ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the impact of the 1755 earthquake on the history of Lisbon and Portugal. It addresses its bearing on European thinking, particularly in relation to shaping the modern concept of disaster. The chapter considers the role of the earthquake in the maturing of a new mentality towards the city and its place in society. The earthquake was estimated at a magnitude of approximately 8.75 to 8.90 on the Richter scale and it was the strongest ever recorded in Europe. The earthquake showed that social ranks were of no value in face of such disasters. The trauma of the earthquake and the slow pace of rebuilding caused Lisbon citizens to live in constrained conditions for several years. This reality altered behaviours and, as such, had an impact on social codes. The earthquake in Lisbon made newspapers’ headlines for several months and replaced the usual political and business news that fuelled the information network of the period.
