Romances of Rizal

• First love


  Julia or Minang, a girl Rizal saw when he was 15 years old
• Segunda Katigbak


  The girl who first awakened Rizal's heart, a friend of Rizal's sister Olimpia
• Segunda Katigbak


  • A young girl, perhaps about 14 years old, virginal, attractive, engaging, short, with expressive eyes, sometimes ardent, at other times languid, rosy cheeked, with such an enchanting and provocative smile that revealed very beautiful teeth, her entire self diffused a mysterious charm
• When Rizal met Segunda

  His heart was "palpitating with strange ecstasy"
• Manuel Luz, who seemed to be Segunda's fiancé, lost a chess game to Rizal as he was distracted by her beauty
• In December 1877, Rizal could only say goodbye to Segunda and promise to see her on her way to Lipa, which was allegedly their last time to talk with each other
• Leonor Rivera


  Rizal's cousin from Camiling, a contemporary of his sister Soledad at the same school
• Leonor Valenzuela (Orang)


  A tall girl from Pagsanjan, Rizal sent her love notes written in invisible ink
• Rizal's letters to Leonor failed due to the intervention of Tia Betang, and he became frustrated and shattered when he learned of Leonor's love affair with the Englishman Henry Kipping
• Gertrude Beckett


  A blue-blooded Englishwoman, the oldest daughter of a London church organist in whose house Rizal lodged when he went to visit London in 1888
• Rizal confided to his friend Regidor that he could not marry Gertrude Beckett because he had other ties which reminded him of his country and did not permit him to marry her
• Nellie Boustead


  A daughter of Rizal's host, Eduardo Boustead, in Biarritz, whom Antonio Luna courted but was deeply infatuated with Rizal
• Rizal's love affair with Nellie Boustead did not end in marriage because Rizal refused to be converted to the Protestant faith, as Nellie demanded, and Nellie's mother did not like a physician without enough paying clientele to be a son-in-law
• Suzanne Jacoby


  One of the two Jacoby sisters in whose boarding house Rizal lived in Brussels, and with whom he fell deeply in love
• Josephine Bracken


  An 18-year-old petite Irish girl with bold blue eyes, brown hair and a happy disposition, whom Rizal met in Dapitan and hoped to marry
• Rizal and Josephine Bracken simply lived together because of church requirements, and Josephine later gave birth prematurely to a stillborn baby
• Consuelo Ortia y Perez


  A daughter of a liberal-minded Spanish official who once served in Manila during the Spanish era, with whom Rizal had a casual relationship
• O Sei San


  A Japanese samurai's daughter who taught Rizal the Japanese art of painting known as su-mie and helped him improve his knowledge of the Japanese language
• Rizal never married any of his loves because he had already married "Patria", his native land
• Trillana aptly puts it: “No tears were shed for Consuelo. One could sense that while Rizal found her a convivial companion, he harboured no deep love for her.”
• Rizal and Gertrude have a nickname for each other which is Gettie and Pettie
• Rizal’s letters to Leonor failed subsequently because of the intervention of Tia Betang. Rizal became frustrated and shattered when he learned of Leonor’s love affair with the Englishman Henry Kipping that he almost married Nelly Bousted of Biarritz, to whom, Antonio Luna fell madly
• The two girls, in fact knew of the “double Leonor” arrangement. Orang referred to Leonor as Rizal’s “little landlady”.
• It was in December of 1877 at La Concordia when, with Segunda just waiting for Rizal to propose to her, all that he could say was a goodbye and a promise to see her on her way to Lipa. That Thursday in December 1877 was allegedly their last time to talk with each other.
• According to historians, like Trillana, the first girl who caught the young Pepe’s eye was Julia or Minang. His First sight of Julia was of her wrapped in red tapis, her long hair cascading down her shoulders. She was about 14 and Rizal was 15.
• The girl who first awakened his heart was Segunda Katigbak, Sister of Rizal’s friend, Mariano, and close friend of Rizal’s sister, Olimpia, in school. she is also nicknamed Miss K