1469 Earthquake: Greece
An earthquake struck Greece in 1469.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- 1469
- Place
- Greece
- Intensity
- 9 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 38.500° N, 20.500° E
- Country
- Greece
The toll
- Deaths
- Some (about 51 to 100)
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million)
- Houses destroyed
- Many (101 to 1,000)
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
Earthquakes in 1469, Spring. The islands of Cephalonia, Lefkada, and Zakynthos suffered important damage due to earthquakes, which caused casualties, mainly in Cephalonia. However, damage details are lacking. Some authors assigned a maximum intensity of 8–9 in Cephalonia without specifying the macroseismic observation point and estimated magnitude of 7.2 or 6.62. It remains questionable if the maximum intensity was felt in Lefkada or elsewhere. We were not able to determine the magnitude. (reference #14265)
AD 1469 Cafalonia. Destructive earthquakes in the Ionian Islands. The worst damage seems to have been in Cephalonia, which is reported to have been demolished with heavy casualties. There was also extensive damage on Lefkas and on Zakynthos, with the collapse of houses and walls in towns and villages alike. It is likely that Ithaki, in the same group of islands, was also affected. The source for this event is Phrantzes, a contemporary, who places it in the spring of a.M.(Byz.) 6977 (1469). It is said that the earthquake affected Epirus (Aravantinos 1856, 180), but this appears to be poetic licence. (reference #9116)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- July 7, 551, Schisma, Boetia, Greece
- June 426 BC, Euboea, Greece
- September 30, 1636, Cephalonia, Greece
- August 12, 1953, Lixouri-Argostoli (Kephallenia), Greece
- December 29, 1820, Zakinthos (Zante), Greece
- August 27, 1886, Triphylie (Peleponese), Philiatra, Greece
- July 11, 1767, Kefalonia, Greece
- February 4, 1867, Cephalonia, Greece
- November 26, 1920, Tepelene, Dragoti, Peshtani, Maricaj, Albania
- August 23, 1817, Aeghion, Achaia, Greece
- February 25, 1742, Zakynthos, Greece
- February 5, 1786, Corfu (Kerkira), Greece
- August 1, 1870, Itea Delphi (Phokis), Greece
- September 30, 1870, Greece
- May 13, 1895, Margarition-Filiates (Thesprotia), Greece
More
Significant earthquakes of 1469The 1400sRecent earthquakes near here
Sources
Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 625.