In 1492, the Mendes Benveniste family of Spanish Jews was one of the 600 who were granted asylum in Portugal in return for a payment of 100 cruzados each in gold.
She was raised in a Converso family, and was the richest woman in the world who helped hundreds of thousands of Jews against the leader of the Christian world. Donna Gracia and her family played a central role in the Jewish world in the 16th century - so how did their story almost fade away?