During the feudal period, a person’s background was closely tied to and determined their entire life. However, throughout history, many individuals have risen from nothing to unexpectedly hold power. Sometimes, the smallest farmers achieve the highest positions.
Queen Catherine I of Russia
Queen Catherine I (1684 – 1727), born Marta Skowronska, was the queen of the Russian Empire from 1725 until her death.
Marta Skowronska came from a peasant family in Latvia. At the age of three, her father died of the plague, and shortly after, her mother passed away, leaving her an orphan. Subsequently, Skowronska was taken in by a clergyman’s family to help with household chores and was regarded as their adopted child. However, she did not receive any formal education, and by the time she left this family, she could neither read nor write.
When the Russian army occupied Latvia during the Great Northern War (1702), Skowronska was a beautiful 17-year-old girl. She was captured as a prisoner of war and brought to serve in the household of a nobleman, where 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 with the young and beautiful 23-year-old. By 1712, Skowronska became the second wife of the Tsar. The couple had twelve children, but ten of them died, leaving them with one son and one daughter.
When Tsar Peter I died without naming a successor, the vacant throne was supported by courtiers and some powerful princes for Marta. In 1725, she became the first queen of Russia.
Justin I – Eastern Roman Empire
Justin I (453 – 527) was the Byzantine Emperor (Eastern Roman Empire) from 518 to 527 AD.
Justin initially worked as a farmer and hired pig herder from the region of Dardania, which was part of the Diocese of Illyria. As a teenager, he and two friends escaped an invasion and sought refuge in the Byzantine capital, Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul). To make a living, Justin soon joined the army, and due to his talent and courage, he quickly rose through the ranks during the reign of Emperor Anastasius I.
At the time of Emperor Anastasius I’s death in 518, Justin held a significant position in the court as the commander of the imperial guard. Through his command position and bribery with gifts and money, Justin gained the support of the courtiers to seize the throne as Emperor.
However, some sources state that Emperor Anastasius had no heirs, so before he passed away, he declared that whoever entered his chamber next would take over the rule of the country. That person was none other than Justin. After ascending the throne, he wrote a letter to the Pope stating that this was against his wishes, and he had no intention of becoming Emperor.
Nevertheless, with his military background and shrewdness, he maintained the throne for nine years.
Emperor Diocletian of Rome
Gaius Valerius Aurelius Diocletianus (244 – 311) was the supreme leader of Rome from 284 to 305.
Diocletian was the son of a peasant in the province of Dalmatia, Illyria. He joined the military and rose through the ranks of the Roman Army to become the cavalry commander under Emperor Carus. He was regarded as an ambitious commander.
After Emperor Carus died from a lightning strike, his two sons, Numerian and Carinus, took power in the East and West, respectively. However, soon after, Numerian died.
By exposing Aper, the suspect in Numerian’s death, Diocletian gained considerable support from the courtiers. The Roman army proclaimed him the new emperor. He solidified his position by defeating Carinus in the Battle of Margus in 285.
With his ascent to power, he ended the crisis of the Roman Empire in the 3rd century.
Empress Theodora – Eastern Roman Empire
Theodora (500 – 548) was the Byzantine Empress, wife of Emperor Justinian I (a descendant of Emperor Justin I). In fact, she was the most powerful and influential woman in the history of the Eastern Roman Empire.
Few know about Theodora’s early life. She was the daughter of a bear tamer. Growing up in a theater with a mother who was a dancer and actress, she learned various entertainments from a young age to earn money.
After her father’s death, at the age of 15, she became a child star in comedies, pantomimes, and even in brothels. Theodora became the breadwinner of her family through her acting and “bedroom” skills offstage.
In 522, she abandoned her previous lifestyle and lived in a house near the palace. Her beauty, intelligence, and charm captivated Emperor Justinian I. To marry Theodora, he changed existing Roman laws that prohibited royal members from marrying actresses.
From then on, she became the emperor’s closest confidante and trusted advisor. She began to participate in politics and worked to end the sex slavery system, becoming one of the pioneers of feminism.
Emperor Maximinus Thrax of Rome
Gaius Julius Verus Maximinus Augustus (173 – 238), also known as Maximinus I, was the Roman Emperor from 235 to 238.
There is scarce documentation about Maximinus, recorded in various ancient texts, notably in the Roman History by Herodian. According to this, he was a shepherd born in Thrace, a distant land near the Black Sea. Due to his background, he was looked down upon by the Senate, considered a barbarian rather than a true Roman.
With a “gigantic” stature (over 2.4 meters) and extraordinary strength, Maximinus began his military career in the Roman army in 190 and quickly achieved a high status due to his exceptional talent.
In 235, while commanding a battalion of recruits from Pannonia, Maximinus was extremely displeased with the young Roman Emperor Alexander Severus’s weakness in dealing with disputes with Germany. He assassinated Alexander and was proclaimed emperor by the soldiers.
As a warlike emperor, he marched his army into Italy to suppress those challenging his throne. Unfortunately, on the way, his army was defeated, leading to his bad reputation. By 238, some soldiers assassinated Maximinus and his son.
Emperor Gaozu of Han – China
Emperor Gaozu of Han (256 – 195 BC), born Liu Bang, was the founding emperor of the Han Dynasty and one of only two Chinese emperors from a peasant background.
Liu Bang was born into a peasant family in Jiangsu. As a child, he was playful and mischievous. A pivotal moment in his life occurred when he witnessed the ceremonial procession of the emperor passing by, realizing his goal was a life of nobility and power, which led him to focus on achieving this ambition.
After a difficult time in politics, he discovered a quicker path to the throne through military uprising. In 209 BC, he led his troops to attack Xianyang, ending the rule of the Qin Dynasty. In 202 BC, Liu Bang led an army of 300,000 to besiege and force Xiang Yu to commit suicide. Liu Bang emerged victorious and declared himself emperor in Shandong, naming his dynasty Han.
Lord Toyotomi Hideyoshi – Japan
Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537 – 1598) was a daimyo (feudal lord) during the Sengoku period. He was born in Owari Province (now Nagoya) as the son of a farmer. In his childhood, he was nicknamed Saru (Monkey) due to his playful nature and love of climbing trees. His father died when he was seven years old.
Around 1557, after wandering around, he returned home and served in the army of Oda Nobunaga, the lord of Owari at that time. Although not of samurai lineage, his social connections and intelligence allowed him to quickly rise to the rank of general. Hideyoshi became Nobunaga’s closest confidant.
When Nobunaga was assassinated, Hideyoshi avenged him and took control, ending a 150-year-long war in Japan. Acting as the de facto ruler of Japan, he had Osaka Castle built and conducted two invasions of the Korean Peninsula in 1592 and 1597, both of which ended in failure.
Emperor Basil I – Eastern Roman Empire
Basil I (811 – 886) was the Byzantine Emperor from 867 until his death.
He was born into a peasant family in Macedonia. According to popular tales, he was kidnapped as a child by Khan Krum (the Bulgarian tyrant). Basil was fortunate to escape at the age of 20 and moved to Constantinople to build his career.
Initially, he worked as a stable master in the household of Theophilitzes, the uncle of Emperor Michael III, in 866. Later, he caught the attention of Emperor Michael III due to his horse-taming skills and reputation from wrestling matches he participated in. He became the emperor’s bodyguard and confidant.
Realizing that his job essentially involved beating others, Basil boldly took a step further by murdering Michael III’s uncle. Not stopping there, after discovering that Emperor Michael III had shifted his attention to another sycophant, Basil did not hesitate to murder Michael III and seize the throne.
He ruled for 19 years and died during a hunting expedition in 886.
Emperor Ivaylo of Bulgaria
There are no specific records of Ivaylo’s birth or death dates, but he was the Emperor of Bulgaria from 1278 to 1279.
Ivaylo worked as a pig herder and was so poor that people called him “cabbage.” Discontent with the rule of King Constantine at the time, Ivaylo led a group of farmers to drive the Tatars (a nomadic tribe of Turkish origin) out of his territory.
After defeating the Tatars, he marched to the capital to express his dissatisfaction with the weakness of King Constantine. However, instead of enacting reforms to win the people’s favor, the king ordered his troops to kill all the protesters. Despite this, events did not unfold as expected for the emperor; the farmers achieved a glorious victory, and Ivaylo personally ended the king’s life in battle.
Following this victory, Ivaylo married the widow of the late emperor and became the new king of the country. Although he ruled for only one year, he defeated the Byzantine Empire and the Tatars before being overthrown and exiled by a group of nobles.
Zhu Yuanzhang – China
Zhu Yuanzhang (1328 – 1398) was the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty in China.
Born into a poor peasant family, Zhu Yuanzhang was originally named Zhu Chongba. His parents died of disease when he was 16, leaving him to become a beggar on the streets. Eventually, he “shaved his head” at the Huangjue Temple. However, after numerous upheavals, he found himself wandering again. In 1352, he joined a local uprising against the Mongol forces, which later merged with the Red Turban Army, quickly rising to leadership and guiding the forces to push the Mongols back to the north.
Zhu Yuanzhang declared himself emperor in 1368, adopting the era name Hongwu (meaning “vast and mighty”) and establishing his capital in Nanjing. After ascending the throne, he enacted the Great Ming Code, regarded as one of the greatest achievements of feudal China.
Zhu Yuanzhang passed away in 1398 at the age of 70.
