Francisco Balagtas

:For the municipality in the Philippines named Balagtas, see Balagtas, Bulacan.

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Francisco Balagtas (April 2, 1788—February 20, 1862), christened Francisco Baltazar, was a prominent Filipino poet. The famous epic, Florante at Laura, is regarded as his defining work.

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Born in the town of Bigaa (now Balagtas), in the province of Bulacan, Francisco Balagtas was the youngest of the four children. His parents were the blacksmith, Juan Baltazar, and his wife, Juana dela Cruz. He was nicknamed Kiko, while his siblings were named Felipe, Concha, and Nicholasa.

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Balagtas was eleven years old when he moved to Tondo, Manila. His aunt, Donya Trinidad, was impressed with his diligence, and sponsored his studies at Colegio de San Juan de Letran and Colegio de San Jose. In 1812, he graduated with degrees in Crown Law, Spanish, Latin, Physics, Christian Doctrine, Humanities, and Philosophy.

1788: 1788 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar)....

February 20: February 20 is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 314 days remaining, 315 in leap years....

Filipino: Filipino is a term that originally referred to the Spanish population who were born and settled in the Philippines. During the nationalization movements of the late 19th century and after the revolt and independence from Spain in 1898, it came to refer to the general population....

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