In search of nocturnal characters in eighteenth-century Lisbon

Abstract

The history of Lisbon in the second half of the 18th century is marked by an unprecedented event : the 1755 earthquake that destroyed most of the city. After this catastrophe, the city began its reconstruction under Pombaline plans and – in the process – the city, during the day but mainly at night, was thrown back into a dark and dangerous age of criminality and mythical beliefs. This article aims to identify and describe the characters that (in fact or theory) inhabited the city by night, in a mixture of popular tales, superstition and real danger. Our research takes into account security at night, religious rituals and mythical beliefs in werewolves and witches. The historiographical frame is set by the work on the history of the night by Roger Ekirch (2005), Alain Cabantous (2009), Craig Koslofsky (2011), Brian D. Palmer (2000). Analysing and comparing the sources, it is possible to see how the night was a space of freedom and fear but was also becoming a social space.