The 1755 Lisbon Earthquake

The quake, tsunami, and fire that destroyed Lisbon on All Saints' Day and shook Europe's optimism.

Specifications & Metrics

era

1 November 1755

Core Principles & Analysis

• Struck on the morning of 1 November 1755, All Saints' Day, with candles lit in every church.
• Estimates of the dead range from the tens of thousands to above 100,000.
• Voltaire answered Leibnizian optimism in his 1756 Lisbon poem, and again in Candide.

Sources

• Wikipedia: 1755 Lisbon earthquake