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José Rizal
 FILIPINO POLITICAL LEADER AND AUTHOR
WRITTEN BY:
 The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
See Article History

Alternative Title: José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda

José Rizal, in full José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda, (born June 19,
1861, Calamba, Philippines—died December 30, 1896, Manila), patriot, physician,
and man of letters who was an inspiration to the Philippine nationalist movement.
The son of a prosperous landowner, Rizal was educated in Manila and at
the University of Madrid. A brilliant medical student, he soon committed himself to
the reform of Spanish rule in his home country, though he never advocated Philippine
independence. Most of his writing was done in Europe, where he resided between
1882 and 1892.
In 1887 Rizal published his first novel, Noli me tangere (The Social Cancer), a
passionate exposure of the evils of Spanish rule in the Philippines. A sequel, El
filibusterismo (1891; The Reign of Greed), established his reputation as the leading
spokesman of the Philippine reform movement. He published an annotated edition
(1890; reprinted 1958) of Antonio Morga’s Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas, hoping to
show that the native people of the Philippines had a long history before the coming of
the Spaniards. He became the leader of the Propaganda Movement, contributing
numerous articles to its newspaper, La Solidaridad, published in Barcelona. Rizal’s
political program included integration of the Philippines as a province of Spain,
representation in the Cortes (the Spanish parliament), the replacement of Spanish
friars by Filipino priests, freedom of assembly and expression, and equality of
Filipinos and Spaniards before the law.
Rizal returned to the Philippines in 1892. He founded a nonviolent-reform society,
the Liga Filipina, in Manila, and was deported to Dapitan in northwest Mindanao. He
remained in exile for the next four years. In 1896 the Katipunan, a Filipino nationalist
secret society, revolted against Spain. Although he had no connections with that
organization and he had had no part in the insurrection, Rizal was arrested and tried
for sedition by the military. Found guilty, he was publicly executed by a firing squad
in Manila. His martyrdom convinced Filipinos that there was no alternative to
independence from Spain. On the eve of his execution, while confined in Fort
Santiago, Rizal wrote “Último adiós” (“Last Farewell”), a masterpiece of 19th-century
Spanish verse.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Adam
Augustyn, Managing Editor.
LEARN MORE in these related Britannica articles:


 Southeast Asian arts: The Philippines
The most famous author was José Rizal, who wrote a series of brilliant social novels, beginning
with Noli me tangere (“Touch Me Not”). Other prominent writers, all essayists, were Mariano Ponce
and Rafael Palma. There were poets also—for example, José Palma, whose poem “Filipinas” was
later adopted as the national…

Philippines: The 19th century

José Rizal, this movement’s most brilliant figure, produced two political novels—Noli me
tangere(1886; Touch Me Not) and El filibusterismo (1891; The Reign of Greed)—which had a wide
impact in the Philippines. In 1892 Rizal returned home and formed the Liga Filipina, a modest
reform-minded…


 history of Southeast Asia: Transformation of state and society
…Kartini and the Filipino patriot José Rizal. The newer generation, however, was more certain in its
opposition to colonial rule (or, in Siam, rule by the monarchy), clearer and far more political in its
conception of a nation, and unabashedly determined to seize leadership and initiative in their own
societies.…

Philippine Revolution
José Rizal quickly emerged as the leading Propagandist. His novel Noli me tángere (1886; The
Social Cancer, 1912) exposed the corruption of Manila Spanish society and stimulated the movement
for independence.…

The Social Cancer

…Filipino political activist and author José Rizal, published in 1887. The book, written in Spanish,
is a sweeping and passionate unmasking of the brutality and corruption of Spanish rule in the
Philippines (1565–1898).…

HISTORY AT YOUR FINGERTIPS

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MORE ABOUT José Rizal
7 REFERENCES FOUND IN BRITANNICA ARTICLES
Assorted References

 admiration for Burgos

 In José Burgos
 influence on Filipino literature
 In Southeast Asian arts: The Philippines
 role in Philippine history
 In Philippine Revolution
  In Philippines: The 19th century
 In history of Southeast Asia: Transformation of state and society
 “The Social Cancer”
 In The Social Cancer
 veneration by Rizalist cult
 In Rizalist cult
FEEDBACK
Corrections? Updates? Help us improve this article!Contact our editors with your feedback.

José Rizal
QUICK FACTS

BORN

June 19, 1861

Calamba, Philippines
DIED

December 30, 1896 (aged 35)

Manila, Philippines
NOTABLE WORKS
 “The Social Cancer”
 “The Reign of Greed”
FOUNDER OF
 Liga Filipina

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BROWSE CATEGORIES
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José Rizal
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