His poetry, according to academics, are a reflection of the mistreatment of the Spanish colonists. In 1838, after being released from jail, Balagtas wrote Florante at Laura. He relocated to Udyong, Bataan, in 1840, where he worked as an assistant to the Justice of Peace. In Orion, Bataan, he met Juana Tiambeng, whom he would marry in 1842. They had eleven children together—five boys and six girls—but seven of them died.

On Baltazar's deathbed, he requested that none of his children pursue poetry as their careers, as he had endured much suffering due to his talent. He said that rather than letting them be writers, it would be better to chop off their hands.

Francisco Balagtas is widely regarded as one of the greatest literary writers in Philippine history. With Florante at Laura recognized as his defining masterpiece, Balagtas is regarded as the equal of William Shakespeare and the "Prince of Tagalog Poets" for his influence on Filipino literature. He is so revered in the Philippines that an event called "Balagtasan" is organized to debate in extemporaneous verse.