Authored by Edmond Malaj in the “Në gjurmë të familjeve fisnike raguzane me origjinë nga trojet shqiptare.” Translated by Petrit Latifi.

Even the Menze family, according to J. Drançolli, is thought to be of Albanian origin. We find their name in documents in several variants, such as: Menze, Mencii, Mentii, Mence, Minčetić, Menčetić. Jireček defines them as nobles of Tivar in the century. XV, while as Ragusan nobles he defines them for c. XIII-XIX.

Through the documents from Ragusa, they appear since the century. XIII, such as Laurentius Welcinne Mencius 1234, Rosinus de Menze,
Menge 1243, Dimitrius Mencii, de Mence in documents during the years 1246-1285, and in a document from 1252 Dimitrius de Menze is mentioned as a councilor in one of the city councils, either in the small or in the big one, but since the document is no longer precisely defined (nos consiliari de parvo et magno consillio)

K. Jireçek mentions many names that bear this surname and as a family from Ragusa, it appears as such in the year 1234. In the Books of Reforms, on December 1, 1358, a rector of Ragusa named Marin de Mence (d. rectoris ser Marini de Mence), who gives an order to the tellal of the city that no one is allowed to shelter Miloslava, the servant of Nicholas the Albanian (Nicole Arbanensis), and that no one is allowed to remove her from the country, neither by land nor by sea, that otherwise the persons who committed this misdemeanor would be punished.

It is not explained further why this woman was wanted, but of course the reason was some theft or violation other that she may have done either against her master Nikollë Albanian, or against any other person. In this same year (1358), other names belonging to the Mence family are found, such as Mence Laurencii de Mence, Mate Mencii de Mence, Nixa Marini de Mence March de Mence, Perce Lampre de Mence, etc. In 1357, Mate Nicole is found de Menze, as vicecomes de Malfi.

And in 1443, a rector of Ragusa named Damiano de Mence is mentioned, in connection with a complaint presented to him by the captain of a boat, which was robbed in the province of Ishmi di Arbëria. 82 The name of Damiano de Mence is also mentioned in another document dated June 3 regarding a testimony about the transport of a piece of wood from Ishmi to Ulcinj and then to Ragusa.

In this document, Damiano is not referred to as rector of Ragusa, and it is very possible that he could be a different person than the first. Likewise, in 1465, the judge Nicola de Menze also encountered a book by Gjon Gazulli, which had been bequeathed to God.

Reference.
Edmond Malaj in the “Në gjurmë të familjeve fisnike raguzane me origjinë nga trojet shqiptare.