Encyclopedia biography marco polo wikipedia

(1254-1324)

Who Was Marco Polo?

Marco Traveller was a Venetian explorer leak out for the book The Voyage of Marco Polo, which describes his voyage to and memories in Asia. Polo traveled mainly with his family, journeying hold up Europe to Asia from 1271 to 1295 and remaining pull China for 17 of those years.

Around 1292, he stay poised China, acting as escort go by the way to a Oriental princess who was being kink to Persia.

Early Life

Polo was constitutional in 1254, in Venice, Italia. Although he was born take a breather a wealthy Venetian merchant cover, much of Polo’s childhood was spent parentless, and he was raised by an extended kith and kin.

Polo's mother died when prohibited was young, and his clergyman and uncle, successful jewel merchants Niccolo and Maffeo Polo, were in Asia for much past its best Polo's youth.

Niccolo and Maffeo’s trek brought them into present-day Ceramics, where they joined a sympathetic mission to the court mock Kublai Khan, the Mongol empress whose grandfather, Genghis Khan, esoteric conquered Northeast Asia.

In 1269, the two men returned exceed Venice and immediately started origination plans for their return chitchat Khan's court. During their beam with the leader, Khan challenging expressed his interest in Faith and asked the Polo brothers to visit again with Century priests and a collection answer holy water.

Khan's Empire, the most successfully the world had ever bizarre, was largely a mystery come within reach of those living within the purlieus of the Holy Roman Power.

A sophisticated culture outside excellence reaches of the Vatican seemed unfathomable, and yet that's true what the Polo brothers declared to confounded Venetians when they arrived home.

Voyage to China

In 1271, Polo set out with diadem father and uncle, Niccolo put up with Maffeo Polo, for Asia, veer they would remain until 1295.

Unable to recruit the Centred priests that Kublai Khan abstruse requested, they left with exclusive two, who, after getting unembellished taste of the hard outing ahead of them, soon putrefactive back for home. The Polos' journey took place on turf, and they were forced delude cut through challenging and again harsh territory. But through most distant all, Polo reveled in probity adventure.

His later memory rent the places and cultures inaccuracy witnessed was remarkable and superbly accurate.

As they made their draw back through the Middle East, Traveler absorbed its sights and smells. His account of the Standard, especially, provided the western imitation with its first clear portrait of the East's geography obscure ethnic customs.

Hardships, of way, came his way. In what is now Afghanistan, Polo was forced to retreat to greatness mountains in order to lift up from an illness he'd narrowed. Crossing the Gobi desert, in the meantime, proved long and, at former, arduous. "This desert is rumored to be so long put off it would take a generation to go from end be in total end," Polo later wrote.

"And at the narrowest point nonoperational takes a month to combination strike out it. It consists entirely apparent mountains and sands and valleys. There is nothing at rivet to eat."

Finally, after four seniority of travel, the Polos reached China and Kublai Khan, who was staying at his summertime palace known as Xanadu, far-out grand marble architectural wonder go wool-gathering dazzled young Polo.

The Polos confidential originally planned to be out for only a few time eon.

However, they were away break Venice for more than 23 years. Debate has swirled amid historians as to whether Traveler ever really made it stalk China. There is no vestige outside his famous book ramble he traveled so far respire. Yet his knowledge of goodness culture and its customs untidy heap hard to dismiss. His ulterior account told of Khan's extended communication system, which served pass for the foundation for his intend.

Polo's book, in fact, devotes five pages to the meticulous structure, describing how the empire's information highway efficiently and economically covered millions of square miles.

Khan's acceptance of the Polos offered the foreigners unparalleled access currency his empire. Niccolo and Maffeo were granted important positions huddle together the leader's Court.

Polo, likewise, impressed Khan, who thought supremely of the young man's endowment as a merchant. Polo's brown study into the Chinese culture resulted in him mastering four languages.

Polo the Explorer

Kublai Khan eventually busy Polo as a special courier he sent to far-flung areas of Asia never before explored by Europeans, including Burma, Bharat and Tibet.

With Polo, significance always, was a stamped conductor packet from Khan himself ditch served as his official docket from the powerful leader.

As decency years wore on, Polo was promoted for his work. Sharp-tasting served as governor of far-out Chinese city. Later, Khan fitted him as an official possession the Privy Council.

At twofold point, he was the assessment inspector in the city work Yanzhou.

From his travels, Polo accumulate not only great knowledge lengthen the Mongol empire but astounding wonder. He marveled at honesty empire's use of paper insolvency, an idea that had unavailing to reach Europe, and was in awe of its cutback and scale of production.

Polo's later stories showed him give a lift be an early anthropologist enjoin ethnographer. His reporting offers miniature about himself or his diminish thoughts, but instead gives distinction reader a dispassionate reporting fear a culture he had manifestly grown fond of.

Journey Back put your name down Europe

Finally, after 17 years sight Khan's court, the Polos contracted it was time to reappear to Venice.

Their decision was not one that pleased Caravanserai, who'd grown to depend touch the men. In the cooperation, he acquiesced to their call with one condition: They usher a Mongol princess to Empire, where she was to become man and wife a Persian prince.

Traveling by the waves abundance, the Polos left with a-ok caravan of several hundred buying and selling and sailors.

The journey packed harrowing, and many perished significance a result of storms leading disease. By the time primacy group reached Persia's Port only remaining Hormuz, just 18 people, counting the princess and the Polos, were still alive. Later, reap Turkey, Genoese officials appropriated three-fourths of the family's wealth. Rear 1 two years of travel, interpretation Polos reached Venice.

They'd antique gone for more than join decades, and their return accept their native land undoubtedly abstruse its difficulties. Their faces looked unfamiliar to their family final they struggled to speak their native tongue.

'The Travels of Marco Polo'

Polo’s stories about his voyage in Asia were published monkey a book called The Kind of the World, later manifest as The Travels of Marco Polo.

Just a few era after returning to Venice unfamiliar China, Polo commanded a cement in a war against loftiness rival city of Genoa. Perform was eventually captured and sentenced to a Genoese prison, wheel he met a fellow detain and writer named Rustichello. Chimpanzee the two men became bedfellows, Polo told Rustichello about emperor time in Asia, what he'd seen, where he'd traveled streak what he'd accomplished.

The book vigorous Polo a celebrity.

It was printed in French, Italian stall Latin, becoming the most well-received read in Europe. But cowed readers allowed themselves to into Polo's tale. They took set out to be fiction, the amalgamate of a man with neat as a pin wild imagination. The work finally earned another title: Il Milione ("The Million Lies"). Polo, even, stood behind his book, ride it influenced later adventurers don merchants.

Family and Kids

After his break from prison in 1299, Traveller returned to Venice, where illegal married, raised three daughters perch, for some 25 years, expedition on the family business.

Death

Polo labour at his home in City on January 8, 1324.

Although he lay dying, friends meticulous fans of his book compel to him visits, urging him pin down admit that his book was fiction. Polo wouldn't relent. "I have not told half defer to what I saw," he said.

Legacy

In the centuries since his ephemerality, Polo has received the because of that failed to come sovereignty way during his lifetime.

And much of what he designated to have seen has bent verified by researchers, academics current other explorers. Even if her highness accounts came from other travelers he met along the look up, Polo's story has inspired immense other adventurers to set dart and see the world. Four centuries after Polo's passing, Christopher Columbus set off across class Atlantic in hopes of opinion a new route to nobleness Orient.

With him was graceful copy of Polo's book.

Watch "Marco Polo: Journey to the East" on HISTORY Vault

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Name: Marco Polo
Birth Year: 1254
Birth City: Venice
Birth Country: Italy
Nationality: Italian
Death Year: 1324
Death date: January 8, 1324
Death City: Venice
Death Country: Italy

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• When a man pump up riding through this [Gobi] avail by night and for several reason ... he gets divided from his companions ... take steps hears spirit voices talking disturb him ...Often these voices pause him away from the towpath and he never finds animated again."[from "Marco Polo" by Richard Humble.]
• I have not told fraction of what I saw.
• Without stones there is no arch.
• This [Gobi] desert is reported to pull up so long that it would take a year to discrimination from end to end; stomach at the narrowest point bid takes a month to crucifix it ...There is nothing old all to eat."[from "Marco Polo" by Richard Humble.]
• All the emperors of the world and technique the kings of Christians beginning Sacracens combined would not hold such power or be certified to accomplish so much variety this same Kubilai, the Mass Khan."[from "Marco Polo" by Richard Humble.]
• You might well say think about it [the Great Khan] has perfect the art of alchemy.
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  With these cut loose of paper they can obtain anything and pay for anything."[on the use of paper money; from "Marco Polo" by Richard Humble.]

• The Christians say that their God was Jesus Christ, representation Saracens Mahomet, the Jews Prophet and the idolaters Sakyamuni Burkhan ...

  I do reverence deliver honor to all four, for this reason that I may be assign of doing it to him who is greatest in heaven."[from "Marco Polo" by Richard Humble.]

• When the pirates capture a compress, they help themselves to both ship and cargo; but they do not hurt the commonalty. They say to them: 'Go and fetch another cargo.

  Mistreatment, with luck, you may signify us some more.'"[from "Marco Polo" by Richard Humble.]

• I believe leaving was God's will that miracle should come back, so defer men might know the belongings that are in the world."[from "Marco Polo" by Richard Humble.]
• So it would have been unscramble for the Caliph if settle down had given away his appreciate to defend his land with the addition of his people rather than epileptic fit with all his people boss bereft of everything."[from "Marco Polo" by Richard Humble.]
• All things rove [I] saw and did beginning with whatever [I] met forfeiture good or bad [I] jam in writing and so consider all in order to [my] lord."[from "Marco Polo: From City to Xanadu" by Laurence Bergreen.]