10 famous emperors from farmers: There are Liu Bang and Zhou Yuanzhang

In the feudal period, a person's background was attached to and determined their whole life. However, in history, there are many characters who have come up from nothing to hold power that no one can expect. Sometimes, the tiniest farmers have the upper hand.

Russian Queen Catherine I

Queen Catherine I (1684 – 1727), real name Marta Skowronska, was the queen of the Russian Empire from 1725 until her death.

Marta Skowronska comes from a family of farmers in Latvia. When she was 3 years old, her father died of plague, not long after her mother also died leaving her an orphan. After that, Skowronska was adopted into the family of a clergyman to help with the housework and was adopted. However, Skowronska was not educated and by the time she left the family she was still unable to read or write.

Russian Queen Catherine I.

The time when the Russian army occupied Latvia during the Great Nordic War (1702) was also when Skowronska became a beautiful 17-year-old girl. She was taken prisoner. Skowronska was brought to serve in the residence of a minister at the time, and thanks to that, she had the opportunity to meet Tsar Peter I for the first time in the autumn of 1705. Tsar Peter I immediately fell in love. I feel for a young and beautiful 23-year-old girl. In 1712, Skowronska became the tsar's second wife. The two had 12 children together, but 10 children died one by one and they were left with only one boy and one girl.

When Tsar Peter I died without naming a successor, this vacant throne was supported by courtiers and a number of influential princes for Marta. In 1725, she became the first empress of Russia.

Justin I – Eastern Roman Empire

Justin I (453 – 527) was the Byzantine Emperor (Eastern Roman Empire) from 518 to 527 AD.

Justin was originally just a farmer and hired pig farmer from the Dardania region, part of the Diocese of Illyria. As a teenager, he and two friends escaped an invasion and took refuge in the Byzantine capital of Constantinople (present-day Istanbul). Because of his livelihood, Justin soon joined the army and thanks to his talent and courage, was soon promoted under Emperor Anastasius I.

At the time of Emperor Anastasius I's death in 518, he was holding a highly influential position in the court as commander of the garrison. Thanks to his commanding position and the bribe of gifts and money, Justin was supported by the courtiers to hold the throne as Emperor.

However, it is written that Emperor Anastasius had no descendants, so before he died, he announced that the next person to enter his room would be the ruler of the country. That person is none other than Justin. After ascending the throne, he wrote a letter to the Pope saying that it was against his will, that he had no intention of becoming Emperor.

In any case, with his military career and ingenuity, he held the throne for 9 years.

Roman Emperor Diocletian

Gaius Valerius Aurelius Diocletianus (244 – 311) was the supreme ruler of Rome from 284 to 305.

Diocletian was the son of a slave in the province of Dalmatia, Illyria. He enlisted in the army and rose through the ranks of the Roman Army to become Emperor Carus' cavalry commander. He is seen as a commander with great ambitions.

After the death of Emperor Carus due to a lightning strike, his two sons, Numerian and Carinus, took control of the East and West. But not long after, Numerian died.

By exposing Aper, who was suspected of causing Numerian's death, Diocletian gained a lot of support from his courtiers. The Roman army made him the new emperor. He consolidated his throne by defeating Carinus at the Battle of Margus in 285.

With his rise to power, he ended the crisis of the Roman Empire in the third century.

Queen Theodora – Eastern Roman Empire

Theodora (500 – 548) was a Byzantine Queen, wife of Emperor Justinian I (descendant of Emperor Justin I). In fact, she was the most powerful and influential woman in the history of the Eastern Roman Empire.

Little is known about Theodora's childhood life. She was the daughter of a bear tamer. Growing up in the theater and having a mother who was a dancer and actress, she was taught by her mother some pastimes to earn money at an early age.

After her father's death, at the age of 15, she became a child star in comedies, pantomimes, and even brothels. Theodora has become the breadwinner of the family thanks to both her acting career and her skills in being behind the scenes.

In 522, she abandoned her former way of life and lived in a house near the palace. Her beauty, intelligence, and good humor captivated Emperor Justinian I. In order to marry Theodora, he changed Roman law at the time that did not allow members of the royal family to marry an actress.

From then on, she became the closest and most trusted person to the emperor. She became involved in politics and worked to end sex slavery, becoming one of the pioneers of feminism.

Roman Emperor Maximinus Thrax

Gaius Julius Verus Maximinus Augustus (173 – 238), also titled Maximinus I, was Roman Emperor from 235 to 238.

Rare documents about Maximinus are recorded in a number of ancient sources, typically Herodian's Roman History. Accordingly, he was a shepherd born in Thrace, a remote land near the Black Sea. Given that background, he was scorned by the Senate as a barbarian, not a true Roman.

With a 'giant' appearance (over 2.4 m) and extraordinary health, Maximinus began his military career in the Roman army in 190 and quickly achieved high status with outstanding talent.

In 235, while commanding a rookie army from Pannonia, Maximinus was deeply displeased with the weakness of the then young Roman Emperor Alexander Severus in settling the dispute with Germany. He murdered Alexander and was crowned emperor by the soldiers.

A warlike emperor, he sent troops to Italy to oppress those who challenged his throne. Unfortunately, along the way, his army was defeated, giving him a bad reputation. In 238, some soldiers killed Maximinus and his son.

Han Emperor Cao To - China

Han Cao To (256 - 195 BC), real name Liu Bang, was the founding emperor of the Han dynasty and one of two Chinese kings from the peasant class.

Liu Bang was born into a peasant family in Jiangsu. As a child, he was a playful, naughty child. The milestone that changed his life was once when he was able to admire the solemn procession of the king passing by, he realized his goal was a noble life, from which he began to focus on achieving it. this ambition.

After a hard time in politics, he realized a faster way to the throne, which was to lead the rebel army. In 209 BC, he and his soldiers attacked Xianyang, ending the rule of the Qin Dynasty. In 202 BC, Liu Bang led an army of 30,000 people to surround him, causing Xiang Yu to commit suicide. Liu Bang won a great victory and proclaimed himself emperor in Shandong, taking the national name Han.

The Great Lord Toyotomi Hideyoshi – Japan

Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537 – 1598) was a daimyo (feudal lord) of the Sengoku period. He was born in Owari Province (present-day Nagoya), the son of a farmer. In childhood, he was nicknamed Saru (monkey), because he was very mischievous and liked to climb trees. His father died when he was seven years old.

Around 1557, after wandering around, he returned to his hometown and served as a soldier for the army of Oda Nobunaga - the lord of the Owari region at that time. Although not of the samurai lineage, thanks to his social connections and intelligence and courage, he was quickly promoted to general. Hideyoshi became Nobunaga's closest confidant.

When Nobunaga was assassinated, Hideyoshi avenged him and took control, ending the 150-year war in Japan. As the de facto ruler of Japan, he built Osaka Castle and launched two invasions of the Korean peninsula in 1592 and 1597, both of which were unsuccessful.

Emperor Basil I – Eastern Roman Empire

Basil I (811 – 886) was Byzantine Emperor from 867 until his death.

He was born into a farming family in Macedonia. Folklore says that as a child, he was kidnapped by Khan Krum (Bulgarian tyrant). Basil escaped at the age of 20 and went to Constantinople to build a career.

Initially, he worked as a groom in the home of Theophilitzes – the uncle of Emperor Michael III – in 866. Later, he was noticed by Emperor Michael III for his ability to tame horses and fame from tournaments. in which he participated. He became the bodyguard and courtier of the emperor.

Realizing that his job was essentially beating people up, Basil went the extra mile with the murder of Michael III's uncle. Not only that, after discovering that Emperor Michael III had devoted his attention to another courtier, Basil did not hesitate to kill Michael III and usurp the throne.

He reigned for 19 years and died during a hunt in 886.

Bulgarian Emperor Ivaylo

There are no specific records of Ivaylo's birth and death years, only known that he was Emperor of Bulgaria from 1278 to 1279.

Ivaylo worked as a pig farmer and was so poor that people called him 'cabbage'. Dissatisfied with the rule of King Constantine at that time, Ivaylo led a group of peasants to stand up to push the Tatars (nomadic tribes of Turkish origin) out of his territory.

After defeating the Tatars, he marched to the capital to express his displeasure at King Constantine's weakness. But instead of reforming to please the people, the king ordered his army to kill all the protesters. However, things did not go as planned by the emperor, the peasants triumphed and Ivaylo personally killed the king in battle.

After this victory, Ivaylo married the wife of the late emperor and became the new king of the country. Though in power for only a year, he defeated the Byzantine Empire and the Tatars before being overthrown by a group of nobles and sent into exile.

Zhou Yuanzhang – China

Zhou Yuanzhang (1328-1398) was the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty, China.

Chu Nguyen Chuong was born into a poor peasant family and was named Chu Trung Bat. His parents died of disease when he was 16 years old, making him a beggar on the street. Finally, he "cut his hair" at Hoang Giac pagoda. But after many upheavals, he had to wander around. In 1352, he joined the local uprising against the Xiongnu, which later merged with the Red Turban army, and quickly became the leader leading the force that pushed the Xiongnu to the north.

Zhou Yuanzhang proclaimed himself emperor in 1368, took the title of Hongwu (meaning 'great power') and established his capital at Nanjing. After ascending the throne, he promulgated the Dai Minh Law, which is considered one of the greatest achievements of the Chinese feudal era.

Zhou Yuanzhang died in 1398, at the age of 70.