Between 1505 and 1507, the population of Lisbon was the victim of an epidemic, of typhoid origin. King Manuel I and the Court went to Almeirim to escape the epidemic, but the epidemic ended up deterring it and was considered one of the deadliest that spread throughout the country. The number of deaths due to the disease was so high that, in a letter dated 20th March 1506, he was ordered to build two cemeteries outside the city gates.
