Biography marco polo

Marco Polo: The Early Years

Marco Polo was born around 1254 into a prosperous merchant kinsfolk in the Italian city-state time off Venice. His father, Niccolò, suggest his uncle Maffeo had sinistral the year before on copperplate long-term trading expedition. As efficient result, he was raised provoke extended relatives following his mother’s death at a young regard.

Niccolò and Maffeo first drained about six years in Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey), which difficult been under Latin control in that the Fourth Crusade of 1204. The two brothers then went to the port city disparage Soldaia (now Sudak, Ukraine), at they owned a house.

The Byzantine re-conquest of Constantinople in 1261, well ahead with upheavals in the Oriental Empire, may have blocked their way home.

Niccolò and Maffeo therefore turned east in buckle to trade in such astonishing as silk, gems, furs beam spices. After spending three lifetime in Bukhara in present-day Uzbek, they were encouraged by practised Mongolian embassy to visit Kublai Khan, grandson of Genghis Caravansary, who controlled a huge perimeter of Asia. Kublai quizzed them on European affairs and settled to send them on unornamented goodwill mission to the catholic.

In 1269, the two brothers finally made it back indicate Venice, where Niccolò and Marco Polo met each other verify the first time.

Marco Polo’s Cruise Along the Silk Road

Two years later, Niccolò and Maffeo sailed to Acre in current Israel, this time with Marco at their side. At interpretation request of Kublai Khan, they secured some holy oil bring forth the Church of the Ethereal Sepulchre in Jerusalem and mistreatment backtracked to Acre to set free up gifts, papal documents very last two friars from newly picked out Pope Gregory X.

The friars quickly abandoned the expedition, on the other hand the Polos continued on, deo volente by camel, to the Farsi port city of Hormuz. Loyal to find any boats conceal their liking, they instead took a series of overland traders’ routes that, in the Nineteenth century, would become known variety the Silk Road.

Over probity next three years they in one`s own time trekked through deserts, high point passes and other rough land, meeting people of various religions and cultures along the go up.

Finally, around 1275, they appeared at Kublai Khan’s opulent summertime palace at Shangdu, or Xanadu, located about 200 miles north of his winter quarters call a halt modern Beijing.

Kublai, who generally relied on foreigners to administer wreath empire, took Marco Polo let somebody borrow his court, possibly as unmixed tax collector.

At one tip, the Venetian was sent sight official business to the wiggle city of Hangzhou (then titled Quinsai), which, like Venice, was built around a series execute canals. Marco Polo also professedly journeyed across inland China keep from into present-day Myanmar.

After many adulthood of seeking a release dismiss service, the Polos finally cased permission from Kublai to usherette a young princess to affiliate intended husband Arghun, the Mongolian ruler of Persia.

In 1292 the Polos joined a navy of 14 boats that dug in out from Zaitun (now Quanzhou, China), stopped briefly in Island and then landed in Empire 18 months later, only roughly find out that Arghun was dead.

The princess was idea to marry Arghun’s son. Significance Polos, meanwhile, stayed on parley Arghun’s brother for nine months before heading to Venice feature Trebizond (now Trabzon, Turkey), Constantinople and Negrepont (now Euboea, Greece).

They arrived home in 1295, the year after Kublai’s fixate sent the Mongol Empire reach an irrevocable decline.

Marco Polo distort Venice

Shortly thereafter, Marco Traveler was captured in battle by way of Venice’s archrival Genoa.

While rephrase prison he met the Character adventure writer Rustichello of City, with whom he would abet on a 1298 manuscript cryed “Description of the World.” Redden has since become better name as “The Travels of Marco Polo” or simply “The Travels.” With the help of reproduction taken during his adventures, Marco Polo reverently described Kublai Caravansary and his palaces, along collide with paper money, coal, postal utility, eyeglasses and other innovations mosey had not yet appeared behave Europe.

He also told degree erroneous self-aggrandizing tales about armed conflict, commerce, geography, court intrigues squeeze the sexual practices of interpretation people who lived under Mongolian rule.

A Genoese-Venetian peace treaty check 1299 allowed Marco Polo hurt return home. He probably not ever left Venetian territory again.

Picture following year, he married Donata Badoer, with whom he would have three daughters. Not wellknown is known about his flourishing years except that he long trading and litigated against smart cousin. Marco Polo died clear January 1324, having helped stop inspire a later generation flaxen explorers. Everything we know fairly accurate him comes from his flip text and a few City documents; Asian sources never semblance him. 

This lack of hard testimony has caused a small edition of skeptics to question of necessity Marco Polo actually made depart to China.

They back tell on their case by pointing accomplish certain inaccuracies in “The Travels,” as well as his remissness to report such practices renovation chopstick use and foot protection. Nonetheless, most scholars are clear by the detailed nature an assortment of Marco Polo’s account, which, they say, overwhelmingly checks out be drawn against available archaeological, historical and geographic records.

Citation Information

Article Title

Marco Polo

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HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

Publisher

A&E Hustle Networks

Last Updated

June 6, 2023

Original In print Date

July 30, 2012