Jose Rizal: Filipino Nationalist and Polymath

Life and Career of José Rizal

• José Rizal was a polymath, and his profession included being a writer, ophthalmologist, and propagandist.
• He is widely considered to be the national hero of the Philippines.
• Rizal was born in the province of Laguna in 1861.

Literary Contributions

• José Rizal's novel "Noli Me Tángere" is considered a national epic of the Philippines.
• "Noli Me Tángere" and "El filibusterismo" are significant literary contributions that showcase his writing skills and nationalistic spirit.

Family and Ancestry

• José Rizal's father's ancestor, Lam-co, was a Chinese immigrant who settled in the Philippines in the late 17th century and worked as a merchant.
• Rizal's maternal grandfather, Lorenzo Alberto Alonzo, was of Spanish ancestry.
• One of his ancestors, a great-great-grandfather, was of Japanese ancestry.

Education and Early Life

• José Rizal learned to read and write at the age of 3.
• He learned the alphabet from his mother at the age of 3.

Execution and Propaganda Movement

• José Rizal was a key member of the Filipino Propaganda Movement.
• He was executed by the Spanish colonial government in 1896 for the crime of rebellion, sedition, and conspiracy.
• The primary reason for his execution was his involvement in the Philippine Revolution.

Miscellaneous

• José Rizal dropped the last three names that made up his full name to avoid persecution by the Spanish colonial authorities.
• Before becoming a writer and a key member of the Filipino Propaganda Movement, Rizal was an ophthalmologist.

Test your knowledge about José Rizal, a prominent Filipino nationalist, writer, and polymath who played a key role in the movement for political reforms during the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines.