Francisco Baltazar y dela Cruz (1788-1862) was the preeminent poet of the Tagalog language and author of the literary masterpiece Florante at Laura. He wrote countless poems, songs, and dramas, including Mahomet at Constanza (1841), Almanzor y Rosalina, Orosman at Zafira, Don Nuño y Zelinda, La India Elegante y el Negrito Amante, Hatol Hari Kaya (a love song), Parangal sa Isang Binibining Ikakasal (a poem), Paalam sa Iyo (a song), Rodolfo at Rosamunda, Pagpupuri kay Isabel II, Reyna sa España, Auredata y Astrone, Nudo Gordiano, Abdol y Miserena, and Clara Belmori. Not content with his prolific literary output, he also wrote a grammatical treatise El Ensayo de Gramatica Hispano-Tagala. Born in Bigaa, Bulacan—a town now named after him—Baltazar is otherwise known as Francisco Balagtas. He took the name Balagtas from a Manila family whom he served as a houseboy.
