Rise of the Ming Dynasty

In one of history’s most unlikely rises to power, a Chinese peasant brought down the

Mongols and established the Ming Dynasty. The story begins in the 14th century, when a young orphan

named Zhu Yuangzhang joined a monastery in a desperate attempt to avoid starvation. Following a stint

as a mendicant beggar, the young wanderer took up with a band of marauders who had rebelled against

the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. A natural military leader, Zhu Yuangzhang quickly

rose through the ranks of the bandits, and by 1355 he had taken the reins of the whole rebel

army. Ruthless and determined, the orphan general went on to wage a bloody war against

both the Mongols and his Chinese rivals for power. In 1368—the same year his forces