Josephine Bracken
| Josephine Bracken | |
|---|---|
 Josephine Bracken in Filipino attire (1896) |
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| Born | Marie Josephine Leopoldine Bracken 9 August 1876 Victoria City, British Hong Kong |
| Died | 15 March 1902 (aged 25) British Hong Kong |
| Cause of death | tuberculosis |
| Resting place | Happy Valley Cemetery, Hong Kong[1] |
| Other names | Josefina |
| Ethnicity | Irish |
| Known for | La Viuda de Rizal (The widow of Rizal) |
| Spouse(s) | José Rizal (1896) Vicente Abad (1900-1902) (her death) |
| Partner(s) | José Rizal (1895-1896) |
| Children | Francisco Rizal y Bracken (1896; lived for 3 hours) Dolores Bracken Abad (1900-1987)[1] |
| Parents | James Bracken and Elizabeth Jane McBride |
Marie Josephine Leopoldine Bracken (August 9, 1876 – March 15, 1902) was the common-law wife of Philippine national hero José Rizal during his exile in Dapitan in the province of Zamboanga del Norte in the southern Philippines.[2][3][4] In the early morning hours of December 30, 1896, the day of his execution by firing squad, the couple was married in Fort Santiago, the place of his incarceration, following a reconciliation with the Catholic Church. The marriage, though, is disputed by some sectors because no records were found regarding the union, discounting the unusual events of that day, even if it was attested by Josephine herself and the officiating priest.[4][5][6][7]
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Biography [edit]
Early life [edit]
Bracken was born in Victoria Barracks in Hong Kong on August 9, 1876 to Irish parents [4] James Bracken, a corporal in the British Army, and Elizabeth Jane McBride, who were married on May 3, 1868 in Belfast, Ireland. After her mother died shortly after childbirth, her father gave her up for adoption. She was taken in by her godfather, American George Taufer, a blind fairly well-to-do engineer of the pumping plant of the Hong Kong Fire Department, and his late Portuguese wife. He later remarried another Portuguese lady from Macau, Francesca Spencer, with whom he had another daughter.[8]
Relationship with Rizal [edit]
Bracken later recommended that her blind adoptive father see Rizal, who was a respected ophthalmologist and had practiced in Hong Kong.[9] By this time, he was a political exile in Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte in southern Philippines. The family sailed to the Philippines and arrived in Manila on February 5, 1895, and later that month Josephine and Mr. Taufer sailed to Dapitan.
Taufer's double cataract was beyond Rizal's help, but the physician fell in love with Bracken. Mr. Taufner was vehemently opposed to the union, but finally listened to reason. Josephine accompanied her father to Manila on his way back home, together with Rizal's sister, Narcisa, on March 14, 1895. Rizal applied for marriage but because of his writings and political stance, the local priest, Father Obach, would only agree to the ceremony if Rizal could get a permission from the Bishop of Cebu. Either the Bishop did not write him back[10] or Rizal was not able to mail the letter because of the sudden departure of Mr. Taufer.[11]
Before heading back to Dapitan to live with Rizal, Josephine introduced herself to members of his family in Manila. His mother suggested a civil marriage who believed it as a lesser sacrament but free from hypocrisy, and would be less sinful to Rizal's conscience, than making any sort of political retraction.[2] Nevertheless, Bracken and Rizal, lived together in Barangay Talisay in Dapitan as husband and wife in July 1895. The couple had a child who was born prematurely, Francísco Rizal y Bracken, who died after only a few hours.[12][13]
Rizal's last days [edit]
The evening before his execution on December 30, 1896 on charges of treason, rebellion and sedition by the Spanish colonial government, the Catholic Church claimed that Rizal returned to his Catholic faith and was married to Bracken in a religious ceremony officiated by Father Vicente Balanguer sometime between 5:00 AM to 6:00 AM, the day of his execution (designated at 7:00 AM).[6][14] Despite the claims by the priest and Josephine herself, some sectors including members of his family dispute this had occurred because no records were found later regarding the marriage (See Jose Rizal's retraction controversy).
After Rizal's death [edit]
Bracken promptly joined the revolutionary forces in Cavite province where she helped by taking care of the sick and wounded in the battlefield and boosting their morale,[1] to helping operate reloading jigs for Mauser cartridges at the Imus arsenal under revolutionary General Pantaleón García.[citation needed] Imus was under threat of recapture so Bracken, making her way through thicket and mud, moved with the operation to Maragondon, the Cavite mountain redoubt. She witnessed the Tejeros Convention on March 22, 1897 prior to returning to Manila. She was later summoned by the Spanish Governor-General, who threatened her with torture and imprisonment if she did not leave the Islands. Owing however to her adoptive father's American citizenship, she could not be forcibly deported, but Bracken voluntarily returned to Hong Kong upon the advice of the American consul in Manila.[15]
Later life [edit]
Upon returning to Hong Kong, she returned to her father's house. After his death, she married Vicente Abád, a Cebuano mestizo, who represented his father's tabacalera company in Hong Kong. A daughter, Dolores, was born to the couple on April 17, 1900. Bracken died of tuberculosis on March 15, 1902, in Hong Kong and was interred at the Happy Valley Cemetery in that country.[1]
Inconsistencies regarding Josephine [edit]
- British historian Austin Coates allegedly found Josephine birth certificate in Hong Kong and reported it tampered. He claimed that she is probably an illegitimate daughter of an unknown Englishman and a Chinese mother.[6]
- American historian Austin Craig reported that Rizal's widow returned to the Philippines and lived in Cebu with her new husband. She gave lessons in English, like she told Rizal during their last meet, at first privately in Cebu, where one of her pupils allegedly became the first Speaker of the Philippine Assembly. Afterwards, she worked as a government employee in public schools and at the Liceo de Manila, a school in Intramuros (no relation to the present Lyceum of the Philippines University).[16]
In popular media [edit]
Film [edit]
- Amanda Page played Josephine Bracken in Rizal sa Dapitan (1997).
- Chin Chin Gutierrez portrayed Josephine in José Rizal (1998)
- Lara Fabregas, played Josephine Bracken in Bayaning 3rd World (1999)
References [edit]
- ^ a b c d Fadul 2008, p. 18.
- ^ a b Craig 1913, p.215
- ^ Acibo 1995. p.110.
- ^ a b c Anderson 2005, p.132.
- ^ Craig 1913. p. 241-244.
- ^ a b c Fadul 2008. pp. 17.
- ^ Younghusband (1899), p.132.
- ^ Craig 1913, p. 212.
- ^ Craig 1913, p. 172.
- ^ Fadul 2008, p.21.
- ^ Craig 1913. p.213.
- ^ Fadul 2008, p. 38.
- ^ Craig 1913, pp. 216-217
- ^ Craig 1913, p.242.
- ^ Craig 1913, p.259.
- ^ Craig 1913, pg. 263
Sources [edit]
- Acibo, Libert Amorganda and Galicano-Adanza, Estela (1995). "Jose P. Rizal: His Life, Works and Role in the Philippine Revolution". Rex Book Store, Manila. ISBN 971-23-1837-0.
- Anderson, Benedict Richard O'Gorman (2005). Under three flags: anarchism and the anti-colonial imagination. Verso. p. 132. ISBN 1-84467-037-6.
- Craig, Austin (1913). "Lineage, life, and labors of José Rizal, Philippine patriot". Yonkers-on-Hudson World Book Company.
- Fadul, Jose A. (2008). "Encyclopedia Rizaliana: Student Edition". Lulu.com. ISBN 978-1-4303-1142-3.
- Younghusband, George John (1899). "The Philippines and round about". Norwood Press, MA.
External links [edit]
- José Rizal Website
- The Life and Writings of Dr. José Rizal
- Rizal Family Tree
- Lineage, Life and Labors of José Rizal at Project Gutenberg
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