Jose Rizal was a Filipino polymath, patriot and advocate for reforms during the Spanish colonial era. He is considered a national hero of the Philippines. Rizal was born in 1861 in Calamba, Laguna. He received degrees from several universities in Manila, Madrid, Paris, and Heidelberg. As a writer, he published two novels - Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo - that criticized Spanish rule and inspired reformists. Rizal also founded La Liga Filipina, a civic organization that gave rise to the Katipunan revolution. He was executed by the Spanish in 1896, which precipitated the Philippine Revolution.