David Reubeni consistently asserted that he was the son of the deceased "King Suleiman of Habor" and claimed to have served as the Minister of War for that kingdom, now ruled by his elder brother, King Joseph of Habor.
20 Facts About David Reubeni
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However, after five months, David Reubeni fell into ill repute with the king of Portugal, who perhaps distrusted his motives, and was asked by the king to leave his kingdom.
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David Reubeni was taken to Spain and was assigned to the Inquisition in Llerena, where he is presumed to have been executed around 1541.
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The mysteries of David Reubeni's origins are manifold, and have not been solved to this day.
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Ibn Yahya elaborates, furthermore, that when David Reubeni visited Portugal, he stood in need of interpreters who escorted him in his journey, since he was only familiar with the Hebrew and Arabic languages.
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David Reubeni stated that he was born around 1490 in a place referred to variously as Habor or Khaybar, which was identified with a place of a similar name in the central Hejaz in the Arabian Peninsula.
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David Reubeni related that he had been sent by his brother, King Joseph, who ruled the kingdom with seventy elders, who was seeking alliances against the Turks conquering the area for its great wealth.
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The broader aim of this alliance was meant to provide the necessary force of men in arms to expel the Ottoman Turks from the Land of Israel, and to facilitate what David Reubeni believed was the imminent redemption of the oppressed nation of Israel.
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Acquiescing, David Reubeni then set sail from Italy for Portugal, accompanied with a brief and letters of recommendation from the Pope to help facilitate his errand.
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David Reubeni then joined a camel caravan which took him northbound, following the Nile River along the Nubian desert in northern Sudan, during which time he had disguised his identity by dressing as a Muslim and claiming to be a descendant of Muhammad.
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David Reubeni eventually reached Cairo, Gaza, Hebron and Jerusalem.
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David Reubeni attracted funding from a Jewish painter named Mose, and Felice, a Jewish merchant for travel to Rome.
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David Reubeni obtained an audience with Cardinal Giles of Viterbo and Pope Clement VII.
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David Reubeni brought letters from Portuguese captains confirming his statements.
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The Portuguese minister, Miguel da Silva, reported to his court that David Reubeni might be useful in obtaining allies.
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David Reubeni then went to Avignon to take his cause to the papal court, and afterward to Milan.
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David Reubeni went to Venice, where the Senate appointed a commission to review his plans for obtaining assistance from the Jews in the East.
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David Reubeni offered Charles V the alliance of Jews of the East against the Ottoman Empire.
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David Reubeni was taken to Spain and assigned to the Inquisition at Llerena.
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David Reubeni probably died there, as Herculano reported that "a Jew who came from India to Portugal" was burned at an auto da fe at Evora in 1541.