Full Answer
What was Marco Polo's motivation for exploration?
Marco Polo's motivation for exploration was primarily financial, since he belonged to a family of merchants. East Asia, particularly China, offered valuable goods to be sold and traded in Europe. His motivation to explore was also familial, as he left on his voyage with his father and uncle.
What was Marco Polo's goal in traveling to China?
Subsequently, question is, what was Marco Polo's goal? Marco Polo's goal in traveling to China was to help his father and uncle fulfill the task that Kublai Khan gave them of bringing back some Christian priests and holy oil. His goal in writing about his travels was to educate contemporary Europeans about China and other lands of the East.
What was Marco Polo's impact on China?
Because of his exploration of the area, as well as many other areas in the East, such as Indonesia, Mongolia, Sri Lanka, and India, China began to experience Western culture.
Why did Marco Polo return to China?
Marco wanted to travel with his father and his uncle. Marco Polo returned to China with his father because they had orders that the emperor gave.
What did Marco Polo describe in his travels?
With the help of notes taken during his adventures, Marco Polo reverently described Kublai Khan and his palaces, along with paper money, coal, postal service, eyeglasses and other innovations that had not yet appeared in Europe.
What was Marco Polo's first journey?
Marco Polo: The Early Years. Marco Polo’s Travels Along the Silk Road. Marco Polo in Venice. Marco Polo (1254-1324) was a Venetian merchant believed to have journeyed across Asia at the height of the Mongol Empire. He first set out at age 17 with his father and uncle, traveling overland along what later became known as the Silk Road.
How long did Marco Polo stay abroad?
Marco Polo remained abroad for 24 years. Though not the first European to explore China—his father and uncle, among others, had already been there—he became famous for his travels thanks to a popular book he co-authored while languishing in a Genoese prison.
Where was Marco Polo born?
Marco Polo was born around 1254 into a prosperous merchant family in the Italian city-state of Venice. His father, Niccolò, and his uncle Maffeo had left the year before on a long-term trading expedition. As a result, he was raised by extended relatives following his mother’s death at a young age. Niccolò and Maffeo first spent about six years in Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey), which had been under Latin control since the Fourth Crusade of 1204. The two brothers then went to the port city of Soldaia (now Sudak, Ukraine), where they owned a house.
Where did the Polos go in the 19th century?
The friars quickly abandoned the expedition, but the Polos continued on, possibly by camel, to the Persian port city of Hormuz. Failing to find any boats to their liking, they instead took a series of overland traders’ routes that, in the 19th century, would become known as the Silk Road.
Where did the Polos go to?
The Polos, meanwhile, stayed on with Arghun’s brother for nine months before heading to Venice via Trebizond (now Trabzon, Turkey), Constantinople and Negrepont (now Euboea, Greece). They arrived home in 1295, the year after Kublai’s death sent the Mongol Empire into an irrevocable decline.
Who took Marco Polo into his court?
Kublai, who generally relied on foreigners to administer his empire, took Marco Polo into his court, possibly as a tax collector. At one point, the Venetian was sent on official business to the port city of Hangzhou (then called Quinsai), which, like Venice, was built around a series of canals. Marco Polo also purportedly journeyed across inland China and into present-day Myanmar.
What did Marco Polo want to do?
To sell and trade goods and spices. To obtain riches from China and Asia. To establish communication and commerce with the cultures of the for East. Marco wanted to travel with his father and his uncle.
Why did Marco Polo return to China?
Marco Polo returned to China with his father because they had orders that the emperor gave. He was tierd of his life in Venice so he decided to go with his father and uncle hoping to bring great riches from Asia and he knew that if he did that he will be known for man.
What is Marco Polo known for?
Quick Facts: Marco Polo is known for traveling along the Silk Road to China, where he explored and documented much of Asia not yet explored by Europeans. Name: Marco Polo [mahr-koh] [poh-loh] Birth/Death: 1254 - 1324. Nationality: Italian.
When did Marco Polo travel to China?
Principal Voyage. Marco Polo’s voyage began in 1271 when he traveled to Kublai Khan’s court in China with his father and uncle. Marco was 17 years old. They were only able to get two of the one hundred priests Kublai Khan wanted.
How long did it take Marco Polo to reach Venice?
This journey across the Indian Ocean took two years.They reached Venice around 1295; Marco Polo had been gone for twenty-four years.
How long did Marco Polo serve the Khan?
He served the Khan for seventeen years before deciding to head back home to Venice. After all his years of traveling on the Khan’s behalf, Marco Polo had knowledge of, or had actually visited, a greater number of different countries of the world than anyone else known.9. Subsequent Voyages.
What did Marco have to learn as a child?
As a child of a merchant family, he would have received a nice education that included reading, writing, and basic math.2 Marco’s story begins with his father and uncle’s journeys. Niccolo and Maffeo left Venice in 1254 and traveled east. Marco would not see his father again until he was 15.
What was Polo's family?
Not much is known of his early childhood. He was born into a family of wealthy merchants. His father and uncle, Niccolo and Maffeo Polo, were merchants who traveled often to Asia to trade valuable materials such as jewels and silk.
Who was the explorer who traveled the Silk Road?
Marco Polo. Mosaic of the explorer Marco Polo. Introduction. Marco Polo was a merchant in Venice before he became the famous explorer we know today. At 17, he left Venice with his father and uncle. They traveled the Silk Road to China where he met the great ruler Kublai Khan. Marco traveled much of China and the east, ...
How old was Marco Polo when he started his journey?
Marco Polo was 17 or 18 when he began his journey from Venice to the farthest reaches of the Mongol empire. Living among the emperor’s dominions, with his father and uncle, as an advisor and emissary for 16 or 17 years, he returned to Venice by way of Hormuz (aboard ship) and Constantinople (overland).
What were Marco Polo's other accomplishments in Asia?
What were Marco Polo’s other accomplishments in Asia? Kublai Khan sent Marco Polo on fact-finding missions to distant parts of the empire, including visits to Yunnan (and possibly Myanmar [Burma]) and through southeastern China to “Quinsay” (now Hangzhou).
How long did Marco Polo live in China?
Marco, his father, and his uncle set out from Venice in 1271 and reached China in 1275. The Polos spent a total of 17 years in China. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Where did Marco Polo grow up?
Little is known about Marco’s early years except that he probably grew up in Venice. He was age 15 or 16 when his father and uncle returned to meet him and learned that the pope, Clement IV, had recently died. Niccolò and Maffeo remained in Venice anticipating the election of a new pope, but in 1271, after two years of waiting, they departed with Marco for the Mongol court. In Acre (now in Israel) the papal legate, Teobaldo of Piacenza, gave them letters for the Mongol emperor. The Polos had been on the road for only a few days when they heard that their friend Teobaldo had been elected pope as Gregory X. Returning to Acre, they were given proper credentials, and two friars were assigned to accompany them, though they abandoned the Polos shortly after the expedition resumed.
Where did the Polos travel to?
Leaving Badakhshān, the Polos proceeded toward the Pamirs, but the route they followed to cross these Central Asian highlands remains uncertain. Descending on the northeastern side of the chain, they reached Kashi (“Cascar”) in what is now the Uygur Autonomous Region of Xinjiang, China.
Where did the travelers go in 1272?
From Acre the travelers proceeded to Ayas (“Laiazzo” in Marco’s writings, now Yumurtalik, on the Gulf of İskenderun, also called the Gulf of Alexandretta, in southeastern Turkey). During the early part of 1272, they probably passed through Erzurum, in what is now eastern Turkey, and Tabrīz, in what is now northern Iran, later crossing inhospitable deserts infested with brigands before reaching Hormuz on the Persian Gulf. There the Polos decided not to risk a sea passage to India and beyond but to proceed overland to the Mongol capital.
Where was Marco Polo's letter presented?
Marco Polo, his uncle, and his father presenting the pope's letter at the court of Kublai Khan, detail of an illuminated manuscript; in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, England. © Photos.com/Getty Images Plus.
Where did Marco Polo learn to trade?
Born in Venice, Marco learned the mercantile trade from his father and his uncle, Niccolò and Maffeo, who travelled through Asia and met Kublai Khan. In 1269, they returned to Venice to meet Marco for the first time. The three of them embarked on an epic journey to Asia, exploring many places along the Silk Road until they reached Cathay (China). They were received by the royal court of Kublai Khan, who was impressed by Marco's intelligence and humility. Marco was appointed to serve as Khan's foreign emissary, and he was sent on many diplomatic missions throughout the empire and Southeast Asia, such as in present-day Burma, India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. As part of this appointment, Marco also travelled extensively inside China, living in the emperor's lands for 17 years and seeing many things that had previously been unknown to Europeans. Around 1291, the Polos also offered to accompany the Mongol princess Kököchin to Persia; they arrived around 1293. After leaving the princess, they travelled overland to Constantinople and then to Venice, returning home after 24 years. At this time, Venice was at war with Genoa; Marco was captured and imprisoned by the Genoans after joining the war effort and dictated his stories to Rustichello da Pisa, a cellmate. He was released in 1299, became a wealthy merchant, married, and had three children. He died in 1324 and was buried in the church of San Lorenzo in Venice .
Who was Marco Polo?
Italian explorer and merchant noted for travel to central and eastern Asia. Marco Polo. Polo wearing a Tartar outfit, print from the 18th century. Born. September 15, 1254. Venice, Republic of Venice. Died. January 8, 1324 (aged 69) Venice, Republic of Venice.
What happened to Marco Polo in 1295?
Marco Polo returned to Venice in 1295 with his fortune converted into gemstones. At this time, Venice was at war with the Republic of Genoa. Polo armed a galley equipped with a trebuchet to join the war. He was probably caught by Genoans in a skirmish in 1296, off the Anatolian coast between Adana and the Gulf of Alexandretta (and not during the battle of Curzola (September 1298), off the Dalmatian coast, a claim which is due to a later tradition (16th century) recorded by Giovanni Battista Ramusio ).
What is the book of Marco Polo called?
In fact, the Italian title of his book was Il libro di Marco Polo detto il Milione, which means "The Book of Marco Polo, nicknamed ' Milione' ".
How many daughters did Marco Polo have?
They had three daughters, Fantina (married Marco Bragadin), Bellela (married Bertuccio Querini), and Moreta. Pietro d'Abano, philosopher, doctor and astrologer. Pietro d'Abano philosopher, doctor and astrologer based in Padua, reports having spoken with Marco Polo about what he had observed in the vault of the sky during his travels.
What is the nickname of Marco Polo?
Nickname Milione. Corte Seconda del Milion is still named after the nickname of Polo, Il Milione. Marco Polo is most often mentioned in the archives of the Republic of Venice as Marco Paulo de confinio Sancti Iohannis Grisostomi, which means Marco Polo of the contrada of St John Chrysostom Church .
How many copies of Marco Polo's book are there?
A total of about 150 copies in various languages are known to exist. Before the availability of printing press, errors were frequently made during copying and translating, so there are many differences between the various copies.
Why did Marco Polo travel to Asia?
Marco Polo and his family traveled through Asia to bring a letter from the Pope, Christian scholars and oil from the lamp at the Holy Sepulchre to Kublai Khan. Kublai Khan was the Great Khan of the Mongol Empire. As merchants, they also conducted business along the way.
What was Marco Polo's role in Kublai Khan's government?
According to his book, "The Travels of Marco Polo," Marco Polo even became an official in Kublai Khan's government, serving as an envoy, governor and member of the Privy Council. ADVERTISEMENT.
What did Marco Polo do?
Marco Polo predominantly traveled overland either on camels or other livestock. However, he also sailed on many ships during his service to Kublai Khan and on his journey home.
Why was Marco Polo important to the world?
Marco Polo's travel route was significant because it helped to open the flow of goods and ideas from east to west. Europe was in a period called the Middle Ages, however, because the Mongolian Empire had control of China, inventions such as the compass and gunpowder could eventually make their way to Western Europe.
When Did Marco Polo Travel?
Regardless, the Marco brother began their journey back to China in hopes of converting the ruling class and they decided to bring the young Marco Polo along. _When Marco Polo traveled he was one of the youngest people to ever venture so far in the pre-modern world.
Why did the Polos wait for a new Pope to be elected?
In Acre, the Polos waited for a new Pope to be elected in order to bring along the Christian intellectuals Kublai Khan requested. They also wanted to provide Khan with a letter from the Pope to establish a relationship between the two influential leaders. Once a pope was elected, they began their journey further east.
What did Marco Polo ask Khan for?
1292: Marco Polo asks Khan for permission to go home and is tasked as his final mission to take Kublai Khan's daughter to Persia so she may marry into the royal family.
Why did Marco Polo write the book The Travels of Marco Polo?
Rustichello was sent to the same prison for different offenses, and these two began to talk. Marco Polo started telling him about the twenty-four years he has spent traveling around the known world. Because this was so interesting, Rustichello decided to write down everything Marco Polo told him so that this incredible journey would not be forgotten. The Book Rustichello wrote was called The Travels of Marco Polo.
What empire did Marco Polo's father and uncle visit?
As part of the effort to expand Venetian trade further east, Marco Polo's father and uncle made their way east and sought to reach the capital of the vast Mongolian Empire, Shangdu. This empire was heavily influential in Europe so if the Venetians could establish a relationship with them, they could increase their trade monopoly in Italy and the Mediterranean.
What is Marco Polo's story?
Marco Polo is remembered thanks to a colorful and popular narrative about his eastward voyage, known simply as “The Travels of Marco Polo.” Ironically, this record of Polo’s freewheeling years as an explorer was written while he languished behind bars. In 1298, three years after he returned from his journey, Polo was captured after leading a Venetian galley into battle against the rival Italian city-state of Genoa. While in prison he encountered Rustichello of Pisa, a fellow captive who was known as a talented writer of romances. Eager to document his years as a traveler, Polo dictated his life story to Rustichello, who acted as a kind of ghostwriter. By the time of their release in 1299, the two men had completed the book that would make Marco Polo a household name.
Who dictated Marco Polo's life story?
Eager to document his years as a traveler, Polo dictated his life story to Rustichello, who acted as a kind of ghostwriter. By the time of their release in 1299, the two men had completed the book that would make Marco Polo a household name. 2. Marco Polo was not the first European to travel to Asia. Marco Polo may be the most storied Far East ...
What happened to Marco and Niccolo?
Once they moved out of Mongol territory, Marco, Niccolo and Maffeo could no longer rely on Kublai Kahn’s protection. As the travelers passed through the kingdom of Trebizond, in modern-day Turkey, the local government robbed them of some 4,000 Byzantine gold coins. Despite this significant loss, the Polos retained enough of their cargo to arrive home in 1295 as wealthy men. According to one account, the Venetians concealed most of their gems by sewing the precious stones into the linings of their coats.
What was Marco's bond with the Great Kahn?
Young Marco would forge an especially strong bond with the Great Kahn, who later dispatched him to China and Southeast Asia as a tax collector and special messenger. Kublai Kahn’s trust and protection allowed the Polos to move freely within the borders of the Mongol Empire.
What happened to Polo in 1298?
In 1298, three years after he returned from his journey, Polo was captured after leading a Venetian galley into battle against the rival Italian city-state of Genoa. While in prison he encountered Rustichello of Pisa, a fellow captive who was known as a talented writer of romances.
What animals did Marco Polo encounter?
After his return from Asia, Marco Polo thoroughly documented his encounters with unfamiliar animals such as elephants, monkeys and crocodiles. He described the latter, for instance, as giant, sharp-clawed “serpents” that could “swallow a man … at one time.”.
When did Marco Polo travel to Asia?
Although he was essentially a stranger to the elder Polos, Marco joined them when they left on their more extensive second trip in 1271. While they originally planned only a brief stay in the Far East, the three men would eventually travel Asia together for more than 20 years.
