Enlightenment · 1755

The Lisbon earthquake of 1755

On All Saints' Day 1755 an earthquake, a tsunami and fires destroy much of Lisbon. Students follow the waves across the ocean, see how the city was rebuilt with earthquake-resistant buildings, and discuss why the disaster shook Europe's thinkers.

Teach it live New Open on the map
Length
45 minutes
Ages
11–14
On the map
3 steps, AD 1755 to AD 1700
Live lesson
7 rounds, 3 on the map
Worksheet
Two A4 pages, with Classroom
You need
A projector; phones for live

Live lesson · new in Classroom

Teach it live. The class answers on their phones.

Put the board on the projector. Students join with a six-digit code, no account needed, and tap the map: where was the frontier, where did the grain come from. Their pins drop in together when you reveal, and the closest student takes the round.

€19 per month: every lesson live, every worksheet, cancel anytime. Rome at its height runs live for free.

A live lesson on the projector: the class's pins on the map around Alexandria, the closest students listed beside it A student's phone: the question and a map to tap
7 rounds
3 places to find on the map, quiz questions, a class vote and a one-line answer.
About 15 minutes
Run it as the map step, or to open the discussion. You move on with the space bar.
A report
Every answer, per student and per round, to read back or print after the lesson.
1

Introduction

5 min

Read aloud

On All Saints' Day 1755 an earthquake, a tsunami and fires destroy much of Lisbon. Students follow the waves across the ocean, see how the city was rebuilt with earthquake-resistant buildings, and discuss why the disaster shook Europe's thinkers.

By the end of the lesson, students can

  • Describe what happened in Lisbon on 1 November 1755.
  • Explain how Lisbon was rebuilt and why the new buildings were safer.
  • Explain why the disaster led thinkers to argue about God, nature and science.
2

Explore the map

12 min

Project the map, or let students follow on their own devices. Each step opens the map at the right year and place.

a

AD 1755

A great port

Open the map in 1755 and zoom in on Lisbon at the mouth of the river Tagus. Why was this one of Europe's richest ports? Think of Brazil on the other side of the Atlantic.

Open this view on the map
b

AD 1755

The waves

Zoom out over the Atlantic. The tsunami struck the coasts of Portugal, Spain and Morocco, and waves were seen hours later in the Caribbean. Trace how far they travelled.

Open this view on the map
c

AD 1700

Other disasters

Turn on Historical Events and choose Natural Disasters. Move the slider through the 1600s and 1700s. Which other disasters does the map show in Europe, and where?

Open this view on the map
3

Class discussion

14 min

Pick two or three. They run from what happened to why it mattered.

  1. The earthquake struck on a church holiday, when many people were at Mass. Why did that make it deadlier?
  2. Some preachers said the disaster was God's punishment. Voltaire disagreed. What do you think each side argued?
  3. Lisbon's government asked every parish the same questions about the earthquake. Why is that seen as an early step in the science of earthquakes?
  4. The new Lisbon had straight, wide streets and buildings with a wooden frame inside the walls. Why would that help?
  5. How do countries prepare for earthquakes and tsunamis today?
4

Game round

9 min

Play a round of Rule History as Frederick the Great, who ruled Prussia when Lisbon was destroyed. Imagine a great disaster in your kingdom: what do you do first, and how do you pay for it? Compare your choices with what Portugal's government did in Lisbon.

Open Rule History
5

Worksheet

5 min

This worksheet comes with Classroom

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