Life of Jose Rizal in Belgian Brussels

January 28, 1890 Rizal left Paris for Brussels

Brussels Capital of Belgium.

Two reasons why Rizal leave Paris:
1. The cost of living in Paris was very high because of the Universal Exposition.
2. The gay social life of the city hampered his literary works, especially the writing of
his second novel El Filibusterismo.

Life in Brussels
Jose Albert accompanied Rizal to move to Brussels.
Jose Alejandro an engineering student who replaced Jose Albert.
Rizal was busy writing his second novel.
He wrote articles for La Solidaridad and letters for his family and friends.
He spent part of his time in medical clinic.
He had gymnastics at the gymnasium and target practice and fencing at the
armory.

Articles Published in La Solidaridad
1. A La Defensa (To La Defensa), April 30, 1889.
2. La verdad Para Todos ( The Truth For All), May 31, 1889.
3. Vicente Barrantes TeatroTagalo, June 15, 18889
4. UnaProfanacion (A Profanation), July 31, 1889
5. VerdadesNuevas (New Truths), July 31, 1889
6. Crueldad (Cruelty), August 15, 1889
7. Differencias (Differences), September 15, 1889
8. Inconsequencias (Inconsequences), November 30, 1889
9. Llanto y Risas (Tears and Laughters), November 30, 1889
10. Ingratitudes (Ingratitude), January 15, 1890
New Orthography of Tagalong Language
Rizal was the first to advocate the Filipinization of its orthography. For instance, the
Tagalog letters k and w should be used instead of the Spanish c and o.
salacot salakot
arao araw
Early in September, 1886 while in Leipzig, Rizal adopted the Filipinized Tagalog
orthography in his Tagalog translations of Schillers Wilhelm Tell and Andersens Fairy
Tales and again he used it in his first novel Noli Me Tangere(Berlin, 1887
Sobre la Nueva Ortografia de la LenguaTagala (The new Orthography of the Tagalog
Language) article of Rizal and was published in La Solidaridad.

Dr.Trnidad H. Pardo de Tavera author of the celebrated work El Sancristo en la
LenguaTagala (Sankrist in the Tagalog Language) which was published in Paris, 1884.

Rizal Criticizes Madrid Filipinos for Gambling
Rizal received news from Juan Luna and Valentin Ventura that the Filipinos in Spain
were destroying the good name of their nation by gambling too much. Accordingly Rizal
wrote to M. H. Del Pilar on May 28, 1890 to remind the Filipinos in Madrid that they did
not come to Europe to gamble, but to work for their fatherlands freedom.
The gambling people in Madrid were angry when they learned of Rizals moralizing.
They derisively called him Papa (Pope) instead of Pepe.
Bad News from Home
The Calamba agrarian trouble was getting worst.
The management of the Dominican hacienda continually raised the land rents.
The Dominican order filled a suit in court to dispossess the Rizal Family of their
lands in Calamba.
The tenants were persecuted.
Paciano, Antonio Lopez and Silvestre Ubaldo were deported to Mindoro.
Manuel T. Hidalgo was banished to Bohol for the second time.


Preparation to Go Home
Rizal planned to go home. He could not stay in Brussels writing a book while his
parents, relatives and friends in the distant Philippines were persecuted.
July 9, 1890 upon hearing that Graciano Lopez Jaena was planning to go to Cuba,
Rizal wrote to Ponce to oppose the plan of action of Graciano.
July 18, 1890 he wrote another letter to Ponce in which he expresses his
determination to go home.
All his friends, includingBlumentritt, Jose Ma. Basa, and Ponce, were horrified by Rizals
to return to the Philippines. They warned him of the danger that awaited him at home.
Decision to go to Madrid
Something happened that made Rizal to change his plan in returning to the Philippines
when he received a letter from Paciano which related that they lost the case against the
Dominicans in Manila but they appealed it to the Supreme Court in Spain.
June 20, 1890 Rizal wrote to M. H. Del Pilar retaining the latters service as a lawyer
and informed Del Pilar that he was going to Madrid, in order to supervise the handling of
the case.
July 29, 1890 he wrote a letter to Ponce announcing that he was leaving Brussels at
the beginning of the following month and would arrive Madrid about the 3
rd
and 4
th
of
August.
To My Muse he wrote this poem which was against the a background of mental
anguish in Brussels, during those sad days when he was worried by family disasters.
Romance with Petite Jacoby
Two things brought some measure of cheer to the despondent Rizal as he was
preparing for his trip to Madrid:
1. The summertime festival of Belgium, which was celebrated in carnival style.
2. His romance with Petite Jacoby, the pretty niece of his landladies.
Rizal was so charming and dignified a gentleman the Petite Susanne was attracted
to him.
He was lonely in a strange country and Leonor Rivera was so far away.
Like other women SegundaKatigbak, Orang Valenzuela, Leonor Rivera, O-Sei-
San, Gettie Beckett, Consuelo Ortiga y Perez and Nellie Boustead Susanne fell in
love with Rizal.
Rizal in Madrid
Early in August, 1890 Rizal arrived in Madrid
He tried all legal means to seek justice for his family and the calamba tenants, but
to no avail.
He almost fought to duels one with Antonio Luna and the other to Wenceslao E.
Retana.
Leonor Rivera married a British Engineer.

Failure to Get Justice for family
Upon arrival in Madrid, Rizal immediately sought the help of the Filipino Colony,
the Asociacion Hispano Filipina, and the Liberal Spanish newspapers (La Justicia, El
Globo, La Republica, El resumen).
M. H. Del Pilar acted as his lawyer.
Dr.DominadorGomez secretary of Asociacion Hispano Filipina.
More terrible news reached Rizal in Madrid:
From Silvestre Ubaldo, he received a copy of the ejectment order by the
Dominicans against Francisco Rizal and other Calamba tenants.
From Saturnina, he learned of the deportation of Paciano, Antonio Lopez, Silvestre
Ubaldo, Teong, and Dandoy to Mindoro
His parents were forcibly ejected from their home and were then living in the house
August 19, 1890 of Narcisa.

Rizals Eulogy to Panganiban
Jose Ma. Panganiban his friend and his talented co-worker in the propaganda.
- Date the death of Jose Ma. Panganiban because of a lingering illness.

Aborted Duel with Antonio Luna
End of August, 1890 Rizal attended a social reunion of the Filipinos in Madrid.
Wine was served in the reunion.
After drinking so many glasses, the guests became more loquacious.
Antonio Luna became drunk.
Luna was bitter because of his frustrated romance with Nellie Boustead
He was blaming Rizal for his failure.
Luna uttered certain unsavory remarks for Nellie.
Rizal heard him and challenge for a duel.
The Filipinos were shocked of the incident.
They tried to pacify Rizal and Luna, pointing out to both that such a duel would
damage their cause in Spain.
Luna, when he became sober, realized that he had made a fool and he apologized
to Rizal

Rizal ChallengesRetana to Duel
On another occasion, he challenged another man to duel Wenceslao E. Retana.
Retana
The bitter enemy of Rizal in Pen.
A talented Spanish scholar was then a press agent of the friars in Spain.
Used to attack the Filipinos, including Rizal, in various newspapers in Madrid.
He imprudently wrote an article in La Epoca an anti-Filipino newspaper in Madrid,
asserting that the family and friends of Rizal had not paid their rents so that they were
ejected from their lands in Calamba by the Dominicans.
Such an insult stirred Rizal to action.
Immediately, he sent his seconds to Retana with his challenge to a duel.
Retana at once published a retraction and apology in the newspapers.
The incident silenced Retanas pen against Rizal.
Years afterward, Retana wrote the first book-length biography of the greatest
Filipino hero, whose talents he came to recognize and whose martyrdom he
glorified.




Infidelity of Leonor Rivera
Rizal lost his gold watch chain with a locket containing the picture of Leonor Rivera, his
beloved sweetheart while he attended a play in the Teatro Apollo together with his
friends, and that incident proved to be a bad omen.
December, 1890 Rizal received a letter from Leonor, announcing her coming married
with an Englishman.
February 15, 1891 Blumentritt replied to the letter of Rizal and comforted Rizal when
Rizal confide to him about his agony and broken heart.

Rizal-Del Pilar Rivalry
In 1890, there arise an unfortunate rivalry between Rizal and del Pilar for supremacy.
January 1, 1891 (New Years Day) the Filipinos of Madrid met to reorganize the
Asociacion Hispano Filipina and to elect a new leader who would act as a spokesman
of the Filipino cause in Europe.
Filipinos were divided into two rival camps:
Rizalistas or Rizals friends
Pilaristasor Del Pilars friends

Rizalistas worked hard for the election of Rizal.
Pilaristas fought for Del Pilars election
Back to Brussels Since Rizal walked out from the election for the new leader because
he found out that only 19 people voted him, he go back to Brussels.
February, 1891 he left Madrid and proceeded to Biarritz, where he was a welcomed
guest of the Bousted at their Villa Eliada.
ValentinVentura Rizals friend and companion in Paris, where Rizal staying with him.
April 4, 1891 He wrote to Jose Ma. Basa,expressing his wish to live in Hongkong and
practice medicine.
Middle of April 1891 Rizal turned to Brussels for one reason, to finish his second
novel.

El Filibusterismo Published in Ghent
October, 1887 - he had begun writing the Manuscript of El Filibusterismo.
March 29, 1891 and finished the Manuscript in Briarritz, It took him, therefor, three
ears to write his second novel.

Privations in Ghent
On July 5, 1891, Rizal left Brussels for Ghent, a famous university city in Belgium.
His reasons for moving to Ghent were:
The cost of printing in Ghent was cheaper than in Brussels
To escape from the enticing attraction f Petite Suzanne.
In Ghent, he met two compatriots, Jose Alejandro (from Pampanga) andEdilberto
Evangelista (from Manila), both studying engineering in the world-famed University of
Ghent.
The Printing of El Filibusterismo
Rizal researched for a printing shop that could give him the lowest quotation for the
publication of his novel. At last, he did not find a publisher F. MEYER- VAN LOO
PRESS, No. 66 Viaanderen Street who was willing to print his book on instalment
basis. He pawned his jewels in order to pay the down payments and the early partials
payments during the printing of novel.
He had received some money from Basa and P200 from Rodriguez Arias for the copies
of MorgasSucesos in Manila.

The Fili comes off the Press
At last, on Sept 18, 1891, El Filibusterismo came off the press. Rizal, now a very happy
man, immediately sent on this date two printed copies to Hongkong.
The members of the Filipino colony of Barcelona published a tribute in La Publicidad, a
Barcelona newspaper.

Dedicated to Gom-Bur-Za
He dedicated El Filibusterismo to the Martyrdom of father Gomez, Burgos, and Zamora.


The Manuscript and the Book
The original manuscript of El Filibusterismo in Rizals own handwriting is now preserved
in the Filipiana Division of the Bureau of Public Libraries, Manila. It had been acquired
by the Philippines Government from Valentin Ventura for P10, 000. It consist of 279
pages of long sheets of paper.

Inscription on Title Page
The Title page of El Filibusterismo contains an inscription written by Ferdinand
Blumentritt.











Research in Rizal

Sampang, Rosie Y.
Flores, Mary Jean S.
Maculada, Mary Ann P.
Mungcal, Angelou M.
(BSIT 1D)

Mrs. Carmel Corpuz
(Teacher)







Learnings:
Rizal in Brussels
Rizal expressed his determination to go home because, it was against a
background of mental distinguish in Brussels during those sad days
when rizal was worried by the family disaster. Rizal wrote a letter and
article was publishing in the book of form.
(Rosie Y. Sampang)

Rizal in Madrid
Madrid is one of the gayest cities of the world which combines the
spirit of Europe and the East. Ri zal left Madrid for Paris to spend his
summer and to observe the big French City.
(Rosie Y. Sampang)



El Filibustrismo
The title El filibusterismo contains an inscription written by Ferdnand
Blumentritt. A hero of El Filibusterismo is a rich jeweller named
Simoun. He dedicated El Filibusterismo to the Martyrdom of the
Father Gomez, Burgos and Zamora.
(Rosie Y. Sampang)



Exile in Dapitan
The steamer Cebu which brought Rizal to Dapitan carried a letter
from father Pablo Pastells, superior of the Jesuits society in the
Philippines, to father Antonio Obach Jesuits Parish priest of Dapitan.
( Flores, Mary Jean S.)

Trial of Rizal
The trial of rizal was an eloquent proof of Spanish in justice and
misrule. More than a farce, it was patently a mistrial.
( Flores, Mary Jean S.)


Martyrdom of Bagumbayan
As a Christian and a hero-martyr, he was serenely resigned to die for
his beloved country, which he called pearl of the orient sea in his last
poem and pearl of the orient in an article entitled unfortunate
Philippines published in the hongkong telegraph on September 24,
1892.
( Flores, Mary Jean S.)