The founder of the Ming dynasty had been a beggar.

1344 · 1368 · apart: 24 years

Zhu Yuanzhang was orphaned in the famine of 1344, became a novice monk and wandered the roads with a begging bowl; in 1368 he proclaimed himself emperor.

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The event

• Founding of the Ming dynasty1368 · Nanjing. Rebel leader Zhu Yuanzhang drove out the Mongols and proclaimed the Ming dynasty with its capital at Nanjing. The Ming ruled China for nearly three centuries, rebuilding the Great Wall and raising the Forbidden City in Beijing.

14th century

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