Gracia Mendes Nasi

Gracia Mendes Nasi born Beatriz de Luna Miques, also known as Doña Gracia or La Señora "The Lady", was a Portuguese Sephardi Jewish philanthropist, businesswoman, and prominent member of the Mendes Benveniste family. She became one of the wealthiest and most influential women of Renaissance Europe. As a widow, she took over the banking and trading enterprise Casa Mendes-Benveniste, which operated throughout Europe and the Mediterranean. Her nephew and business partner Joseph Nasi also became an influential figure in the Ottoman Empire.