Reuveni: The Political Messiah

As I was reading the latest Armstrong chapters I came across the character of David Reuveni, a jewish man with a knack for fantastical stories and ambitions. I was very intrigued by the character as he attempted to lead a messianic movement in the 16th century. The ultimate question I pose when dealing with Reuveni is, what value does this man play in further understanding the history of Jerusalem. Thus my interest lead me to consult the Jewish Virtual Library where I was able to get a better notion of who this man was and what drove him. A common description for him both online and in Armstrong would be to categorize him as a "half-mystic and half-adventurer" man with obvious political aspirations. Reuveni claimed to be the Messiah and justified this by claiming to be part of King David's lineage. However some scholars disagree about his origins however a case can definitely be made for his knowledge of the land and holy places (JVL). Furthermore, he appeared to have connected with the sages of Jerusalem during his "ministry".  However it's difficult to fully validate such connections pertaining to his ministry since the main source used is his own diary, which has undertones of heightened elements. Reuveni claimed to be the prince of a remote Jewish kingdom where he was organizing the tribes of Israel to soon return to Jerusalem (Armstrong, 326). The idea of once again returning to Jerusalem is similar to that of many Jews longing for a return to the sacred. This sentiment resonated with European Jews as people listened to the message however the condemnation from Jewish leaders resulted in his vision to fizzle out. The "rabbi of Jerusalem warned Italian Jews to have nothing whatever to do with Reuveni" (Armstrong, 326). The seemingly fantastical stories touted by Reuveni were enough to capture the imagination of many Jews both in Italy and Portugal, however his claimed background was not enough to make his vision a reality. Althought not explicitley stated, shcolars have argued that "it appears that Reuveni was interested in creating a certain geopolitical situation which would have messianic meaning for the Jews" (JVL).
For at the core of his character aside from being an individual with heightened recollections of himself, Reuveni was a Jewish political activist. I would argue that he is somewhat notable in Jerusalem history for he was arguably the first to move the messianic idea and activity to a rational political sphere.

source:
https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/reuveni-david