Diogo Mendes

Diogo Mendes was a Marrano merchant from Spain and descendent from the Benveniste family, an old, noble and wealthy Jewish family. With his brother Francisco (d. 1536), he established a business in spices and precious stones which evolved in a powerful trading company and a bank of world repute with agents across Europe and around the Mediterranean.

Diogo settled in Antwerp, at the time leading financial center of Europe, became a magnate in the spice trade and made large-scale loans to the governments of the Low Countries, Portugal, and England. Along with his sister-in-law, Gracia Nasi, he organized a secret network through Europe to facilitate the flight of Marranos from Portugal, via the Low Countries, and sometimes England, to Italy and more tolerant Ottoman Empire. They also sought the help of the papal nuncio to stop the activity of the Inquisition in Portugal in 1535.

Diogo was several times charged for Judaizing by the Inquisition, mainly motivated by desire of the authorities to confiscate his wealth, since the property of heretics could freely be confiscated. Although he was never convicted as heretic during his life, the same charge led to the sequestration of his property after his death.