Rizal continued his studies in Spain to pursue higher education in medicine and other fields and to experience the Spanish culture and society firsthand.
For more information, see below
Jose Rizal, the national hero of the Philippines, continued his studies in Spain to pursue higher education in medicine and other fields and to experience the Spanish culture and society firsthand. Rizal expressed his desire to study in Spain as early as 1879 in a letter to his brother, Paciano. He eventually enrolled at the Universidad Central de Madrid where he took up various courses such as philosophy, letters, and medicine.
Rizal’s decision to study in Spain was not only for academic purposes but also to escape the oppressive and discriminatory policies of the Spanish colonizers in the Philippines. According to Ambeth Ocampo, a noted historian and Rizal scholar, “He saw no hope for reform within colonial parameters and believed only education, hence, his studies, would spark patriotic sentiments in young Filipinos.” Rizal also wanted to learn the Spanish language and culture to gain a deeper understanding of the enemy he was fighting against.
During his stay in Spain, Rizal immersed himself in various intellectual and social circles. He befriended several Spaniards and other prominent European intellectuals, which helped broaden his perspective on various issues such as politics, religion, and art. He also experienced firsthand the injustices experienced by other oppressed people, which inspired him to fight for the rights of the oppressed as reflected in his novels, Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo.
Overall, Rizal’s studies in Spain played a crucial role in his development as a leader and advocate for Philippine independence. It provided him with the knowledge and experiences he needed to ignite the spark of change in the Philippines.
Interesting facts about Rizal and his studies in Spain:
- Rizal was fluent in 22 languages including Spanish, which he learned during his studies in Spain.
- Aside from medicine, Rizal also took up fencing, a popular sport in Spain during his time.
- Rizal was also an accomplished artist and his sketches and paintings were exhibited in Madrid.
- Rizal was a member of various reform and patriotic organizations in Spain such as La Solidaridad and Circulo Hispano-Filipino.
- According to historian Teodoro Agoncillo, Rizal’s life can be divided into two phases: “earlier he was reform-minded, convinced that his people could win concessions from the Spanish authorities; to him, the vote was the most important weapon. But later, he became convinced that the system was so corrupt that only violent overthrow could bring about regenerative change.”
- In 1896, Rizal was executed by firing squad for his involvement in the Philippine Revolution.
See a related video
The video highlights Rizal’s reasons for studying in Europe, which included learning about the culture, languages, customs, industries, commerce, government, and laws of European nations. His travels included stops in Madrid, Andorra la Vella, Paracherry, and Cadiz, where a monument dedicated to him was designed and sculpted by a Spanish-Filipino sculptor. Rizal was unhappy with the education he received from USD and wanted to experience the Renaissance age of enlightenment revolutions. He arrived in Europe on June 11, where he visited Naples and Barcelona. Overall, Rizal’s travels provided him with a wealth of experiences and knowledge that he would later use in his advocacy for Philippine independence.
See further online responses
Disillusioned with how Filipinos in the Philippines were regarded as second-class citizens in institutions of learning and elsewhere, the National Hero Jose Rizal left the country in May 1882 to pursue further studies abroad. He enrolled in a course in medicine at the Universidad Central de Madrid in Spain.
He decided to study in Spain for the following reasons: a) He was disgusted with the method of instruction of the Dominican-owned University and the racial prejudice of the Dominican Professors against Filipino students, and b) Rizal’s secret mission was to observe keenly the life and culture, languages, and customs, industries and commerce, and governments, and laws of the European nations in order to prepare himself in the…
Rizal had a personal reason as well as an altruistic reason for his decision to study abroad. He wanted to become an eye specialist in order to cure her mother from an eye ailment. He also wanted to study the cultures, laws and governments of European countries in order to help his countrymen.
You will be interested
You will probably be interested
What did Jose Rizal study in Spain?
The answer is: The corridor of the Colegio de Medicina (Hospital de San Carlos) has a marker indicating that it was here where Rizal studied medicine. He began his medical studies on October 2, 1882, and finished it two years later in June 1884. One of his professors was the then famous Marquez de Busto.
When did Rizal completed his studies in Spain?
Answer to this: 1884
Dissatisfied with his education there, due in part to the prejudices of faculty against native students, he continued his studies in Spain. In 1884, Rizal completed licentiates in medicine and in philosophy and letters at the Central University of Madrid.
What did Rizal want from Spain?
Concerned about the future of his country, he advocated administrative reforms and economic progress for the same. According to his plan, his country should become a Spanish province with full representation in the courts.
What was the first essay that Rizal wrote in Spain?
Amor Patrio (Love of Country)
In progressive Barcelona, Rizal wrote a nationalistic essay entitled Amor Patrio (Love of Country), his first article written on Spain’s soil.
Why did Jose Rizal study abroad?
Response: It is often thought that Jose Rizal’s studies and sojourn in Europe was one of relative comfort and ease. On family support abroad. In 1882, as a young man of 21 years, he went to Madrid, Spain to study. His family put up the finances to support his studies. He would need roughly P50 a month, plus cost of tuition, to live on.
Why did Rizal go to Spain?
Rizal’s primary goal in leaving for Europe in 1882 was to complete his education. He had completed a course in ophthalmology at the University of Santo Tomas so he could perform eye surgery on his cataract-stricken mother. But before any secret plan could take place, he had to go to Spain unnoticed–even by his mother.
What was Rizal able to observe in his diary?
The response is: He recorded in his diary every detail of what he was able to observe. Rizal boarded the ship Djemnah, which shall ferry him to France. The ship stop over at Point Galle in Ceylon, Aden and Port Said at Suez Canal. June 11,1882 the steamer reach Naples.
Why did Rizal choose to study in Spain?
Response: Why did Rizal decided to complete his studies in Spain? Rizal had a personal reason as well as an altruistic reason for his decision to study abroad. He wanted to become an eye specialist in order to cure her mother from an eye ailment. He also wanted to study the cultures, laws and governments of European countries in order to help his countrymen.
Why did Rizal move to Madrid?
Response will be: RIZAL MOVES TO MADRID September 1882 – Rizal decided to move to the capital city of Spain to continue his studies . He enrolled in philosophy and letters and licentiate in medicine at the Universidad Central de Madrid. He took lessons in painting and sculpture at the Academia de San Fernando.
Why was Rizal executed?
The answer is: In 1896 the Katipunan, a Filipino nationalist secret society, revolted against Spain. Although he had no connections with that organization and he had had no part in the insurrection, Rizal was arrested and tried for sedition by the military. Found guilty, he was publicly executed by a firing squad in Manila.