Sabbatai Zevi

Sabbatai Zevi (1626–c. 1676) was a mystic and rabbi from Smyrna, born to a Romaniote Jewish family. In 1665 he declared himself the Jewish Messiah, and his movement spread through Jewish communities in Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and the Ottoman lands. He taught that sins would become righteous acts in the Messianic Age, and some followers deliberately broke Jewish law.

Arrested in Constantinople in 1666, he chose conversion to Islam over death, and about 300 follower families converted with him. He was later banished to Ulcinj, where he died in isolation.