The Ming Dynasty During the final thirty years of the Yuan era
(1279-1368), there were famines and natural disasters. There
were also revolts and rebellions that the Yuan troops tried to
quell. But the rebellions grew in size, and rebel armies started
holding cities and large tracts of territory. One of these rebel
armies called the Red Turbans was led by Zhu Yuanzhang
(1328-1398) who gained control of the important city of Nanjing
in 1358 and made it his capital. He defeated rival armies and
gained control of Beijing in 1368 and ended Yuan Dynasty rule.
Like the Yuan Empire, the Ming Empire had strong leaders at the
beginning and was prosperous. But like the Yuan Empire, at the
end there were rebellions and natural disasters, the economy was
in shambles, and the ruling clan were ineffectual. The Ming
Dynasty ruled their empire for almost 300 years, prospered from
freer private internal trade and industry and with trade with
Europeans, and fell from internal rebellions and the attack of
the Manchus. Historica