rizal

• Jose Rizal was born on June 19, 1861, in Calamba, Laguna, Philippines, and died on December 30, 1896, in Manila at the age of 35
• Rizal was a patriot and a physician, known for excelling in various fields like medicine, poetry, sketching, architecture, and sociology
• Rizal's parents were Don Francisco Mercado (Father) and Dona Teodora Alonso Realonda (Mother)
• In his name, "Rizal" means a field where wheat, cut while still green, sprouts again
• Jose Rizal's early education was primarily under his mother, who taught him how to read, pray, and encouraged him to write poetry
• Later, private tutors like Maestro Celestino, Maestro Lucas Padua, and Leon Monroy continued his education at home
• In Binan, Jose Rizal was taught by Maestro Justiniano Aquino Cruz and excelled in his studies, even having a fight with a fellow student named Pedro
• Jose Rizal entered Ateneo in 1872, where he was divided into groups like the "Roman Empire" and the "Carthaginian Empire" based on academic performance
• During his time at Ateneo, Rizal went from being at the bottom of the class to becoming the Emperor at the Carthaginian Empire
• After excelling in various subjects and receiving medals, Jose Rizal graduated from Ateneo De Manila in March 1877 with a Bachelor of Arts degree with highest honors
• Jose Rizal studied ophthalmology at the University of Santo Tomas but faced opposition from faculty and clergy, leading him to travel to Europe to continue his studies
• In Europe, Rizal studied at the Universidad Central de Madrid, University of Paris, and University of Heidelberg, where he completed his ophthalmology studies and wrote his first novel, "Noli Me Tangere"
• Rizal traveled to Spain with a "secret mission" to observe European life and culture to prepare for liberating his people from Spanish tyranny
• During his travels, Rizal visited places like Singapore and Point Galle, improving his knowledge of the French language on board a French ship
• Rizal wrote nationalistic essays like "Amor Patrio" and joined societies like Circulo Hispano-Filipino during his time in Madrid
• In 1882, Rizal enrolled in the Central University of Madrid for Medicine and Philosophy and Letters courses
• Rizal studied painting and sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando
• Rizal joined the Circulo Hispano-Filipino society shortly after arriving in Madrid in 1882
• Rizal joined the Masonic lodge Acacia in Madrid in March 1883 to secure Freemasonry in his fight against the friars in the Philippines
• In June 1884, Rizal completed his medical course in Spain and was conferred the degree of Licentiate in Medicine
• Rizal finished his studies in Philosophy and Letters with higher grades and was awarded the degree of Licentiate in Philosophy and Letters by the Universidad Central de Madrid with the rating of "Excellent"
• Rizal specialized in ophthalmology in Paris and Germany to cure his mother's eye ailment
• In Berlin, Rizal became a member of the Anthropological Society, the Ethnological Society, and the Geographical Society upon recommendations
• Rizal translated Schiller's William Tell from German into Tagalog in Leipzig
• Rizal worked as a proofreader in a publisher's firm due to his knowledge of German, Spanish, and other European languages
• Rizal lived in London from May 1888 to March 1889 to improve his English, study Morga's Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas, and fight against Spanish tyranny
• Rizal's greatest achievement in London was annotating Morga's book, Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas, which was published in Mexico, 1609
• Rizal left Paris for Brussels in January 1890 due to the high cost of living in Paris and the city's social distractions
• In Brussels, Rizal advocated for the Filipinization of orthography and faced family troubles from Calamba agrarian issues and a suit by the Dominican Order
• Rizal moved to Ghent to publish his second novel, El Filibusterismo, dedicating it to Gom-Bur-Za