Mindanao. During the four years Rizal was in exile,
he practiced medicine and took on students.

Execution and Legacy

In 1895, Rizal asked for permission to travel to Cuba as an army doctor. His request was approved, but in August
1896, Katipunan, a nationalist Filipino society founded by Andres Bonifacio, revolted. Though he had no ties to
the group, and disapproved of its violent methods, Rizal was arrested shortly thereafter.

After a show trial, Rizal was convicted of sedition and sentenced to death by ring squad. Rizal's public execution
was carried out in Manila on December 30, 1896, when he was 35 years old. His execution created more
opposition to Spanish rule.

Spain's control of the Philippines ended in 1898, though the country did not gain lasting independence until after
World War II. Rizal remains a nationalist icon in the Philippines for helping the country take its rst steps toward
independence.

Citation Information
Maven Recommends
Article Title
José Rizal Biography

Author
Biography.com Editors

Website Name
The Biography.com website

URL
BIOGRAPHY BIOGRAPHY BIOGRAPHY
https://www.biography.com/political- gure/josé-rizal
José Carreras
Access Date
José Zorrilla José María M
April 25, 2019

Publisher
A&E Television Networks

Last Updated
April 17, 2019

Original Published Date

April 1, 2014

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