Marco Polo 473Used for Historic Exploration, 1290–1699 (New York:
Parkstone Press, 2000).
Marco Polo (Marcus Paulus) (1254–1324) famous
traveler
The son of a merchant, Marco Polo was born in VENICEin
- Very little is known about him except what is in his
account of his travels to the court of the great khan in
China. According to Polo’s account, his uncle, Matteo,
and his father, Niccolò, set out from Soldaia on the BLACK
SEA, and arrived by a long and difficult journey on the
Silk Road at the residence of KUBLAIKHAN. After return-
ing to ITA LY, Matteo and Niccolò set off again in 1271,
furnished with letters from the pope and accompanied by
the young Marco. They arrived at the MONGOLcourt in - According to Marco’s account, the khan, was
impressed by Marco’s knowledge of languages and took
him into his service, entrusting him with important mis-
sions in the Mongol Empire and India. The khan eventu-
ally asked that the pope send him 100 men instructed in
the Christian religion and oil from a lamp in front of the
Holy Sepulchre at JERUSALEM. At the end of 16 years, in
1291, the Polos left to return home by sea, while escort-
ing a Mongol princess intended for a royal marriage in
Persia. They reached Venice between 1295 and 1297.
HIS BOOK OF MARVELSIn 1298 Marco was captured during a naval battle
between Venice and GENOA and imprisoned, probably
until May 1299. There Marco Polo was supposed to have
dictated the account of his adventures to a fellow captive,
who happened to be a successful writer of romances. It is
not clear whether he actually wrote or dictated the book
in prison. Nor is it even clear that it was first written in
the Venetian dialect. In tradition he then ended his life in
peace, heaped with honors by the republic of Venice. He
was well off but not rich and had three daughters. There
is a document recording that he granted freedom to a
Mongol slave. A will suggested that he died on January 8,- There are still disputes about which route he used
and whether he actually arrived.
THE BOOK
TheBook of Marvelsor Il Milionestill commands great
success. It described the countries of Central Asia and
the khan’s empire, almost in the form of an itinerary,
with directions and the number of days’ travel required
to each place. Polo was interested in the number of
inhabitants, their religion, their customs, the resources
of each region, towns, and monuments. Marco admired
the khan and the competence of his government. He
might have done service in the government of the khan,
but certain aspects and details of the book demonstrated
a strange lack of knowledge and were simply erroneous.
The book was not initially very popular but became so
soon after his death. It was a chief source for information
on Asia for Europeans and was influential in COLUMBUS’s
plan to sail west to reach the East.
See alsoJOHN OFPLANOCARPINI.Marco Polo and Kublai Khan, Livre des Merveilles(ca. 1413), Ms. 2810, fol. 3v., Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris (Art Resource)