REFORMIST WORKS IN EUROPE (1889-1981)

IN LONDON
• May 25, 1888 to mid-March 1889- Rizal decided to stay in London because he
could improve his English, study and do an annotation of Antonio Morga’s Sucecos de
las Islas Filipinas and perceived it was a place for him to carry on the reforms he
wanted for the Philippines.
ANNOTATING MORGA’S BOOK
• May 1888-March 1889- He spent ten months (10) in the reading room of the
British Museum deeply immersed in his historical studies in London. This was the
greatest achievement of Rizal in London, the annotating of Morga’s book, Sucesos de
las Islas Filipinas (Historical Events of the Philippine Islands), which was published in
Mexico, 1609.

RIZAL AND THE LA SOLIDARIDAD

• December 31, 1888- inauguration of Asociacion La Solidaridad (Solidaridad
Association), a patriotic society. They crusade for reforms in the Philippine Government.
By unanimous vote of all members, Rizal was chosen honorary president. This was a
recognition of his leadership among all Filipino patriots in Europe.
• February15,1889-
GracianoLopezJaena
foundedthepatriotic
newspaper called La
Solidaridad in Barcelona. A
fortnightly periodical which
served as the organ of the
Propaganda Movement.
• Its aims were as follows: to
work peacefully for political and
social reforms; to portray the
deplorable conditions of the
Philippines so that Spain may remedy them; to oppose the evil forces of reaction
and medievalism; to advocate liberal ideas and progress; to champion the legitimate
aspirations of the Filipino people to life, democracy and happiness. During his stay in
London, Rizal also made used of his time in writing essays and articles for La
Solidaridad. He also wrote La Vision del Fray Rodriguez (The Vision of Fray
Rodriguez)-pamphlet which published in Barcelona under his nom-de-plume Dimas
Alang in order to defense his novel.
• In London, Rizal received both good news and bad news from news. The good
news that Rev. Vicente Garcia was defending his Noli from the attacks of the friars. On
the other hand, the bad news were that the Filipino signatories of the “ Petition of 1888”
and the tenants of the Calamba agrarian trouble were facing persecution; that his
brothers-in-law Manuel T. HIdalgo and Mariano Herbosa, were exiled to Bohol and was
denied Christian burial, respectively; and his friend, Laureno Viadoa, a UST medical
student, was imprisoned for possessing some copies of his Noli.
IN PARIS
• It was mid-March 1899, Rizal decided to move to Paris. He noticed that Parisian
life was different from the life he experienced in London. It was a city bursting with
merriment, exciting events, and unending social gathering. The cost of living was also
very high.
• Rizal never lost his focus although life in Paris was gay, he continued to spend
long hours at the National library in Paris. There, he went on reviewing and rewriting his
historical annotations on De Morga’s Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas. It was published on
January 1890. He also wrote a satirical booklet entitled Por Telefono, in answer to Fr.
Salvation Fort, a Spanish friar who hurled attacks on the Noli Me Tangere and caused
its banning.
• He continued his study on various languages especially the French language,
which he was able to perfect during his 10 months stay at the French capital city.
• He organized a social club called Kidlat Club , a social club which brought
together young Filipinos residing in Paris. Soon, the members of the said club founded
a new Filipino society - the Indios Bravos, an organization which envisioned Filipinos
being recognized by Spain for being excellent in various fields of knowledge.
• In between his more serious activities, Rizal also had leisurely activities like
socializing with friends in their homes. Among those he frequently visited were the
homes of the Pardo de Taveras, the Venturas, the Lunas, the Bousteads and others.
• Although Rizal lived a frugal life, he prepared a sumptuous Christmas dinner for
some of his friends. Shortly after New Year, he visited London for the last time
In BRUSSELS
• January 28, 1890, left Paris for Brussels. He left the extravagant and gay social
life in Paris and stayed in a boarding house owned by the Jacoby sisters in Brussels.
• From 1889- 1890, Rizal continued contributing for La Solidaridad under the
pseudonyms Dimas Alang and Laong Laan. Among the 10 articles he had contributed
below were some of the most famous and important articles:
a) The Philippines Within a Century-article written by Rizal which he expressed his
views on the Spanish colonization in the Philippines.
b) The Indolence of the Filipinos- It is an able defence of the alleged indolence of
the Filipinos.
c) the Sobre la Nueva Ortografia de la Lengua Tagala (The New Orthography of the
Tagalog Language) In this article, he laid down the rules of the new Tagalog
orthography
• From Calamba, Rizal received letters telling that the agrarian trouble in the
province was getting worse, and as such, he decided to go home. But instead of going
home, a letter from Paciano told him that they already lost the case against the
Dominicans and they were in need of a lawyer who would defend their family and the
families in Calamba from Madrid.
• Rizal wrote a letter to Ponce, he announced that he was leaving Brussels and
decided to go to Madrid because this case must be presented to the Supreme Court
and he needs to pay close attention to the developments of the case.

MISFORTUNES IN MADRID (1890-1891)

• August, 1890, Rizal arrived in Madrid. Upon arrival in Madrid. Rizal immediately
sought help of the Filipino colony, The Asociacion Hispano-Filipina, and the liberal
Spanish newspaper in securing justice for the oppressed Calamba tenants. Nothing
came out of this, several newspapers were sympathetic to the plight of the Calamba
tenants but this did not translate to any form of action. By this time, Francisco Rizal and
other tenants were already forcibly evicted from Calamba by Governor General
Valeriano Weyler. Their houses were burned and more people were exiled regardless of
their gender.
• August 1890, Rizal attended a social reunion of the Filipinos in Madrid. After
drinking so many glasses the guests became more talkative. One of them, Antonio
Luna became drunk. Rizal challenged Antonio Luna, it was about the latter’s frustration
with his unsuccessful “love affair” with Nellie Boustead, and so gave negative remarks
on the lady which Rizal did not tolerated. The Filipinos tried to pacify them, pointing out
that such a duel would damage their cause in Spain. Fortunately, Luna, realized his
mistakes he apologized and Rizal immediately accepted his apology and became good
friends again.
• Rizal challenged Wenceslao Retana in a duel. Retana had insulted Rizal and his
family by writing in La Epoca, an anti-Filipino newspaper, that the Rizal family in
Calamba was ejected from their lands because they did not pay their rents. Rizal was,
by nature neither hot-tempered but when the honor of his people, family, women or
friends was besmirched, he never hesitated to fight even if he were risking his own life.
Retana at once published a retraction and an apology, he knew that Rizal was superior
in both pistol and sword.
• December 1890, Rizal received a letter from Leonor Rivera announcing her
coming marriage to Henry Kipping, an Englishman (the choice of her mother).This was
a big blow for him and his heart broke.
• Another marked event in Madrid was the Marcelo H. del Pilar-Jose Rizal rivalry
for leadership in the Asociacion Hispano Filipino. A fraction emerged from the Filipinos
in Madrid, the Rizalistas and Pilaristas. The group decided that the leader must be
elected by two-thirds vote. Rizal won the election, he was offered the appointment but
he did not want to see the Filipinos in Madrid divided so he thought it best to leave the
city.
• Rizal took a vacation in the resort city of Biarritz on the fabulous French Riviera.
He was a guest of the rich Boustead family at its winter residence—Villa Eliada. The
one month vacation in this city worked wonders for Rizal. This is where he was able to
finish his second novel El Filibusterismo.
• March 30, 1891, Rizal bade farewell to the hospitable and friendly Bousteads
and proceeded to Paris by Train. He stayed at the home of his friend Valentin Ventura.

RETIREMENT FROM THE PROPAGANDA MOVEMENT

• April 1891, Rizal was back to Brussels where he became busy revising and
polishing the manuscript of El Filibusterismo.
• Rizal retired from the Propaganda Movement. He notified the Propaganda
authorities in Manila to cancel his monthly allowance and devote the money to some
better cause, such as the education of a young Filipino student in Europe. He desired to
publish his second novel, to practice his medical profession, and later when he became
financially independent, he expected to make a more vigorous campaign for his
country’s redemption.
• Simultaneously with his retirement from the Propaganda Movement, Rizal
ceased writing articles for La Solidaridad. Many of his friends in Spain urged him to
continue writing because his articles always attracted considerable attention in
European countries.
• M.H. Del Pilar himself realized the need for Rizal’s collaboration in both the
Propaganda Movement and in the La Solidaridad newspaper because the enthusiasm
for the reform crusade was declining. He wrote to Rizal begging for forgiveness for any
resentment and requesting him to resume writing for the La Solidaridad.
• Rizal replied to Del Pilar’s letter, he wrote denying any resentment and explaining
why he stopped writing. Below are reasons why Rizal stopped writing for La Solidaridad:
a) Rizal need to work on his book ;
b) He wanted other Filipinos to work also;
c) Rizal considered it very important to the party that there be unity in the work ;
d) Marcelo H. Del Pilar is already at the top and Rizal also have his own ideas it is
better to leave del Pilar alone to direct the policy.

THE PRINTING OF THE EL FILIBUSTERISMO

• July 5, 1891- Rizal left Brussels for Ghent, a famous university city in Belgium
because the cost of printing in Ghent was cheaper than in Brussels. F. Meyer-Van Loo
Press-a printing shop that give Rizal the lowest quotation for the publication of his novel.
• August 6, 1891-the printing of his book had to be suspended because Rizal
could no longer give the necessary funds to the printer. Valentin Ventura- the savior of
the Fili, when he learned of Rizal’s predicament he sent him the necessary funds.
• September 18, 1891- El Filibusterismo came off the press. Rizal gratefully
donated the original manuscript and an autographed printed copy to Valentin Ventura