Summary
Highlights
On May 3, 1882, Rizal secretly left the Philippines aboard the S.S. Salvadora, with only a few close family members and friends aware. He avoided informing his parents, fearing their disapproval and concern for his safety. His departure deeply saddened and devastated his parents, particularly his father.
Rizal's brother, Paciano, played a significant role in his secret departure, ensuring he could leave undetected by Spanish authorities. Rizal's primary reason for going to Europe was to complete his studies due to his mother's deteriorating eyesight, but he also harbored a secret mission concerning the Philippines.
Since direct flights were non-existent, Rizal traveled through various countries, finally arriving in Barcelona on June 16, 1882, after a 1.5-month journey. During his summer vacation, he met with acquaintances. Later, he moved to Madrid, following Paciano's advice, to further his education and deepen his understanding of Spain.
In Madrid, Rizal wasted no time, utilizing his writing talent for Diariong Tagalog under the pseudonym Laong Laan (ever prepared). His essay, "El Amor Patrio" (Love of Country), was published on August 20, 1882. However, he temporarily ceased writing such nationalistic articles at his mother's insistence, who feared the Spanish officials' reaction to his patriotic tendencies.
Rizal decided to focus on his studies, enrolling in medicine, philosophy, and letters at the Universidad Central de Madrid on November 3, 1882. He also took up painting, sculpture, and drawing at the Academy of San Carlos and Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, and learned French, German, and English.
In his first year in Madrid, Rizal joined Circulo Hispano-Filipino, a Filipino student organization that discussed political issues and voiced concerns against the abusive Spanish government. Despite initial efforts, the publication eventually disbanded due to lack of funds and conflicting views among members, including Rizal, Marcelo H. del Pilar, Juan Luna, and Graciano Lopez Jaena.
Rizal faced severe financial difficulties in Madrid due to his family's declining income from poor harvests and increased land rent by friars. His monthly allowance from the Philippines was often delayed or insufficient. Despite his struggles, he prioritized his studies, often going hungry to pay for exams and books, finding solace in museums and libraries.
On June 25, 1884, after a day without food, Rizal attended a banquet in Madrid celebrating the success of Filipino painters Juan Luna and Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo. His speech became historical, garnering support from progressive Spaniards and Filipino Propaganda Movement members but also angering critics and friars. His mother worried about his sudden political impact.
Despite the controversy, Rizal continued his studies, completing his coursework for a doctorate in medicine (though without submitting a thesis or paying fees for the diploma, a licentiate was sufficient to practice). In 1885, he also earned his licentiate in Philosophy and Letters. In November 1885, he moved to Paris to specialize in ophthalmology under Dr. Louis de Wecker, significantly improving his surgical skills.
Due to the high cost of living in Paris, Rizal moved to Germany in February 1886, working as an assistant to Dr. Otto Becker, a renowned German ophthalmologist. During this time, the 25-year-old Rizal discovered Ferdinand Blumentritt, an Austrian scholar deeply interested in the Philippines despite never visiting. Their exchange of letters and gifts led to a close and enduring friendship.
The video delves into discussions about Rizal's sexual orientation, citing differing opinions from scholars like Dr. Isagani Cruz and J. Neil Garcia. Both sides presented arguments based on Rizal's relationships and the societal norms of the 19th century. Garcia emphasized the importance of historical context, warning against applying modern understandings of sexuality to historical figures.
In Leipzig in August 1886, Rizal attended lectures and quickly mastered German. He translated several German works into Tagalog, including "William Tell" and Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales, aiming to inspire his countrymen with stories of freedom and to make abstract concepts accessible to Filipino children. The segment includes a game on Andersen's translated titles.
Rizal moved to Berlin in November 1886, working as an assistant and attending university classes. He faced severe financial difficulties, leading to illness (tuberculosis) and near despair, almost burning his Noli Me Tangere manuscript. His friend, Maximo Viola, provided financial relief and funded the printing of 2,000 copies of the novel in 1887, which were then distributed to Filipinos in Europe and secretly to the Philippines.
The Propaganda Movement, primarily composed of educated Filipino Ilustrados studying abroad, sought assimilation of the Philippines into Spain as a province, not a colony. They aimed for equal treatment, expulsion of Spanish friars, and empowerment of Filipino priests. Their publication, La Solidaridad, led by Graciano Lopez Jaena and later Marcelo H. Del Pilar, showcased Filipino intellectual sophistication.
Rizal returned to the Philippines in August 1887 after five years abroad, immediately facing controversy. Jesuits in Ateneo tried to persuade him to return to his faith, and Padre Faura criticized his novel. Friars campaigned against Rizal and his work, spreading rumors and issuing death threats, leading his family to take extreme precautions, such as using silver utensils to detect poison.
Rizal established a medical clinic in Calamba, where he was known as "Doctor Uliman." He performed an iridectomy on his mother's cataracts, a preliminary step. The full cataract extraction on her left eye was successfully done in Hong Kong, and a later surgery on her right eye in Dapitan was complicated by her non-compliance, leading to permanent blindness. Rizal realized the difficulties in treating family members.
The video addresses and debunks the conspiracy theory that Rizal was Adolf Hitler's father. It refutes claims based on Rizal's travels, the name Maria Clara, and physical similarities, using historical dates, locations, and statements from historians like Ambeth Ocampo and Manuel Quezon III.
In August 1887, Rizal met Governor-General Emilio Terrero to discuss his novel. While Terrero found nothing wrong with it, Archbishop Bernardo Nozaleda recommended banning it. Concerned for Rizal's safety, Terrero assigned Lt. Jose Taviel de Andrade for protection and advised Rizal to leave the country. Rizal's family supported this advice. Terrero also investigated the agrarian problems in Calamba, where friars were raising land rents, affecting Rizal's family among other tenants. Rizal's report on their findings angered the friars, who again urged Terrero to exile him. Rizal left for Hong Kong after six months in the Philippines.
In Hong Kong, Rizal met Filipino exiles and studied Chinese language and culture. He then traveled to Japan, learning its language, culture, and martial arts, appreciating the Japanese people's cleanliness and industry. There, he met and fell in love with O-Sei-San, a charming and intelligent Japanese woman who served as his tour guide and helped him immerse in Japanese culture. Despite considering staying, Rizal felt a stronger duty to his country and left Japan after a month.
Rizal's ship was quarantined in San Francisco in April 1888, ostensibly for cholera, but Rizal believed it was driven by racial discrimination against Chinese and Japanese laborers. He eventually traveled across the U.S., impressed by its beauty, the industriousness of Americans, and opportunities for immigrants, but also disturbed by widespread racism against African Americans and Asian immigrants. He concluded that America offered great opportunity but also great inequality.
Rizal arrived in London on May 24, 1888, to improve his English, study Antonio Morga's "Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas," research Philippine history, and write for La Solidaridad to defend his countrymen. He gained access to the British Museum through Dr. Reinhold Rost. He received good news—Filipino priest Vicente Garcia defended his novel—but also bad, as supporters of the Anti-Friar Petition of 1888, including his family, faced persecution, with his brother-in-law exiled and a friend arrested.
In March 1889, Rizal moved to Paris to continue writing "El Filibusterismo" and research Philippine history. In January 1890, he relocated to Brussels, Belgium, to avoid the high cost and social distractions of Paris, limiting social engagements to focus on his writings. He received distressing news about Filipinos gambling in Spain and, more significantly, his family's eviction from their Calamba land due to Dominican friars' retaliatory rent increases. Rizal expressed his anger and determination to fight for his countrymen's rights through his poem "A Mi Musa" and attempted legal defense, though unsuccessfully.
Around August 1890, Rizal and Antonio Luna had a dispute over a woman named Nellie, leading to a duel challenge. Luna later apologized. Rizal also challenged Retana to a duel when the latter insinuated Rizal's family was evicted for tax evasion. Retana's public apology resolved the conflict, and they later became friends.
Rizal left Madrid for Hong Kong after publishing "El Filibusterismo" due to political disagreements with Marcelo H. del Pilar and other Filipinos. A leadership election was held in Madrid for a "Responsable" where Rizal initially failed to gain the required two-thirds majority against del Pilar. Despite winning on the third day after persuasion from Mariano Ponce, Rizal declined the position, recognizing unresolved differences and opposition to his views. He chose to practice medicine in Hong Kong, where his family later joined him for a joyous Christmas.
Despite his happiness in Hong Kong, Rizal felt a call to serve his country. He drafted articles criticizing Spanish injustices against Calamba tenants and proposed a Filipino colony in North Borneo to British official William Pryer for the displaced farmers. He sought permission from Spanish Governor-General Eulogio Despujol for the tenants to emigrate, but Despujol, suspecting revolutionary motives, invited Rizal to Manila instead. Rizal, determined to achieve his goal, accepted, explaining his decision to return to Manila in a letter to his countrymen on June 20, 1892.