Marco Polo
1254–1324 |
Marco Polo was an Italian merchant and explorer who spent many years at the court of Kublai Khan in China alongside his father and uncle. There he served as ambassador and governor of the city of Yangzhou. He is a well-known explorer, and his travels opened the Eastern world to many in Europe.
When Marco was born, his father and uncle were away doing business with Mongol leader Kublai Khan, who had requested that they bring him the sacred oil of Jerusalem. They arrived to meet Polo when he was fifteen years old, and two years later he accompanied the brothers on their return trip to China, armed with the oil and letters from the papacy. The events that occurred over the next twenty-four years are a combination of fact and fiction, but the three men were greatly welcomed by Mongol Emperor and valued for their knowledge of western ways and trade routes.
During their long stay in the east, Polo served in several high-level government positions, and when his family returned to Italy in 1295, they were loaded down with gold and jewels. Unfortunately, however, they had arrived in the midst of an Italian war with Genoa, and Polo was taken prisoner. For four years he remained locked away, relating stories of his life in China to his cellmate, who compiled them and other accounts into The Travels of Marco Polo. After Polo was released, he went to live in a large estate with his father and uncle. He became a wealthy businessman, and in the next year he married the daughter of a fellow merchant, Vitale Badoer. Polo lived the rest of his life in Venice with his wife and three daughters. In 1323, Polo was confined to bed due to an illness, and he passed away in January of the next year. His explorations influenced many other adventurers, among them Christopher Columbus.
Key events during the life of Marco Polo:
| Born, probably in the Venetian Rebublican | |
| Met his father and uncle for the first time | |
| Set out for Asia with his father and uncle, brought Khan the sacred oil from Jerusalem | |
| Returned from China with an abundance of wealth, taken prisoner during war with Genoa | |
| Was released from prison and went to live with his father and uncle | |
| Married Donata Badoer | |
| Died due to a year-long illness |
| Book Links |
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Other Resources
| Early Intercourse with China in | The Story of China by R. Van Bergen |
| The Prince of Travelers in | Old Time Tales by Lawton B. Evans |
| Marco Polo in | Famous Men of the Middle Ages by John H. Haaren |
| Palace of Kublai Khan in | Historical Tales: Japanese and Chinese by Charles Morris |
| Vespucci's Favorite Authors in | Amerigo Vespucci by Frederick A. Ober |
| Story of Marco Polo in | The Discovery of New Worlds by M. B. Synge |
| Marco Polo in | A Book of Discovery by M. B. Synge |
| Marco Polo Visits the Great Khan of China in | European Hero Stories by Eva March Tappan |
Image Links | ||
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 Marco Polo Leading the Venetians at Curzola in Greatest Nations - Germany |
Marco Polo in Amerigo Vespucci |
 Marco Polo in Builders of Our Country: Book I |
 The Return of the Polo Family to Venice in Builders of Our Country: Book I |
 Marco Polo Dictating an Account of His Voyages in Builders of Our Country: Book I |
 How the brothers Polo set out from Constantinople with their nephew Marco for China in A Book of Discovery |
 Polo lands at Ormuz in A Book of Discovery |
 The Polos leaving Venice for their travels to the far east. in A Book of Discovery |
 Marco Polo's Return in European Hero Stories |
 Marco studying the charts in The Adventures of Marco Polo |
 Return of the wanderers in The Adventures of Marco Polo |
 Marco shooting in the Asiatic hills. in The Adventures of Marco Polo |
 Reception of the Polos by Kublai Khan in The Adventures of Marco Polo |
 Lion hunting in Cathay in The Adventures of Marco Polo |
 Marco Polo in Africa in The Adventures of Marco Polo |
 Polos Embarking for Home in The Adventures of Marco Polo |
 Marco Polo in Battle in The Adventures of Marco Polo |
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| Kublai Khan | Great Khan of the Mogul empire in China. Grandson of Genghis Khan. Marco Polo lived at his court. |
| Poet who wrote his masterpiece The Inferno in Italian. It became universally known. |