Latest / The History of Portugal: The Small Nation That Built a Global Empire — Fexingo History
The Marquis of Pombal and Lisbon's Rebirth
When the 1755 earthquake shattered Lisbon, it didn't just destroy buildings; it dismantled the old order. This episode explores how Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, later known as the Marquis of Pombal, used the rubble to forge a modern state. We look at his ruthless consolidation of power, the suppression of the Jesuits who blamed divine wrath for the disaster, and the radical urban planning that created the Baixa Pombalina. From emergency rationing to the first systematic seismic survey, we examine how one man’s authoritarian pragmatism saved Portugal from collapse and reshaped…
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