China: Emperor Hongwu, 1st ruler of the Ming Dynasty (r. 1368-1398), 14th-17th century. The Hongwu Emperor, personal name Zhu Yuanzhang and temple name Taizu, was the founder and first emperor (1368–98) of the Ming Dynasty of China. His era name, Hongwu, means 'vastly martial'. In the middle of the 14th century, with famine, plagues and peasant revolts sweeping across China, Zhu became a leader of an army that conquered China, ending the Yuan Dynasty and forcing the Mongols to retreat to the Mongolian steppes. With his seizure of the Yuan capital (present-day Beijing), he became emperor.

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Emperor Hongwu, 1st ruler of the Ming Dynasty (r. 1368-1398). Personal Name: Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhū Yuánzhāng. Posthumous Name: Gaodi, Gāodì. Temple Name: Taizu, Tàizǔ. Reign Name: Ming Hongwu, Ming Hóngwǔ. The Hongwu Emperor was the founder and first emperor (1368–98) of the Ming Dynasty of China. His era name, Hongwu, means 'vastly martial'. In the middle of the 14th century, with famine, plagues and peasant revolts sweeping across China, Zhu became a leader of an army that conquered China, ending the Yuan Dynasty and forcing the Mongols to retreat to the Mongolian steppes. With his seizure of the Yuan capital (present-day Beijing), he claimed the Mandate of Heaven and established the Ming Dynasty in 1368.

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