The son of a merchant, Marco Polo followed in his father's footsteps and turned his travel stories of the Silk Road and his time at the court of Mongolian ruler Kublai Khan into the widely popular "Il Milione", which was later known as "The Travels of Marco Polo". As one of the early pioneers of exploration, he inspired future explorers like Christopher Columbus and Bento de Gois.
Marco Polo's Early Years
Not much is known about the birth of Marco Polo but the most common theory is that he was born around 1254 either in Venice or on the island of Curzola off the coast of Dalmatia where his father and uncle had established a trading outpost. His father Niccolo and his uncle Matteo were wealthy merchants who traded goods throughout the Middle East. They were away on a trading trip when Marco was born and when his mother died soon after, he was raised by an aunt and uncle. During this time he was educated in foreign currency, appraising and the handling of cargo ships as well as commercial French, the works of classical authors, the Bible and the basic theology of the Latin Church. Marco was fifteen when his father returned to Venice and the two met for the first time. The Polos would spend another two years in Venice before they woud depart again.
The Journey to Cathay
The three Polos set out for Cathay (what is now China) in 1271 with gifts and letters from Pope Gregory X to Kublai Khan. Niccolo and Matteo had met the Great Khan on the previous trip and had returned with a request fo the Pope to send 100 missionaries to the Mongol Empire (which was denied). The Polos passed through Armenia, Persia, Afghanistan, over the Pamir mountains, along the Silk Road and through the Taklamakan and Gobi deserts to Cambaluc (which is now Beijing), a journey that took over three years to complete.
Marco Polo's Service to Kublai Khan
When they arrived in Cambaluc they were welcomed into Khan's court and he took them into his service. Marco impressed Khan with his grasp of the Mongolian language and the way he observed the world around him. These qualities made him a favorite of the Khan's and he was sent on several missions into areas of China, Burma and India that would not be seen by a European again until last century. He also held several government positions including Ambassador to Khan and Governor of the city of Yangzhou. Marco became fascinated by the innovations he saw around him including asbestos, paper currency, coal and the Imperial postal system, all ideas that he later brought back to Europe. During the seventeen years they spent in China, they amassed a great fortune, but they longed to be home in Venice. Khan eventually let them leave in 1292 as long as they escorted a princess to her wedding with a Persian prince.
The Return To Venice
With fourteen large ships carrying 600 passengers including the princess, Kokachin, the three Polos set out from the port of Zaitun in southern China. From there they sailed across the South China Sea to Singapore, Sumatra (where they were delayed for five months due to bad weather), Sri Lanka and then around the tip of India and across the Indian Ocean to the Persian port of Hormuz. By the end of their two year journey they were left with only eighteen of the original 600 passengers including the princess and all three of the Polos. After the princess' wedding to the son of her intended husband (the father had died two years before), they went overland to Trebizand then crossed the Black Sea to Constantinople before continuing to Venice.
Life in Venice and "The Travels of Marco Polo"
Marco returned to Venice at the time of a war with rival city Genoa, he joined the army and commanded a galley. In 1298 he was captured in battle and spent a year in a Genoese prison. It was during this time that he met Pisan romance writer Rustichello to whom Marco dictated accounts of his travels. When he was released from prison, he had the work published as "Il Milione" or "The Million Lies" and it quickly became one of the most popular books in medeval Europe. He settled in Venice where he married Donata Badoer and had three daughters, Fantina, Bellela and Moreta. He fell ill in 1323 and was confined to his bed. On his deathbed he uttered the epitaph: "I have only told half of what I saw!", before he died in January 1324.
Sources:
 |
 |
 |
