Polo, Marco (1254–1324)

Marco Polo was a Venetian traveler and merchant who traveled to China at a time when Europeans knew little about Asia. Polo served the Mongol Emperor Kublai Khan for 24 years before returning to Venice. He attained great fame with the publication of his account of the journey, Il Milione. This book helped to inspire Europe's Age of Exploration.

Marco Polo was born in Venice, Italy, into a family of merchants. Venice was an important center of trade in the medieval world. Venetian merchants maintained trading posts as far away as the Black Sea, where goods arrived along the ancient trade route known as the Silk Road. Marco's father, Nicolo Polo, and uncle, Maffeo Polo, had traveled across Asia on a trade expedition around the time of Marco's birth. They traveled deep into China, which Europeans called Cathay, and they met the Mongol ruler Kublai Khan. The Khan received them very courteously and invited them to return again with Western scholars who could teach Christianity to his people. Nicolo and Maffeo Polo returned to Venice in 1269 and prepared for a second expedition that would include Marco.

In 1271, the Polos began the long journey to the Far East along with two Christian missionaries. The two missionaries became frightened while passing through Armenia and abandoned the mission. Seventeen-year-old Marco Polo, along with his father and uncle, continued the trip alone. It took more than 3 years of travel before the Polos again met Kublai Khan, after traveling much of the way on camels. Marco Polo, with his knowledge of four languages, became a valuable diplomat in the service of the Khan. He traveled on missions throughout Asia, and for 3 years served as a government official in the Chinese city of Yanh-Chow (Janguy). After 24 years away from Venice, the Polos finally decided to return home. The Khan was very reluctant to let them go.

[Page 1025]The Polos arrived in Venice in 1295 and were scarcely recognized. They returned to a Venice that was at war with the rival city of Genoa. Marco Polo commanded a Venetian galley during the conflict but was taken prisoner by Genoa following a naval defeat. In prison, Polo wrote an account of his travels across Asia and his relationship with the great Khan. with the help of Rustichello of Pisa, Polo's story was translated into French and completed in 1298. Polo called his book The Description of the World, but the name II Milione was more commonly applied. The book became very popular and widely distributed in a time before the advent of the printing Press. The Polos were not the first Europeans to travel across Asia, but they became the most well known. By the time the Polos returned to Venice, the advance of the Turks had already cut off trade routes to China. Europeans would in time sail west to reach China and India. Following Marco Polo's release from prison in Genoa, he returned to Venice and became a wealthy and respected merchant. He never left Venice again and died at nearly 70.

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