Red Turban rebel Zhu Yuanzhang captures Nanjing
1359
The orphaned peasant-turned-warlord seized the old southern capital and made it his base, surrounding himself with Confucian advisors who taught him to govern rather than merely conquer. From Nanjing he would spend nine years subduing rival warlords before declaring himself emperor. The city gave the future Ming dynasty its legitimacy.
In context
Also in 1359 (3 other events on record)
- Murad I succeeds Orhan as Ottoman sultan · Middle East · Politics
- Moldavia gains independence under Bogdan I · Europe · Politics
- Timur-i Lenk's first major campaign in Khwarezm · Central Asia · War
Before and after in East Asia
Before and after in War
Era
Late Middle Ages (1301–1500), one of 874 events from that era on Saeculum.