Background
Mendo succeeded his father, who died in 1028, in the governance of the County of Portugal, most probably as a minor under the tutorship of his mother Ilduara.
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Mendo Nunes
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Career
By 1050, the new king had reorganized the administration of the kingdom curtailing the power of the nobility and royal appointees. Years later, Mendo"s granddaughter, Loba, married Sisnando Davides, a Mozarab of unknown background and certainly not of noble lineage, who was appointed by King Ferdinand governor of the county of Coimbra and who never entitled himself count preferring to use the titles of alvasil (Vizier) or consul. The date of Count Mendo"s death is uncertain due to a confusion with another contemporary count, Mendo Luz, as well as the erroneous date recorded in the Annales Portugalenses veteres which state that Era MLXXII occisus fuit comes Menendus in ripa Guetanie, id est (that is)
Menendus was killed in Era MLXXII (era 1072, year 1034) in the Guetania River (a tributary of the Minho).
Portuguese historian José Mattoso considers that the year of his death, probably violent, was 1050 and no later than 1053 whereas Spanish historian Alfonso Sánchez Candeira, believes that he died on 24 December 1054.
Achievements
Membership
During count Mendo"s lifetime, the king started to appoint members of the lower nobility to administrative posts such as Gómez Ectaz, who exercised authority in the region of Guimarães, and Diego Tructesíndez who acted as a judge, both reporting directly to the monarch. This practice became more widespread after Mendo"s death with the king naming members of the lower ranks of the nobility to administrative positions, with various titles, such as vicar or governor, for example, Godino Benegas attested in 1062 as governor of Portugal: Gutinus Veniegas, qui tenebat illa terra de Portugale de ille rex (Godino Veniegas as tenant-in-chief of Portugal by appointment of the king).
