The Travels of Rizal

Disillusioned with how Filipinos in the Philippines were regarded as second-class citizens in institutions of learning and elsewhere, the National Hero Jose Rizal left the country in May 1882 to pursue further studies abroad. He enrolled in a course in medicine at the Universidad Central de Madrid in Spain. In June 1883, he traveled to France to observe how medicine was being practiced there. After his three-month sojourn in France, Rizal returned to Madrid and thought about publishing a book that exposed the colonial relationship of Spain and the Philippines. This idea was realized in March 1887, with the publication of the novel Noli Me Tangere in Germany. Rizal was actively involved in the Propaganda movement, composed of Filipinos in Spain who sought to direct the attention of Spaniards to the concerns of the Spanish colony in the Philippines. He wrote articles for publications in Manila and abroad; convened with overseas Filipinos to discuss their duty to the country; and called on Spanish authorities to institute reforms in the Philippines, such as granting freedom of the press and Filipino representation in the Spanish Cortes. Rizal returned to Manila in August 1887, after five years in Europe. However, his homecoming was met by the friars furor over Noli Me Tangere. The Archbishop of Manila issued an order banning the possession and reading of the novel, an order that was later reinforced by the governor-general. Six months later, pressured by the Spanish authorities as well as by his family and friends to leave the country and avoid further persecution, Rizal left Manila for Hong Kong. From Hong Kong, Rizal traveled to Macau and Japan before going to America. Entering San Francisco, California, in April 1888, he visited the states of Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, Illinois, and New York. He jotted down his observations of the landscape in his diary. Rizal arrived in England in May 1888. In August, he was admitted to the British Museum, where he copied Antonio de Morgas massive study of the Philippines, Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas, which Rizal later annotated for publication as a gift to the Filipinos. In the museum he devoted his time reading all the sources on Philippine history that he could find. He kept up his correspondence with various people, including his family, who were being oppressed by the Spanish religious landowners; the Filipino patriots in Spain; and his Austrian friend, Ferdinand Blumentritt, with whom he planned to form an association of Philippine scholars. From 1888 to 1890 he shuttled between London and Paris, where he wrote ethnographic and history-related studies, as well as political articles. He also frequently visited Spain, where he met with fellow Filipino intellectuals like Marcelo H. del Pilar, Mariano Ponce, and Graciano Lopez-Jaena. In March 1891, Rizal finished writing his second novel, El Filibusterismo, in France. He planned to publish the book in Belgium, but was financially hard up. His brothers support from back home was dela yed in coming, and he was scrimping on meals and expenses. Finally, in September 1890, El Filibusterismo was published in Ghent using donations from Rizals friends. Meanwhile, a rivalry had ensued between Rizal and del Pilar over the leadership of the Asociacin Hispano Filipino in Spain. Rizal decided to leave Europe to avoid the worsening rift between the Rizalistas and Pilaristas, and to help maintain unity among Filipino expatriates. After staying for some time in Hong Kong, where he practiced medicine and planned to build a New Calamba by relocating landless Filipinos to Borneo, Rizal came home to the Philippines in June 1892.

Chronology of Rizal
Posted on June 1, 2011 by lisa in Articles, Media

1861 June 19 Rizal is born in the town of Calamba, Laguna, the seventh child of Francisco Mercado Rizal and Teodora Alonso y Quintos June 22 Rizal is baptized as Jos Rizal Mercado 1872 February 17 - Three Filipino priests, Mariano Gomez, Jos Apolonio Burgos and Jacinto Zamora, are executed on charges of subversion June 26 Rizal attends Ateneo Municipal de Manila as a day scholar 1874 November 14 Rizal composes the poem Al Nio Jess 1875 December 5 Rizal writes the poems El Combate: Urbiztondo, Terror de Jol, El embarque, and Y es espaol: Elcano el primero en dar vuelta al mundo 1876 April 1 Rizal pens the poem Alianza ntima entre la religin y la buena educacin December 3 Rizal pens the poems El cautiverio y el triunfo, Entrada triunfal de los Reyes Catlicos en Granada and La conquista de Granada 1877 March 14 - Rizal at the age of sixteen obtains his bachelor of arts degree from the Ateneo Municipal de Manila with the general average of sobresaliente (excellent). June Rizal meets Miss Segunda Katigbak 1878 January 6 Rizal enrolls in philosophy and letters at the University of Santo Toms (UST) May 21 Rizal passes the surveyors examination (but is granted a license only after three years) June 2 Rizal enrolls in preparatory and proper medicine at UST September 11 Using the pen name P. Jacinto, Rizal begins his diary Memorias de un estudiante de Manila 1879 November 22 Rizal composes his award-winning poem, A la juventud filipina (To the Philippine Youth) 1880 April 13 Rizal wins first prize for the allegory El consejo de los Dioses December 8 Ateneo Municipal de Manila produces Rizals operetta Junto al Pasig 1881

January 25 Rizal writes a poem for the Ateneo rector entitled Al muy R.P. Pablo Ramn, S.J., rector del Ateneo en sus das February 10 Rizal becomes secretary of the Academia de Ciencias Filosficonaturales April 30 Rizal sketches a pencil drawing of Leonor Rivera 1882 May 3 Rizal sails for Spain and enrolls at the Universidad Central de Madrid with financial help from his brother Paciano August 20 Diariong Tagalog publishes Rizals first essay Amor Patria, using Laong Laan as pen name while in Barcelona 1883 June 17 Rizal arrives in Paris June 18 - Rizal visits Leannec Hospital June 20 Rizal visits Lariboisiere Hospital where Flix Pardo de Tavera is an extern September 28 Rizal goes back to Madrid and enrolls in Universidad Central for a second course in medicine November 4 Rizals sister Soledad marries 1884 March 11 Rizal begins to study German seriously June 21 Rizal is conferred the degree of licentiate in medicine June 25 Rizal delivers a speech honoring Filipino painters Juan Luna and Flix Resurreccin Hidalgo July 1 Through the newspaper El Progreso, Rizal asks for freedom of the press and the Filipino right of representation in the Spanish Cortes August 31 News of Rizals speech about the two Filipino painters makes him famous in the Philippines 1885 January 1 In a letter, Paciano tells Rizal that it would be too dangerous for him to return immediately to the Philippines June 16 - Rizal is informed by Manuel Hidalgo about cholera in Manila June 19 Rizal finishes his degree in licentiate in philosophy and letters in Universidad Central de Madrid with a grade of sobresaliente November 19 Rizal learns about the gambling habit of Filipinos in Madrid December 4 - Rizal goes to Paris and practices ophthalmology with Dr. de Wecker at the Crugen Clinic, against his brother Pacianos wishes 1886 February 2 Rizal arrives in Germany April 22 Rizal writes the poem A Las Flores de Heildelberg (To The Flowers of Heidelberg) July 14 - Rizal becomes a member of the Chess Club of Germany

October 31 Rizal meets Dr. Adolf Bernard Meyer, naturalist of the Dresden University December 11 Mximo Viola joins Rizal in Berlin December 15 Rizal starts teaching Viola the German language 1887 January Rizal becomes a member of the Ethnographic Society of Berlin February Rizal becomes a member of the Anthropological Society and the Geographic Society of Berlin March 21 Copies of Noli Me Tangere become available April Rizal submits his thesis Arte Mtrica del Tagalog to the Ethnographic Society of Berlin June 19 Rizal celebrates his 26th birthday in Geneva, Switzerland August 5 Rizal arrives in Manila August 30 An order prohibiting the possession and reading of Noli Me Tangere is issued September - Olimpia, Rizals sister, dies of hemorrhage while giving birth 1888 February 8 Rizal arrives in Hong Kong February 28 Rizal arrives in Japan March 15 Rizal sees O-Sei-san for the first time April 28 - Rizal arrives in the United States May 8 Rizal starts travelling across the American continent June 2 - Rizal arrives in London, England July 9 Spanish senator Vida denounces Rizal in the Senate of Madrid, calling Noli Me Tangere antiCatholic December 13 La Solidaridad is founded with Marcelo H. del Pilar as editor in chief 1889 March 31 Rizals Me piden versos (They Ask Me For Verses) is published in La Solidaridad under the pen name Laong Laan April 12 Dr. Luis M. de Pardo delivers a speech against Rizal and Noli Me Tangere before the Spanish Congress May 23 Rizals brother-in-law Mariano Herbosa dies of cholera July 12 - Rizal arrives in Paris, spending days proofreading Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas September 10 Rizal meets Sr. Segismundo Moret, a former minister of the Spanish government who admires Noli Me Tangere 1890 February 2 Rizal arrives in Brussels, Belgium May 26 Rizals annotations of Morgas Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas become widely read in the Philippines May 28 Through a letter Rizal informs M. H. del Pilar about the Filipinos gambling habit in Madrid June 28 Friars harass Rizals family in Calamba

July 20 Rizals family loses the land case against the friars 1891 March 21 Rizal finishes his second novel El Filibusterismo, but plans to revise some chapters October 7 Rizal informs del Pilar that he will stop writing for La Solidaridad October 9 Rizal tells Ferdinand Blumentritt of his decision to cease writing for La Solidaridad in order to avoid a schism among the Filipinos in Spain December 6 - Rizals family reunites in Hong Kong December Rizal is almost attacked by an Augustinian friar 1892 January 30 Juan Luna endorses Rizals plan of establishing a Filipino colony in North Borneo February - The Kataas-taasang Kagalang-galangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan is founded by Andrs Bonifacio June 21 Rizal writes a letter to Governor-General Eulogio Despujol, informing the latter of his return to the Philippines July 6 Rizal is arrested and imprisoned in Fort Santiago for sedition and anti-religion September 1 Rizal starts corresponding with Father Pablo Pastells on matters of philosophy and religion July 7 Despujol orders Rizals exile to Dapitan August 20 Rizal writes a poem A Don Ricardo Carnicero for his guardian in Dapitan September 21 Rizal wins the lotterys second prize 1893 April 30 Rizals El consejo de los Dioses is published in La Solidaridad May 16 Rizals prison guardian Carnicero is replaced August 28 - Leonor Rivera, Rizals girlfriend for eleven years, dies August 29 Rizals mother visits him in Dapitan 1894 February Governor-General Ramn Blanco visits Rizal in Dapitan June Rizal makes a successful operation on his mothers cataract August Rizal encourages businessmen in Dapitan to form a company August 21 Rizal exchanges information with Dr. Adolf Meyer about animal and insect classification 1895 January 1 Rizal finishes the draft of the statutes and regulations for the Society of Dapitan Agriculturists February - Rizal meets Josephine Bracken February 22 Rizal asks George Taufer for the hand of Josephine Bracken June 1 Governor-General Blanco permits Rizal to establish an agricultural colony in Dapitan October 22 - Rizal sends a poem to his mother entitled Mi retiro (My Retreat) 1896

July 1 Po Valenzuela visits and informs Rizal of the impending revolution against the Spanish colonial government July 30 Rizal receives a letter informing him that his application to go to Cuba to serve the Spanish army as a military doctor has been accepted August 23 The Philippine Revolution starts with the Cry of Pugadlawin September 4 On the ship bound for Spain, Rizal receives news implicating him as the cause of disturbances in the Philippines December 11 In the presence of his defender Lt. Luis Taviel de Andrade, Rizal is charged with sedition. The following day he writes his defense December 15 Imprisoned in Fort Santiago, Rizal writes a manifesto to the Filipinos to stop the revolution. The Spanish authorities, however, do not publish the document December 27 Rizal is sentenced to death December 29 Rizal is reputed to have written an unsigned poem, later to become known as Mi ltimo adios (Last Poem of Rizal) December 30 At 7:03 am Rizal is executed. In the afternoon, Narcisa discovers a newly dug grave at Paco Cemetery. She marks it with a marble plaque, with Rizals initials in reverse 1898 May 1 The Spanish fleet surrenders to the Americans in the Battle of Manila Bay July Narcisa retrieves Rizals remains, storing them in an urn made by Romualdo Teodoro de Jess 1901 June 11 The Philippine Government passes Act No. 137 which renames the province of Morong to Rizal in honor of the national hero September 28 The Philippine Assembly approves Act No. 243 to build the Rizal monument in Luneta 1912 December 30 The Philippine Assembly unveils the Rizal Monument, twelve years after the Acts approval. Rizals remains are transferred to their final resting place 1956 June 12 The Philippine Government passes Republic Act No. 1425 which mandates all public and private schools, colleges and universities to include a curriculum on the life and works of Jos Rizal, particularly a study of his novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo