Marco Polo

Main article: The Travels of Marco Polo

Further information: Venice, Silk Road, Mongol Empire, Yuan dynasty, Kublai Khan, European to reach China, Christopher Columbus

Early Life

Marco Polo was born around 1254 in Venice. His father and uncle were merchants who travelled far away places. They met the powerful leader Kublai Khan in Asia. When they returned home, they met Marco for the first time.

The Great Journey

In 1271, Marco, his father, and his uncle began an amazing trip to Asia. They travelled along the Silk Road and visited many new places. Finally, they reached a place called Cathay, which is now part of China. There, they met Kublai Khan and joined his royal court.

Travels and Return

Around 1291, the Polos agreed to help a Mongol princess travel to Persia. After they left her, they journeyed back to Venice through Constantinople. Their trip took 24 years. When they arrived, Venice was fighting a war with Genoa. Marco fought for Venice and was captured by the Genoans.

Legacy

Marco Polo was not the first European to reach China, but he was the first to write down a detailed story of his experiences. His book described many new things from Asia, like porcelain, gunpowder, and paper money. His stories inspired later explorers such as Christopher Columbus.

Life

Marco Polo was born around 1254 in Venice. His father and uncle were merchants who traveled through Asia and met the Mongol ruler Kublai Khan. When Marco was seventeen, in 1271, he joined them on a trip to Asia. They went to China, where Marco helped Kublai Khan by traveling to many places in the empire and nearby lands.

After many years, the Polos came back to Venice in 1295. They brought stories and treasures from their travels. Marco wrote a book about his adventures. In the book, he told Europeans about life in the Far East for the first time.

The Travels of Marco Polo

Main article: The Travels of Marco Polo

Further information: Franco-Mongol alliance and Byzantine-Mongol alliance

Marco Polo's book, The Travels of Marco Polo, shares his adventures in Asia. It was written down by a writer named Rustichello when they were both prisoners. The book shows many places and cultures that Europeans did not know much about, like China and other parts of Asia.

The book has many versions because it was copied by hand before printing was invented. Some parts might be exaggerated or added for fun, but many details match what we know from other sources. Marco Polo's book was very popular and helped people in Europe learn about faraway places.

Scholarly analyses

Scholars wonder if Marco Polo wrote his book about what he saw or stories he heard from others. Some say he didn’t mention important things like the Great Wall of China or chopsticks. Others say these omissions don’t prove he didn’t travel to China. For example, the Great Wall as we know it today was built much later, and some historians think it wasn’t very important during Polo’s time.

Supporters say Polo’s book is mostly true and gives us useful information about life in China during the Yuan dynasty. They say many of his descriptions match what we know from other sources and Chinese records. Overall, most scholars think Marco Polo did travel to China, even if he may have exaggerated some parts of his story.

Legacy

See also: Age of Discovery, Europeans in Medieval China, Chronology of European exploration of Asia, Jorge Álvares, and Rafael Perestrello

Marco Polo's book about his travels was the first to tell Europeans about Asia. It inspired other explorers, including Christopher Columbus, who kept a copy with his own notes. Another explorer, Bento de Góis, traveled across Central Asia and reached the Great Wall of China in 1605. He showed that the land he called Cathay was actually China.

Marco Polo's journey helped Europeans learn more about mapping and exploration. His family made some maps based on his stories. There is a popular but incorrect legend that Marco Polo brought pasta to Italy. Pasta was already known there long before his travels.

Marco Polo is remembered in many ways. There is a breed of sheep called the Marco Polo sheep named after him. A famous ship and an airport in Venice are also named in his honor. His stories have inspired many books, films, games, and television shows.