Chapter 1 : A Hero is Born

"I was born in Kalamba on the 19th of June 1861 between eleven and twelve
o'clock at night, a few days before the full of the moon."

- José Rizal

Dr. José Rizal

● Dr. José Rizal, the greatest hero of the Philippines, was a "many-splendored"
genius, richly endowed by God with superb intellectual, moral, and physical
qualities.
● He ranks with the world's geniuses.
His Fields of Expertise

● He was an anthropologist, botanist, businessman, cartographer, dramatist,

economist, educator, engineer, essayist, entomologist, ethnologist, farmer,
folklorist, geographer, grammarian, historian, horticulturist, humorist,
lexicographer, linguist, musician, novelist, painter, physician, poet, philologist,
philosopher, polemist, psychologist, satirist, sculptor, sportsman, sociologist,
surveyor, traveler, and more.
● Above all, he was a patriot, hero, and martyr.
● Unlike many geniuses, he consecrated his God-given talents and sacrificed his
life for the redemption and welfare of his people.

The World When Rizal Was Born

● In 1861, the Philippines was under the shadow of the Cross, with Pax Hispanica
reigning over the archipelago.
● The people were comparatively better off than those in English, Dutch, and
Portuguese colonies during that age.

General José Lemery in the Philippines (1861)

● The Spanish governor-general was General José Lemery, a good militarist.

● His notable achievement was the establishment of the Politico-Military
Government of the Visayas and Mindanao.
● There were no bloody Muslim piratical raids, no serious native uprisings, no
frightful upsurge of banditry, and no threat of foreign invasion during his time,
ensuring general tranquility in the land.

China (1860-1864)

● Gargantuan China was prostrate and impotent to stop the predatory Western
powers who were busy looking her riches.
● Her futile wars with England and France ended with the "Conventions of
Peking" (October 22, 1860), leading to territorial losses and force to grant more
commercial concessions to the imperialist “foreign devils”.
● The Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864) was ravaging the southern provinces of
China.
Japan (1854-1861)

● Imperialist Western powers, emboldened by their victories in China, attempted to

exploit Japan, which was opened to the world in 1854 by Commodore Matthew
C. Perry.
● However, Japan resisted successfully due to the Bushido spirit, which
outmatched the intruders' superior firepower.

Indo-China (1858-1862)

● French troops of Emperor Napoleon III, aided by Filipino soldiers from Manila,
were defeating Annamese resistance.
● Saigon was captured in 1858 by Filipino-French forces.
● By 1862, France acquired Cochin China.

India and Burma (1824-1863)

● By fire and sword, the British East India Company armies established the British
Raj over India and beyond to Burma.
● The Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, the last serious resistance to British imperialism in
India, was suppressed at a high cost and human lives.
● England fought three Burmese Wars (1824-26; 1862-63; 1885-86) to subdue
Burma.

Mexico (January 1861)

● Benito Juárez, the Indian-blooded hero, entered Mexico City in January 1861 at
the head of his victorious Indian and Mexican troops.
● He proclaimed the restoration of Mexican independence.
● Archduke Maximilian of Austria, who dreamed of ruling Mexico with French
support, was executed.

Russia (March 1861)

● Czar Alexander II emancipated the serfs in Russia.

United States (April 1861)

● The Civil War exploded in the United States over the slavery question and the
issue of secession.

Europe's Turmoil
 ● The German States were being forged into one nation by Bismarck,
notwithstanding Austria's opposition.
● South of the Alps, Cavour and Garibaldi, in defiance of Austria's might, were
rallying the Italians to unite and fight for Italia Redenta.
● In France, the Second Napoleonic Empire, beset by domestic and foreign
troubles and misgoverned by Napoleon III, was crumbling to pieces.
● Only England, of all the Great Powers, was experiencing relative peace and
prosperity.
● Under the able rule of Queen Victoria, England defeated Russia in the Crimean
War (1853-56), acquired rich colonies in the East, and attained a new height of
glory in diplomacy and literature.
● Spain, unlike England, fared ill under the rule of a woman, Queen Isabela II
(1833-68).
● She had lost her rich colonies (except Cuba and Puerto Rico) in the New World.
● Her decadence was accelerated by the chronic Carlist War, the ruinous political
squabbles, and the bungling policies of her inept monarch.

The Global Situation at Rizal's Birth

● "Such was the global situation at the time of Rizal's advent."

Birth of a Hero (June 19, 1861)

● "Near midnight of Wednesday, June 19, 1861, when the Philippines was in deep
slumber, a frail baby-boy was born to the Rizal family in Calamba, Laguna.
● “It was a moonlit night, being 'a few days before the full of the moon.”
● The delivery was exceedingly difficult, and the mother almost died."
● Her seemingly miraculous survival was attributed to Our Lady of Peace and
Good Voyage.
● Years later, José Rizal recorded in his boyhood memoirs: "It was a Wednesday,
and my arrival in this valley of tears would have cost my mother her life had she
not vowed to the Virgin of Antipolo that she would take me on a pilgrimage to
that shrine."

Baptism of José Rizal (June 22, 1861)

● The baby boy was baptized by Rev. Rufino Collantes in the Catholic church of
Calamba on June 22, 1861, three days after his birth.
● His godfather was Rev. Pedro Casañas.
● He was named 'José' by his pious mother, in honor of St. Joseph.
● "It was customary for Catholic parents to name their children after the saints."
 ● The full name of the baby boy, destined to become the greatest genius and hero
of the Philippines, was José Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda.

Parents

● José Rizal was the seventh of eleven children of Francisco Mercado Rizal and
Teodora Alonso Realonda.

Francisco Mercado Rizal (1818-1898)

● Born on May 11, 1818, in Biñan, Laguna.

● Studied Latin and Philosophy at the College of San José in Manila.
● Moved to Calamba after his mother's death, becoming a tenant-farmer of the
Dominican estate.
● Married Teodora Alonso Realonda on June 28, 1848.
● Known for being quiet, serious, frugal, and tall, with wide shoulders, brown
complexion, prominent forehead, large dark eyes, large ears, and firm jaws.
● Died on January 5, 1898, in Manila at the age of 80.
Teodora Alonso Realonda (1826-1911)

● Born on November 8, 1826, in Manila.

● Graduated from Santa Rosa College.
● Known for her high culture, business ability, literary talent, knowledge of
literature, mathematics, and fluency in Spanish.
● Assisted her husband in farming and business while overseeing the education
and moral upbringing of their children.
● Died on August 16, 1911, in Manila at the age of 85.

The Rizal Children

● Francisco and Teodora had eleven children (two boys and nine girls):
1. Saturnina (1850-1913): Married Manuel T. Hidalgo of Tanauan,
Batangas.
2. Paciano (1851-1930): José Rizal's older brother; joined the Revolution
after José’s execution, became a general, and retired to a farm in Los
Baños. Died an old bachelor with a common-law wife.
3. Narcisa (1852-1939): Married Antonino Lopez, a schoolteacher from
Morong, Rizal.
4. Olympia (1855-1887): Married Silvestre Ubaldo, a telegraph operator
from Manila.
5. Lucia (1857-1919): Married Mariano Herbosa of Calamba.
6. Maria (1859-1945): Married Daniel Faustino Cruz of Biñan, Laguna.
7. José (1861-1896): Known as the "lucky seven," he married Josephine
Bracken, an Irishwoman from Hong Kong.
8. Concepcion (1862-1865): Died at the age of three.
9. Josefa (1865-1945): Did not marry and died an old maid.
10. Trinidad (1868-1951): Did not marry and died an old maid like Josefa.
11. Soledad (1870-1929): The youngest of the Rizal children, married
Pantaleon Quintero of Calamba.

Ancestry of José Rizal

1. Mixed Ancestry
○ José Rizal had mixed ancestry, with bloodlines from both East and West,
including Negrito, Indonesian, Malay, Chinese, and Japanese.
2. Paternal Lineage
○ Rizal’s paternal great-great-grandfather was Domingo Lam-co, a
Chinese immigrant from Chinchew, "China's City of Spring."
○ Rizal's father, Francisco, was a great-grandson of Domingo Lam-co.
 ○ Francisco’s father and grandfather had both served as Capitanes (town
mayors) of Biñan, Laguna.
3. Maternal Lineage
○ On the maternal side, Rizal was said to be a descendant of Lakan Dula,
the last Malayan king of Tondo.
○ His maternal great-great-grandfather was Eugenio Ursua, who had
Japanese ancestry.
○ Rizal’s mother, Teodora Alonso Realonda, belonged to a family of gifted
individuals.
■ Her brothers, Gregorio, Manuel, and José, were men of
exceptional talents.
■ Her father, Lorenzo Alberto Alonso, was an engineer awarded
the "Knight of the Grand Order of Isabel the Catholic" by
Spain.
■ Her maternal grandfather, Manuel de Quintos, was a prominent
lawyer in Manila.
■ Her paternal grandfather, Cipriano Alonso, had served as a
Capitan of Biñan.
4. New Surname (1849)
○ In 1849, Governor Narciso Clavería ordered Filipino families to adopt
new surnames from a list of Spanish surnames names, the children of
Lorenzo Alberto Alonso adopted the name "Realonda. Hence Teodora
Alonso became Teodora Alonso Realonda.

"From Mercado to Rizal"

o The original family name was Mercado (meaning "market"), adopted by
Domingo Lam-co in 1731.
o Chosen by Lam-co for its reflection of his merchant roots.
o In 1849, Governor Claveria issued a decree for Filipinos to adopt Spanish
surnames.
o Jose Rizal’s father, Francisco, chose Rizal (from the Spanish word ricial,
meaning "green field" or "new pasture").
The Wealthy and Respected Rizal Family"
o Among the richest families in Calamba.
o First to:
 Build a large stone house.
 Own a carruaje (horse-drawn carriage).
 Have a home library with over 1,000 volumes.
o Raised rice, corn, and sugar on large tracts of land.
o Operating a sugar mill, flour mill and even ham press
 o Teodora a successful business woman who owned a store in town and
sold essential trade item for the community

The Rizal Family’s Hospitality

• Gracious hosts to all visitors:
• Priests, Spanish officials, alferez (Guardia Civil), and Filipinos.
• Treated all guests equally with courtesy and hospitality.

"The Rizal Family Residence/Home"

o Distinguished stone house rectangular shape with adobe and hardwood
materials.
o Features:
 Red-tiled roof.
 Tropical garden with fruit trees like atis, balimbing, macopa,
papaya, tampoy and santol.
 Poultry yard with turkeys and chickens.
o A happy home filled with love, laughter, and faith.