in full José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda
born June 19, 1861, Calamba, Phil.
died Dec. 30, 1896, Manila
Filipino patriot, physician, and man of letters.
Beginning in his youth, Rizal committed himself to the reform of Spanish rule in his home country. He lived in Europe (188292), where he published novels exposing the evils of Spanish rule and became the leader of the Propaganda movement, which produced reform-oriented articles, magazines, and poetry. He returned to the Philippines to found a nonviolent-reform society and was deported to Mindanao, where he spent four years. When the Katipunan nationalist secret society revolted in 1896, the Spanish arrested and executed Rizal, though he had no connection with the group and had taken no part in the insurrection. His martyrdom convinced Filipinos that there was no alternative to independence from Spain.