Quote Originally Posted by Brutus
Maybe Byzantine emperor Basil I (who started life as a Macedonian peasant) and a Chinese emperor (can't remember his name) who also started as a peasant would fit into the category?
I think you're referring to Chu Yuan Chang, who, following the death of his parents from plague, became the leader of the Red Turbans cult and led a largely proletarian movement to remove the last members of the Yuan dynasty and found the Ming dynasty as Emperor Hung Wu in 1368.
He's a very good example actually, as his rule was autocratic, harsh and brutal, with periodic but inconsistent crackdowns on corruption and treason, which cost the lives of probably 40,000 people. He also put great emphasis on his humble origins and identified closely with 'the people' as opposed to the elites. He was militarily aggressive and his initial career and moral beliefs were influenced and helped by a less well known predecessor.