3 - Marco Polos BioTravel and Legacy

Marco Polo’s Biography, Travel, and Legacy
Marco Polo was born around 1254 into a wealthy Venetian merchant family, though the actual
date and location of his birth are unknown. His father, Niccolo, and his uncle Maffeo were
successful jewel merchants who spent much of Marco's childhood in Asia. Marco's mother died
when he was young; therefore, young Marco was primarily raised by extended family.
"The merchant families were the movers and shakers of commerce and government in medieval
Venice," Susan Abernethy of The Freelance History Writer told LiveScience. They expanded long-
distance trade and people began to expect accessibility to the foreign goods they brought.
Merchants, like the Polo family, became increasingly wealthier.
The Polo brothers went as far as China, then called Cathay, during their travels. They met the
Mongol leader, Kublai Khan, at his court in Beijing. Kublai Khan, grandson of the great conqueror
Genghis Khan, expressed interest in Christianity and requested that the Polo brothers return to
Rome to speak to the pope on his behalf. Khan wanted the pope to send the Polo brothers back
to Beijing with holy water and 100 learned priests.
"Khan was an exceptional ruler for many reasons," said Abernethy. "He opened up the Mongol and
Chinese empires to travelers and traders. He patronized scholars, scientists, astronomers,
doctors, artists and poets. Khan himself was an expert in Chinese poetry. In turn, Khan was able
to take advantage of the knowledge of these foreigners in enormous projects such as efforts in
water management and hydraulic engineering and warfare and siege engineering and other
endeavors." The Polos were one family that Khan trusted and learned from.
When Marco was 15 years old, his father and uncle returned home. Though the pope did not
grant their request, the Polo brothers decided to return to Asia. This time, they took 17-year-old
Marco with them.
Finally, the Polos reached Beijing and met Kublai Khan at the summer palace, Xanadu, a glorious
marble and gold structure that enchanted young Marco. Khan happily received the Polos. He
invited them to stay and for Niccolo and Maffeo to become part of his court. Marco immersed
himself in Chinese culture, quickly learning the language and taking note of customs. Khan was
impressed and eventually appointed Marco the position of special envoy.
He learned to speak four languages and exhibited a great curiosity and tolerance regarding his
surroundings and the people he met with. Khan recognized his talents … Polo was devoted to
serving the Emperor."
This position allowed Marco to travel to the far reaches of Asia — places like Tibet, Burma and
India; places that Europeans had never before seen. Over the years, Marco was promoted to
governor of a great Chinese city, to the tax inspector in Yaznhou, and to an official seat on the
Khan's Privy Council.
"Khan provided Marco and his family with a 'paiza' — a gold tablet which authorized him to make
use of a vast network of imperial horses and lodgings. This in effect was an official passport
making the Polos honored guests of the emperor and allowing them to travel freely throughout
Asia," said Abernethy.
Through it all, Marco Polo marveled at China's cultural customs, great wealth and complex social
structure. He was impressed with the empire's paper money, efficient communication system,
coal burning, gunpowder and porcelain, and called Xanadu "the greatest palace that ever was."
Return to home
The Polos stayed in China for 17 years, amassing vast riches of jewels and gold. When they
decided to return to Venice, unhappy Khan requested that they escort a Mongol princess to
Persia, where she was to marry a prince.
During the two-year return journey by sea across the Indian Ocean, 600 passengers and
members of the crew died. By the time they reached Hormuz in Persia and left the princess, just
18 people remained alive on board. The promised prince, too, was dead, so the Polos had to
linger in Persia until a suitable match for the princess could be found.
Eventually, the Polos made it back to Venice. After being gone for 24 years, people did not
recognize them and the Polos struggled to speak Italian.
Legacy
Three years after returning to Venice, Marco Polo assumed command of a Venetian ship in a war
against Genoa. He was captured and, while being held in a Genovese prison, he met a fellow
prisoner, a romance writer called Rustichello. When prompted, Polo dictated his adventures to
Rustichello. These writings, written in French, were titled "Books of the Marvels of the World," but
are better known in English as "The Travels of Marco Polo."
"Polo's book was what we would call a "blockbuster hit" and made Marco Polo a household
name.," said Abernethy. "At first, many viewed the book as fiction, more like a chivalric fable with
its seemingly tall tales and descriptions of fantastical animals. Many copies of the book were
created and it was translated into several languages. It was only after Polo's death that people
realized the book contained the truth about his travels and what he witnessed."
Additionally, some readers questioned Polo's reliability, possibly leading to the book's popular
Italian title, "Il Milione," short for "The Million Lies." Some questioned whether Polo even went to
China or if the entire thing was hearsay.
References:
1. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/10636/10636-h/10636-h.htm
2. https://www.livescience.com/27513-marco-polo.html
3. https://exploration.marinersmuseum.org/subject/marco-polo/

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