The Travels of DR Jose Rizal
The Travels of DR Jose Rizal
The Travels of DR Jose Rizal
• After finishing his medical course in University of Santo Tomas, Jose Rizal
then decided to go to Spain mainly for two reasons:
• To finish his medical specialization.
• To do his “secret mission” in preparation for his fight in the
Philippines.
• His travel was kept secret to avoid detection and suspicion from Spanish
government and friars.
• He then used the name Jose Mercado and was also assisted by his uncle,
Antonio Rivera.
Experiences in Madrid
• Jose pursued his medical course and finished also the course which was
decided by his father.
• Jose’s only vice was lottery in every lottery in Madrid.
• Jose spends his leisure time reading and attending reunion of
illustrados in Madrid.
• He also practiced shooting and fencing in a communal gymnasium.
• He was then acquainted in the fraternal group of illustrados in Madrid,
Circulo Hispano – Filipino.
• He then declaimed the poem, Mi Piden Versus in a gathering of the group
in New Year’s Eve of 1882.
• He then saved some of his money to purchase books like Uncle
Tom’s Cabin ( Beecher Stowe) and The Wandering Jew (Eugene
Sue).
• June 24, 1884 – A saddening event happened to Rizal where he was broke
that he cannot afford to buy breakfast.
• Rizal then attended class and won a gold medal in a Greek
language contest.
• June 25, 1884 – a banquet was called for the illustrados for the double
victory Filipinos achieved in Madrid: Luna’s Spoliarium (1st place) and
Hidalgo’s Virgenes Cristianas Expuestas al Populacho (2nd place)
• November 20 – 22, 1884 – A bloody riot in Madrid exploded by the
students of Universidad Central.
• November 26, 1884 – Jose send a letter about the riot that
happened in Madrid explaining it detail by detail.
• June 21, 1884 – He earned the Licentiate in Medicine.
• June 19, 1885 – He finished his Philosophy and Letters as a
Sobresaliente.
• He was not happy earning his license as a Doctor because he knew he
will not be accepted in University of Santo Tomas.
Germany
• Karl Ullmer – A Protestant Pastor who was the friend of Jose and let Jose
stay in his home.
• July 31, 1886 – Jose wrote his first German letter to Professor
Blumentritt, director of Ateneo of Leitmeritz in Austria.
• August 9, 1886 – Jose left Heidelberg and arrived in Leipzig in
August 16, 1886.
• He then became friends with Friedrich Ratzel and Hans Meyer who were
historians.
• He then translated different German and Swiss literary works and was
send to the Philippines.
• He even translated fairy tales in Tagalog for the nephew of the
historians.
• Knowing his translation skills, he then worked as a proof reader in a
publishing firm in Germany.
• He then met one of the authors he admired, Dr. Feodor Jagor.
• Jose then became a recognized member of Anthropological Society,
Ethnological Society and Geographical Society of Berlin.
• He wrote Tagalische Verkunst, an article about the Tagalog language written
in German (Icelandic) which was praised and commended by the German
community.
• Jose stayed in Berlin to enhance his knowledge about ophthalmology, to
observe Germany and to publish his novel, Noli me Tangere.
• Madame Lucie Cerdole – A professor in French language who enhanced the
knowledge of Jose about French language and culture.
• Unter den Linden – a famous street in Berlin where Jose like to hang out.
• In his letter to Trinidad, he discussed about the personality of German
women: diligent, serious, educated, friendly, not gossipy and not
quarrelsome.
• Winter of 1886 – Jose was flat broke and he had to pawn the
diamond ring her sister, Saturnina gave to him.
• This was memorable for two reasons: the pain of hunger and
sickness he experienced and the creation of Noli me Tangere.
• Uncle Tom’s Cabin – A novel used by Jose as a reference for Noli
me Tangere.
• January 1884 – Jose suggested that the novel should be done by a group
of patriotic Filipinos, but at the end he was the only one to finish it.
• Half of the novel was written in Paris, he continued a quarter of his novel
in Madrid and the last part in Germany.
• In Berlin, He finalized the revisions in February 1886.
• Because Jose was flat broke, his friend, Maximo Viola funded the
publication of the novel where 2000 copies were printed for 300 pesos.
• As a sign of gratitude, Jose gave Maximo one of the original copies of the
novel and a complimentary copy.
• Jose admitted that the title, Noli me Tangere was not originally came from
him but from a Bible verse. ( John 20 : 13-17)
• He dedicated the novel to his fatherland- the Philippines.
First Homecoming
• Because of the uproar created by the novel, Paciano advised Jose not to
return home yet.
• But Jose was determined to return home because he wanted to treat his
mother’s eyes.
• July 3, 1887 – He then boarded Djemnah again after several years.
• July 30, 1887 – He arrived in Saigon , Vietnam which he boarded his
transfer ship, Haiphong bound for Manila.
• August 2, 1887 – the steam ship lest for Manila.
• The calmness of the sea and the night sky, the illumination of the moonlight
prepared Jose for his battle against the Spanish.
• Aug 5, 1887 – Jose arrived in the Manila.
• Upon arrival, he then treated young Filipinos and introduced
European culture.
• But one thing that Jose was not able to do, to meet Leonor Rivera.
• In September 1887, Jose suspended his trip to Europe because her sister,
Olympia, died of internal bleeding due to her giving birth.
• Even though his family was persecuted because of the uproar of Noli me
Tangere, his family decided Rizal will stay in the Philippines.
• December 29, 1887 – The Church ordered a prohibition in the
publication and circulation of the Noli me Tangere.
• February 3, 1888 – After staying in the Philippines, Jose left Manila for
Hongkong bringing 5000 pesos, earning from his medical practice.
• With Jose Maria Basa, Jose Sainz de Veranda and some Portuguese, they
boarded the ship Kui Kiang.
• Jose stayed in the house of Juan Lecaroz, where he went to
observed botanical garden.
• After staying for almost two weeks, Jose left Hongkong for Japan on board
of Oceanic.
• Jose in Japan (February 28, 1888 – April 13, 1888)
• Upon arrival, he stayed in Hotel Grande and visited places like
Yokohama and Tokyo.
• Then he met Juan Perez Caballero, a Spanish ambassador in Japan.
• Then he met, O Sei-san, Jose’s tour guide, translator and lover.
• He also learned judo and kabuki.
Rizal in United States of America (April 13, 1888 - May 13, 1888)
• Leaving in April 13, 1888, Jose was saddened knowing O Sei-san was
left behind.
• He boarded the ship Belgic and arrived in United States in April 28,
1888.
• He saw America was marred with racial prejudice.
• He was quarantined in the ship because of the rumored cholera
outbreak.
• They later realized that the reason of quarantine was a political motive.
• The day he was released, he stayed in Palace Hotel. (San Francisco)
• Then he travelled to Oakland via ferry ship.
• The next day he went to Reno, the biggest little city in the world.
• He wrote in his diary the beauty of Nevada while travelling to
Albany.
• May 13, 1888 – He arrived in New York where he called it as the “Big
Town.”
Rizal in England
Return in London
• Upon arrival in Paris, Jose was disappointed because landlords in Paris were
taking advantage of the rent because of the festivities.
• He spend most of his time in Bibliotheque Nationale and continuing
learning different languages.
• He also continued his fencing lessons with Juan Luna.
• He wrote different writings during his stay in Paris.
• The Philippine within a Century – He discussed the glory of Filipino race and how
the Spanish destroyed it.
• The Indolence of the Filipino - Jose discussed the lack of enthusiasm of Filipinos
and reasons behind it.
Works in Brussels
• This is where Jose Rizal started writing his second most famous novel,
El Filibusterismo. (September 18, 1891)
• He was accompanied by Jose Alberto and later by Jose Alejandro.
• He spent most of his time writing the novel and writing articles for the newspaper.
• Rizal adapted every articles written in German and translated it in Spanish
and Tagalog.
• He also condemned Filipinos in Madrid addicted to gambling.
• One night, he dreamed he was not able to reach the age of 30.
• He joked about it, calling himself Laong Laan. (always ready)
• Inspite of the advices and danger, he was decided to return to Philippines again.
• June 26, 1892 – Jose Rizal arrived in the Philippines together with his sister, Lucia.
• Before leaving Europe, he declared to the Filipinos in Europe:
• “The fight is in the Philippines, not in Madrid. There we should meet, help each
other, cry and triumph for the sake of our country.”
• His objectives in returning in the Philippines were:
• Borneo Colonization Project
• Establish a Civic Organization
• Stop the persecution of his family and his fellowmen
• In his arrival, he was met by guardia civil and asked to stay in Hotel de Oriente.
• In the afternoon, he asked to have a discussion with Governor-general
Eulogio Despujol.
• July 6, 1892 – Despujol changed his decision asking if he will return to
Hongkong.
• Upon inspection, Despujol found brochures entitled “Pobres Frailes.”
• Pobres Frailes (Poor Friars) – These were brochures authored by Father Jacinto
discussing about the vast richness of Dominican friars contrary to their monastic
vow of poverty.
• There were two suspicions about the brochures.
• It was by accident packed by Lucia from the home of Jose Maria Basa in Hongkong.
• It was planted by the Spanish guards in his bag.
• Because of this event, Despujol decided to imprison Rizal in Fuerza de
Santiago before his exile to Dapitan.
La Liga Filipina
• July 7, 1892 – The supposed meeting of Rizal and Despujol turned out to
be an arrest of Rizal.
• He was imprisoned at Fort Santiago until July 14, 1892.
• July 15, 1892 – Rizal was secretly transported with maximum
security aboard the ship Cebu bound for Zamboanga.
• Upon the declaration of Despujol, these were the reasons Rizal was
imprisoned.
• He was in possession of articles and books which oppose the
government and country of Spain.
• He had a brochure opposing the Catholic Church.
• His novel, El Filibusterismo was dedicated to the three Gomburza.
• The main objective of his articles was to separate the Filipinos from the
Catholic Church.
Exile to Dapitan
The Katipunan
• June 21, 1896 – Bonifacio send Valenzuela to Fort Santiago to ask for
support from Jose Rizal.
• Jose Rizal refused to help for several reasons:
• The Filipinos were not prepared to fight.
• Filipinos lacked weaponry against the Spanish.
• The Katipunan offered help but Rizal refused.
• He wanted to be a doctor of the Spanish army to study their military tactics
and practicality.
• He wanted to give time for the Filipinos to gather weapons against the
Spanish.