Dr. Jose Rizal came from a large, educated middle-class Filipino family from Calamba, Laguna. His father, Francisco Mercado Rizal, and mother, Teodora Alonso Realonda, emphasized education and Catholic faith. Rizal had 11 siblings and was the seventh child. He went on to become a polymath who was a key figure in the Philippine revolution against Spanish colonial rule. He was executed by the Spanish in 1896, further solidifying his status as the Philippine's national hero.