The Lisbon Earthquake | November 1st 1775

The Earthquake and What Unfolded |

At approximately 9:40 AM on All Saints' Day, the people of Lisbon were gathered in churches for mass, attending the catholic rituals of that religious day. Without warning, a massive earthquake with a magnitude estimated between 8.5 and 9.0 struck, shaking the entire city. The tremors were felt across Portugal, and in parts of Spain (where buildings also collapsed), France, and even North Africa. Lisbon, mostly a medieval city with neighbourhoods named after its inhabitants (judiaria = jewish quarters or mouraria = muslim quarter) was particularly hard hit, as the city’s buildings were not designed to withstand such a violent quake. Most of them collapsed immediately, burying people under rubble.

As the earth trembled, the sea receded sharply, a phenomenon that often precedes a tsunami. Moments later, a massive wave surged back toward the coast, inundating Lisbon’s waterfront. The tsunami reached up to 15 meters (about 49 feet) high in some areas, sweeping away ships, buildings, and people along the harbor. The waves also impacted coastal regions as far as Brazil and the Caribbean, though with less severity.

To make matters worse, fires broke out in the aftermath of the quake. These were likely sparked by overturned cooking stoves, candles, and other sources of fire in the chaos that followed. The fires quickly spread, fueled by the destruction of water supplies and the general disarray. Many buildings that had survived the earthquake fell to the flames, and the fires burned for days, exacerbating the devastation.

Immediate Impact |

The destruction was catastrophic. Estimates vary, but it is believed that between 30,000 and 50,000 people perished in Lisbon alone. The death toll in the wider region, including other Portuguese towns and coastal areas, was also very high. The city of Lisbon, which had been a major European hub for trade and culture, was left in ruins.

The European Cultural and Philosophical Fallout |

The earthquake had a profound impact on European thought. It shook the prevailing optimism of the Enlightenment, which held that the world was orderly and governed by rational laws. The sheer randomness and scale of the disaster led some to question the nature of God, the meaning of suffering, and the fragility of human civilization. Philosophers such as Voltaire criticized the idea of a benevolent, orderly universe, writing a whole book about it (The Lisbon Earthquake) and the disaster played a role in the development of ideas on the randomness of nature and human suffering.