Zhu Yuanzhang

Zhu Yuanzhang was born into a poor peasant family and spent time as a wandering Buddhist novice before joining the Red Turban rebellion against Mongol Yuan rule. He rose to lead one of the rebel armies, defeated his rivals, and in 1368 founded the Ming dynasty as the Hongwu Emperor, driving the Yuan court back to the steppe. He rebuilt the state on Confucian and agrarian lines but ruled with growing suspicion and cruelty, launching purges that killed tens of thousands of officials and their families. His reign fixed many of the institutions the Ming kept for centuries.