Great Lisbon Earthquake of 1755

Abstract

At the middle of the eighteenth century, Lisbon, capital of Portugal, was one of the finest, wealthiest, and most beautiful and luxurious towns in Europe. It was Europe's fourth largest city, after London, Paris, and Naples. Situated on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, at the latitude that – by courtesy of sea breezes – provided an agreeable climate, it was Europe's major maritime gateway to the world, through which a substantial part of the European expansion and colonization had passed.

The 1755 Lisbon earthquake, known also as the Great Lisbon Earthquake, struck at 09:40 a.m. on Sunday, November 1, 1755, the Catholic holiday of All Saints Day. That was the time, when most of the godly citizens of Lisbon were at prayer. The earthquake lasted between 3 and 6 min. Contemporary reports stated that the earthquake ruined a great deal of the city edifices and caused gigantic fissures 5 m wide to appear in the city center. Approximately, 40 min later, a huge tsunami wave entered the mouth of the Tagus River and hit the coastal quarters of Lisbon and other settlements located along the river estuary banks; the first wave was followed by two more waves. Overthrown hot stoves in many kitchens initiated numerous local fires that resulted in vast and all fusing flaming inferno which completed a near-total destruction of Lisbon. The time of the earthquake and its position in an area of fairly shallow water were the main factors that contributed to such devastating effects. Eighty-five percent of the Lisbon houses were ruined or heavily damaged. The event was one of the most destructive and deadly earthquakes in European history. Of Lisbon's population of ~275,000, 40,000–60,000 people were killed.