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Lisbon Earthquake of 1755 Timeline

(November 1, 1755)

The Lisbon Earthquake of 1755 was one of the deadliest and most destructive earthquakes in history. Striking on All Saints' Day morning, it destroyed much of Lisbon through combined earthquake shaking, tsunami waves, and widespread fires, killing tens of thousands and profoundly influencing European philosophy, science, and seismology. Less

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The Earthquake

Earthquake of 1356 strikes Lisbon

1356

A large-scale earthquake struck Lisbon in 1356, becoming the first known major seismic disaster to hit the city. It would later be remembered as one of the precedents to the catastrophic 1755 earthquake.

Image source: 1755 Lisbon earthquake

Earthquake of 1356 strikes Lisbon

Earthquake of 1531 strikes Lisbon

1531

The second known large-scale earthquake to hit Lisbon occurred in 1531, causing significant damage to the city and foreshadowing the even greater destruction that would come in 1755.

Great Lisbon earthquake strikes on All Saints' Day

Nov 1, 1755

The 1755 Lisbon earthquake, also known as the Great Lisbon earthquake, hit the Iberian Peninsula and Northwest Africa on the morning of Saturday, 1 November, the Feast of All Saints, at around 09:40 local time. Chronologically, it was the third known large-scale earthquake to hit the city.

Tsunami devastates Ceuta and Mazagon

Nov 1, 1755

Places such as Ceuta (ceded by Portugal to Spain in 1668) and Mazagon saw the tsunami hit the coastal fortifications of both towns hard, in some cases going over them and flooding the harbor area.

Cultural and Scientific Legacy

Richard Carter composes ode on the earthquake

1700 - 1800

The 18th-century English Baroque composer Richard Carter composed and published an ode on the earthquake, reflecting how deeply the disaster resonated across Europe.

Sebastianist prophet predicts Lisbon's destruction

1752

In 1752, a Sebastianist prophet predicted that a terrible earthquake would destroy Lisbon on All Saints' Day. When the earthquake struck on All Saints' Day 1755, there was a surge of converts to Sebastianism.

Immanuel Kant publishes texts on the earthquake

1756

Immanuel Kant published three separate texts in 1756 on the Lisbon earthquake, attempting to explain its causes and marking an early milestone in the scientific study of earthquakes.

Image source: Immanuel Kant

Assassin's Creed Rogue features fictionalised earthquake

Nov 11, 2014

A fictionalised version of the earthquake is a main plot element of the 2014 video game Assassin's Creed Rogue by Ubisoft, allowing players to experience a dramatized version of the disaster.

Image source: Assassin's Creed Rogue

Assassin's Creed Rogue features fictionalised earthquake

Moonspell releases concept album 1755

2018

1755 by the Portuguese Gothic metal band Moonspell is a concept album detailing the story of the Great Lisbon earthquake, bringing the historical event to modern audiences through music.

Image source: 1755 (album)

Moonspell releases concept album 1755

Destruction and Aftermath

85% of Lisbon's buildings destroyed

Nov 1, 1755

85% of Lisbon's buildings were destroyed, including famous palaces and libraries, as well as most examples of Portugal's distinctive 16th-century Manueline architecture.

Documentation of the 1722 Algarve earthquake lost

Nov 1, 1755

Most of the documentation of the 1722 Algarve earthquake sent to Lisbon for archiving became lost after the fire that followed the 1755 earthquake, erasing valuable historical records of that earlier disaster.

Attempted assassination of King Joseph I

1758

After the earthquake, silent opposition and resentment against King Joseph I began to rise, culminating in his attempted assassination in 1758 and the subsequent reprisals eliminating the powerful Duke of Aveiro and the Távora family.

Image source: Joseph I of Portugal

Attempted assassination of King Joseph I

Rebuilding Lisbon

Marquis of Pombal leads competent response

Nov 1, 1755

Before 1 November 1755, there had been a constant struggle for power and royal favour, but the competent response of the Marquis of Pombal effectively severed the power of the old aristocratic factions.

Image source: Marquis of Pombal (title)

Marquis of Pombal leads competent response

Manuel da Maia presents plans for rebuilding Lisbon

Dec 4, 1755

On 4 December 1755, a little more than a month after the earthquake, Manuel da Maia, chief engineer to the realm, presented his plans for the rebuilding of Lisbon.

Image source: Manuel da Maia

Manuel da Maia presents plans for rebuilding Lisbon

Proposal for new royal palace in Campo de Ourique

1760

A project proposed that a new royal palace be built in Campo de Ourique as the new royal residence in 1760, but was later abandoned due to a lack of priority or interest in a palace being built in the Campo de Ourique neighborhood of Lisbon.

Image source: Campo de Ourique

Proposal for new royal palace in Campo de Ourique

Casa Pia founded by Maria I

1780

The Casa Pia, a Portuguese institution founded by Maria I (known as A Pia, 'Maria the Pious'), and organized by Police Intendant Pina Manique in 1780, was founded following the social disarray of the 1755 Lisbon earthquake.

Scientific Studies

Seismic reflection survey detects thrust fault

1992

A 1992 seismic reflection survey of the ocean floor along the Azores–Gibraltar Transform Fault detected a 50-kilometre-long (31 mi) thrust fault southwest of Cape St. Vincent, likely the source of the 1755 earthquake.

Image source: Azores–Gibraltar transform fault

Seismic reflection survey detects thrust fault

Study finds contemporary reports vague

2009

A 2009 study of contemporary reports relating to the 1 November event found them vague and difficult to separate from reports of another local series of earthquakes on 18–19 November.

Study estimates earthquake cost to Portugal's GDP

2009

A 2009 study estimated that the earthquake cost between 32-48% of Portugal's GDP, highlighting the enormous economic devastation inflicted on the country.

Tsunami waves found to have reached Brazil

2015

In 2015, it was determined that the tsunami waves generated by the earthquake reached the coast of Brazil, then a colony of Portugal, demonstrating the truly transatlantic scale of the disaster.

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Key Facts

  1. The earthquake struck on the morning of November 1, 1755, All Saints' Day, when churches were full of worshippers and candles lit, contributing to massive fires.
  2. Estimated at magnitude 8.5–9.0, the quake's epicenter was in the Atlantic Ocean about 200 km southwest of Cape St. Vincent.
  3. A series of tsunami waves followed the shaking, flooding the city's harbor and downtown areas and causing destruction as far away as North Africa and the Caribbean.
  4. An estimated 30,000 to 60,000 people died in Lisbon alone, out of a population of roughly 275,000.
  5. The disaster influenced Enlightenment thinkers like Voltaire and Rousseau, and Marquis de Pombal's reconstruction efforts led to early modern seismological surveys.

Source

This Lisbon Earthquake of 1755 timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

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