A Slightly Worse Lisbon Earthquake

[Rhaegar I]

As some of you may know, it's my birthday today. I decided to look up things that happened today, and I noticed how in 1755 there was a massive earthquake near Lisbon, Portugal. The city was largely destroyed, and the surrounding area was devastated. Fortunately for the city and the kingdom of Portugal, however, King Joseph and the court was away, since one of his daughters wanted to celebrate a holiday outside the city. This act saved the King, the future Queen Maria, and the Marquis of Pombal.

But what if the court was in the city? Let's say they decided to celebrate the holiday (All Saints Day) inside the city. Let's also assume Joseph, Maria, and the Marquis died one way or the other in the resulting chaos.

How would Portugal handle the loss of all these people. IOTL, they were already pretty devastated, and here, they just lost the king, the royal family, and the man who helped rebuild Lisbon. What happens to Portugal now? What will Brazil do? And since it seems the OTL earthquake made an impact in Enlightenment thought, how does it change with the loss of the king?

 

[miguelrj]

As some of you may know, it's my birthday today.

I'm too late to say it in my timezone but be that as it may... happy birthday.

I decided to look up things that happened today, and I noticed how in 1755 there was a massive earthquake near Lisbon, Portugal. The city was largely destroyed, and the surrounding area was devastated. Fortunately for the city and the kingdom of Portugal, however, King Joseph and the court was away, since one of his daughters wanted to celebrate a holiday outside the city. This act saved the King, the future Queen Maria, and the Marquis of Pombal.

But what if the court was in the city? Let's say they decided to celebrate the holiday (All Saints Day) inside the city. Let's also assume Joseph, Maria, and the Marquis died one way or the other in the resulting chaos.

How would Portugal handle the loss of all these people. IOTL, they were already pretty devastated, and here, they just lost the king, the royal family, and the man who helped rebuild Lisbon. What happens to Portugal now? What will Brazil do? And since it seems the OTL earthquake made an impact in Enlightenment thought, how does it change with the loss of the king?

Who else is dead? If no one else from the royal family is dead this means any other of Maria's 3 sisters (all called Maria-something too) will succeed Joseph.
The would-be Marquis of Pombal is dead and that probably means this Queen Maria will not incestuously marry his uncle. No inbred king for the next generation.

The nobility celebrates the death of the prime-minister. The Jesuits shall not be expelled. Portugal will come back to its reactionary self, much like it was IOTL in 1777 after Maria I ascended to the throne and fired the Marquis of Pombal.
No Marquis of Pombal also means that Lisbon's downtown is at risk of being rebuilt chaotically.

 

[Wolfpaw]

This could severely impact the growth of deistic skepticism as the fact that Lisbon's notorious red-light district was spared from the Quake generated a lot of, "Maybe God doesn't care" talk.

A bigger quake that knocks out the debauched district will be seen as more Divinely inspired.

 

[Rhaegar I]

I'm too late to say it in my timezone but be that as it may... happy birthday.



Who else is dead? If no one else from the royal family is dead this means any other of Maria's 3 sisters (all called Maria-something too) will succeed Joseph.
The would-be Marquis of Pombal is dead and that probably means this Queen Maria will not incestuously marry his uncle. No inbred king for the next generation.

The nobility celebrates the death of the prime-minister. The Jesuits shall not be expelled. Portugal will come back to its reactionary self, much like it was IOTL in 1777 after Maria I ascended to the throne and fired the Marquis of Pombal.
No Marquis of Pombal also means that Lisbon's downtown is at risk of being rebuilt chaotically.

Pretty much the entire royal family that would normally be in the city. I want this to be a thorough screw.

This could severely impact the growth of deistic skepticism as the fact that Lisbon's notorious red-light district was spared from the Quake generated a lot of, "Maybe God doesn't care" talk.

A bigger quake that knocks out the debauched district will be seen as more Divinely inspired.

Perhaps I could have gone with a better title. The earthquake itself wasn't significantly bigger. It just so happened the royal family and Marquis were in the city. I didn't really know what else to call it without having a very wordy title.

Just to keep it amusing, the red-light district still survived.

 

[miguelrj]

Pretty much the entire royal family that would normally be in the city. I want this to be a thorough screw.

If the king, his brother and all his daughters are dead then the royal family is extinct. Congratulations, you've just exposed Portugal to the ambitions of the Spanish Bourbons. José's sister is the Queen of Spain and albeit the succession was forbidden to foreigners, the Spanish will get to have their move since all legitimate Portuguese descendants from João IV are dead.

Legalists will however push for the Dukes of Cadaval, the junior branch of the Braganças who (much like the senior Braganças) can trace a legitimate all-Portuguese matrilineal line to Manuel I (r. 1495-1521).

 

[Falecius]

This smells of War of the Portuguese Succession. With France and Britain already at blows. And if it starts early enough, the Treaty of Westminster might be butterfied of nullified. War of the Seven Years as we know it will not happen, Maria Theresa will cry as her careful policy to isolate Prussia goes to toilet, and you'll see a war that will be similar to a replay of the Spanish Succession in the location of the main frontlines. Britain will run at Portuguese Legalist help and France will back Spain heavily.
if Frederick still invades Saxony, Europe will be a fucking mess again in zero time and stay so.