Mini Biography

José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda, commonly known as José Rizal, is a national hero and a celebrated intellectual in the Philippines. Born on June 19, 1861, in Calamba, Laguna, Philippines, he was a poet, novelist, ophthalmologist, and revolutionary who is best known for his role in the Philippine Revolution and for his writings that inspired a sense of national identity and pride among the Filipino people. Rizal was the seventh of 11 children in a family that was financially comfortable and well-educated. His parents, Francisco Mercado and Teodora Alonso, were both educated and had significant roles in their community. Rizal was homeschooled by his mother until he was 11 years old, and then he attended various schools in Manila and Biñan. In 1877, Rizal enrolled in the University of Santo Tomas to study medicine, but he eventually transferred to the Universidad Central de Madrid in Spain, where he completed his medical degree in 1885. During his time in Europe, Rizal becam...