page_title: House of Mendoza
hierarchical_section_title: House of Mendoza
context_page_description: The Mendoza family was a powerful line of Spanish nobles. Members of the family wielded considerable power, especially from the 14th to the 17th centuries in Castile. The family originated from the village of Mendoza in the province of Álava in the Basque countries, with the seigneury becoming part of the Kingdom of Castile during the reign of Alfonso XI.
  The Mendozas participated in Castilian politics afterward, with its scions becoming advisers, administrators, and clerics. Its different branches and name expanded out of its original nucleus in later centuries. The place-name and surname Mendoza stems from two Basque words: "mend"+"oza", meaning 'cold mountain', with a dropped "i" in between.
context_section_description: The Mendoza family was a powerful line of Spanish nobles.  Members of the family wielded considerable power, especially from the 14th to the 17th centuries in Castile. The family originated from the village of Mendoza in the province of Álava in the Basque countries, with the seigneury becoming part of the Kingdom of Castile during the reign of Alfonso XI (1312–1350).
  The Mendozas participated in Castilian politics afterward, with its scions becoming advisers, administrators, and clerics. Its different branches and name expanded out of its original nucleus in later centuries. The place-name and surname Mendoza stems from two Basque words: "mend(i)"+"oza", meaning 'cold mountain', with a dropped "i" in between.
caption: Coat of arms of the Mendoza