Red Turbans

Red Turban Rebellion
Date 1351–1368 Location Yangtze River valley, China Result Yuan overthrown, Ming established
Belligerents
Yuan dynasty	Red Turban Army
Commanders and leaders
Toghon Temür	Zhu Yuanzhang
a Wakeman (1993), p. 8, n. 37. bTTSL, 13/165, quoted in Hok-lam Chan (1975), p. 703.

The Red Turban Rebellion (Chinese: 紅巾起義; pinyin: Hóngjīn Qǐyì) was an uprising influenced by the White Lotus Society members that, between 1351 and 1368, targeted the ruling Yuan dynasty of China, eventually leading to its overthrow.

Since the 1340s, the Mongol Yuan dynasty was experiencing problems. The Yellow River flooded constantly, and other natural disasters also occurred. At the same time, the Yuan dynasty required considerable military expenditure to maintain its vast empire.

The Red Turban Army (紅巾軍) was originally started by the followers of White Lotus and Manichaeism and was founded by Guo Zixing (郭子興) to resist the Mongols. The name "Red Turban" was used because of their tradition of using red banners and wearing red turbans to distinguish themselves.

These rebellions began on a sporadic basis, firstly on the coast of Zhejiang, when Fang Guozhen and his men assaulted a group of Yuan officials. After that, the White Lotus society led by Han Shantong in the north of the Yellow River became the centre of anti-Mongol sentiment. A few rebel groups crossed the Yalu River from their base in Liaoning to capture Pyongyang on the Korean Peninsula. This invasion was repelled by Goryeo, under generals Choe Yeong and Yi Seonggye.

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