Fire, Water, and Collapse

The earthquake triggered a triple catastrophe that gutted one of Europe's wealthiest capitals:

• Earthquake — collapsed churches, palaces, and the Royal Library with its 70,000 volumes
• Tsunami — waves up to 20 feet high flooded the city center within 40 minutes
• Fire — toppled candles from All Saints' Day Mass set off a blaze that burned for five days

Between 30,000 and 50,000 people died in a city of about 250,000. Paintings, manuscripts, and navigation records from the Age of Exploration were lost for good.