From Beggar to Emperor: How Zhu Yuanzhang Destroyed the Yuan and Founded the Ming

Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, Hongwu Emperor, founding of the Ming, Yuan Dynasty fall, Mongol Empire, history of China, Poyang Lake battle, Xu Da, Chinese dynasties, medieval China, Red Turban rebellion, Kublai Khan, documentary history, ancient China In 1350, the Mongol Yuan — the regime founded by the family of Chinggis Khan — still ruled every province of China. Twenty years later its emperor had fled beyond the Great Wall, its armies had been destroyed, and a man born into destitution, Zhu Yuanzhang, sat on the throne as the founder of the Ming Dynasty, which would rule China for 276 years. This episode tells the full story of how that happened: how the Mongols governed China, the Yellow River floods and the prophecy of the one-eyed stone man, Zhu Yuanzhang's rise from herdboy and wandering monk to rebel commander, the great naval battle of Poyang Lake, the northern expedition, the fall of Dadu, and the rebuilding that followed. Chapters: 0:00 Introduction: The Boy Who Buried His Family 2:06 Chapter 1 — China Under Mongol Rule 4:24 Chapter 2 — Floods, the Stone Man, and the Collapse of Central Power 9:06 Chapter 3 — From Runaway Monk to Warlord (1352-1360) 11:42 Chapter 4 — The Southern Civil War (1360-1367) 17:23 Chapter 5 — The Northern Expedition and the Fall of Dadu (1367-1370) 21:15 Chapter 6 — Rebuilding, Verdict, and What Came Next Sources and note on figures: this account draws on the History of Ming (Mingshi), the Ming Veritable Records, Zhu Yuanzhang's own Imperial Inscription for the Huangling Mausoleum, Song Lian's Northern Proclamation of 1367, and the Gengshen Waishi, together with Edward Dreyer, Early Ming China: A Political History 1355-1435, and F. W. Mote in The Cambridge History of China, volume 7. The very large army figures (such as 600,000 at Poyang Lake or 250,000 on the northern expedition) are figures recorded in the sources and are best read as claims; modern estimates are smaller. If you enjoy deep, carefully sourced narratives from Chinese history, subscribe and turn on notifications. #MingDynasty #ChineseHistory #ZhuYuanzhang #Hongwu #YuanDynasty #MongolEmpire #History