ABSTRACT
The Ming dynasty was established upon the ashes of the crumbling Mongol Yuan dynasty, in which much of the realm was devastated by wars, epidemics and natural disasters. This chapter summarizes the original designs of the Ming founder and the evolution of Ming society and institutions over the century after Zhu Yuanzhang's death. The emperor was uncertain about his designs for the imperial clan, therefore revised the "Ancestral Admonitions" several times. The idealized pattern of succession was troubled as well. The first crisis came when Zhu Biao, the first heir-apparent, died unexpectedly of illness in 1392. Soldiers in the Ming armies were drawn from families that were assigned a hereditary military obligation to provide men to serve in the military. Aside from these tensions along the northern border, fifteenth century saw several large-scale internal uprisings that taxed the military resources of the empire.
