Life, Works, and Writings of Rizal

Real Name Dr. Jose Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso

Realonda

Mercado was a hostile name to the, targeted

The Reason why he used Rizal instead of
by the Spaniards
Mercado

Meaning Illustrado
Rizal

changing the last name of Filipinos

Spanish Law

Mercado sounded like a common name

Rizal’s Family

Francisco Engracio Rizal Mercado y (1818 – 1898)

Alejandro

(1826 – 1911)
Teodora Morales Alonzo Realonda y
Quintos
Saturnina (neneng) (1850 – 1913)
Paciano (1851 – 1930)
Narcisa (Sisa) (1852 – 1939)
Olympia (Ypia) (1855 - 1887)
Lucia (1857 - 1919)
Maria (Biang) (1859 - 1945)
Concepcion (1862 - 1865)
Josefa (Panggoy) (1865 - 1945)
Trinidad (1868 - 1951)
Soledad (Concha) (1870 - 1929)
Bits of Facts about the Genuis Jose Rizal Swordsman
He was a Theologian
Philosopher And many more…
Painter
Poet Rizal – is a Versatile genius
Architect
Artist A Renaissance man – A man of exemptional
intelligence and gifted with extraordinary
Businessman
talents.
Cartoonist
Educator
He mastered 22 languages:
Economist
Arabic
Ethologist
Catalan
Scientific farmer
Chinese
Historian
English
Inventor
French
Journalist
German
Linguist
Greek
Musician
Hebrew
Mythologist
Italian
Nationalist
Japanese
Naturalist
Latin
Novelist
Malayan
Ophthalmic surgeon
Portuguese
Propagandist
Russian
Psychologist
Sanskrit
Scientist
Spanish
Sculptor
Tagalog
Sociologist
And other native dialects
1. Rizal was a Filipino Nationalist, one of 8. This Renaissance man was the most
the few recognized Renaissance men in the prominent advocate for reforms in the
world. Philippines during the Spanish colonial era.

2. Documented studies, show him to be a 9. Rizal’s 1826 military trial and execution
polymath with the ability to master various made him a martyr of the Philippine
skills and subjects. Revolution.

3. This Renaissance man was an 10. At the age of two (2), this polymath can
ophthalmologist, novelist, sculptor, painter, already read and write. Jose Rizal was the
educator, farmer, historian, playwright and seventh of eleven children born to a wealthy
journalist. family in Calamba, Laguna.

4. Besides poetry and creative writing, he 11. He finished is Bachelor of Arts at

dabbled with varying degrees of expertise, in Ateneo Municipal de Manila.
architecture, cartography, economics,
ethology, anthropology, sociology,
dramatics, martial arts, fencing, and pistol 12. Rizal enrolled in Medicine and
shooting. Philosophy and letters at the
University of Santo Thomas or UST- The
oldest University in the Philippines and one
5. This polymath’s complete name is Jose
of the oldest in the world.
Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda.
Born on June 19, 1861 in Calamba Laguna,
Philippines.
13. He completed his degree of Licentiate in
Medicine at the Universidad Central de
Madrid in Spain.
6. Jose Rizal was exexuted by firing squad
on December 30, 1896 in Bagumbayan,
Manila which is now known as Luneta or
Rizal Park. 14. Rizal also studied at the University of
Paris in France and earned his second
doctorate at the University of Heidelberg in
Germany.
7. The anniversary of his death is
commemorated as a Philippine Holiday
known as Rizal’s Day.
15. Jose Rizal founded the La Liga Filipina,
a civic organization that subsequently gave
birth to the Katipunan led by Andres
Bonifacio and Emilio Jacinto.
16. Like Gandhi, Rizal was a proponent of Berlin Anthropological Society under the
institutional reforms by peaceful means patronage of the famous pathologist Rudolf
rather than by violent revolution. Virchow.

17. Jose’s father Francisco adopted the 23. At the age 25, Rizal completed in 1887
surname “Rizal” (originally Ricial the green his eye specialization under the renowned
of young growth or green fields), which was professor, Otto Becker in Heidelberg.
suggested to him by a provincial governor.

24. A small version of Rizal Park with

18. Upon enrolling at the Ateneo Municipal Rizal’s statue was built in Wilhelmsfeld,
de Manila, Jose dropped the last three names Germany. The street where Rizal lived was
that make up his full name, at the advice of also renamed after him.
his brother, Paciano Rizal Mercado, and the
Rizal Mercado Family, thus rendering his
name as “Jose Protasio Rizal.” 25. A sandstone fountain also stand in Pastor
Ullmer’s house garden where Rizal lived in
Wilhelmsfeld.
19. This Renaissance man first studied under
the tutelage of Justiniano Aquino Cruz in
Binan, Laguna. He graduated as one of the 38. This Renaissance man from the
nine students in his class declared Philippines was also a freemason, joining
sobresaliente or outstanding in Ateneo. Acacia Lodge No. 9 during his time in Spain
and becoming a Master Mason in 1884.
26. This Filipino polymath’s life is one of
20. He continued studying at Ateneo and
the most documented of the 19th century due
obtained a land surveyor and assessor’s
to the vast and extensive records written by
degree, and at the same time at the UST
and about him.
Faculty of Arts and letters where he studied
Philosophy and Letters.

27. During December 1891 to June, 1892,

Dr. Jose Rizal lived with his family in
21. Rizal studied medicine specializing in
Number 2 of Rednaxela Terrace, 5
ophthalmology at the UST Faculty of
D’Aguilar Street, Central district, Hong
Medicine and Surgery but did not complete
Kong Island. This House was also used as
the program claiming discrimination made
his ophthalmologist clinic from 2pm to 6pm.
by the Spanish Dominican friars against the
native students.

28. Nine women with romantic involvement

to Rizal were identified, they were:
22. In Berlin he was inducted as a member
of the Berlin Ethnological Society and the
Gertrude Becket of Chalcot Cresent 33. Rizal was tried before a court-martial for
(London), England rebellion, sedition, and conspiracy. He was
convicted on all three charges and sentenced
Nelly Bousted of the English and Iberian
to death.
merchant family, a wealthy and high-minded
woman.
Usui Seiko last descendant of a noble 34. His poem “Mi Ultimo Adios” or
Japanese family Farewell (Huling paalam) was hidden in an
alcohol stove and later handed to his family.
Segunda Katigbak, a Filipina
Leonora River, his first cousin. Eight-year
romantic relationship 35. Exhumation of Rizal’s remains in
August 1898 revealed he had been un-
Leonor Valenzuela, a Filipina
coffined. His burial was not on sanctified
Consuelo Ortiga y Rey, a Spanish ground.

Suzanna Jacoby, a Belgian

Josephine Bracken, an Irish 36. In his letter to his family he wrote:
“Treat our aged parents as you would want
to be treated… Love them greatly in
29. In Dapitan Rizal built a school, a memory of me… December 30. 1896.”
hospital and a water supply system, and
taught and engaged in farming and
horticulture. 37. In his Final Letter, to Blumentritt –
Tomorrow ay 7, I shall be shot; but I am
innocent of the crime of rebellion. I am
30. One Muslim student of Rizal in going to die with a tranquil conscience.
Dapitan became a Datu, and another, Jose
Aseniero became Governor of Zamboanga.

38. Rizal’s pen names are Dimasalang and

31. “Mi Retiro” was a poem written by Rizal Laonglaan.
as a gift to his mother on her birth
anniversary.
39. Moments before his execution by a
firing squad of native infantry of the Spanish
32. Rizal volunteered to serve in Cuba to Army, backed by an insurance force of
minister to victims of yellow fever. Rizal Spanish troops, the Spanish Surgeon
was arrested en route to Cuba, imprisoned in General requested to takes his pulse; it was
Barcelona, and sent back to manila to stand normal.
trial.
40. This Asian Renaissance man’s last
words were those of Jesus Christ:
47. Several tittles were bestowed on him:
“consummatum est”, -- it is finished.
“the First Filipino”, “Greatest Man of the
Brown Race” among others.
41. Rizal was secretly buried in Paco
Cemetery in Manila with no identification
48. The order of the Knights of Rizal, a civic
on his grave.
and patriotic organization, boast of dozens
of chapters all over the globe.
42. His sister Narcisa toured all possible
gravesites and found freshly turned earth at
49. There are some remote-area religious
the cemetery with guards posted at the gate.
sects who claim this great polymath as a
Assuming this could be most likely spot,
sublimation of Christ.
there having any ground burials, she made a
gift to the caretaker to marl the site “RPJ”
Rizal’s initials in reverse
50. Several films were produced narrating
Rizal’s life. The most successful was Jose
Rizal, produced by GMA Films and released
43. The monument of Rizal in Rizal Park,
in 1998. Cesar Montano played the title role.
Manila was designed by the Swiss Richard
Kissling, the creator of the famed William
Tell sculpture,
51. This Renaissance man also appeared in
the 1999 video game Medal of Medal as a
secret character in multiplayer, alongside
44. The statue carries the inscription “I want
to show to those who deprive people the other historical figures such as Willian
right to love of country, that when we know Shakespeare and Winston Churchill.
how to sacrifice ourselves for our duties and
convictions, death does not matter if one
dies for those one loves – of his country and 52. USS Rizal (DD-174) was a Wickes class
for other dear to him.” destroyer in the United States Navy
following World War I. He was named for
45. After Rizal’s execution, Josephine the Filipino polymath – Jose Rizal, The
Bracken joined the revolutionary forces in Philippines national hero.
Cavite.

53. A province, numerous municipalities,

46. Monuments in his honor were erected in
barangays, streets, school and other
Madrid, Spain; Wilhelmsfeld, Germany;
institutions were named Rizal in honor of
Jinjiang, Fujian, China; Chicago, Cherry
this great Filipino Renaissance man and
Hill Township, San Diego, Seattle, U.S.A;
polymath.
Mexico; Lima, Peru; Litomerice, Czech
Republic; and torronto, Ontario, Canada.