MARCO POLO
Liam
Childhood
Marco Polo was born sometime in 1254, in Venice, Italy, to a wealthy family of Venetian merchants. When he was born, his father was away, and his mother died soon after. This left Marco parentless for a great deal of his childhood, taken care of by extended family. His father and Uncle, Maffeo and Niccolo Polo, were in Asia for much of Marco's young life, having come home to an orphan with no one else taking care of him. So instead of leaving him home, the two brothers took Marco with them to Asia in 1271.
Asia
Many citizens of the Roman Empire did not know of Khan's civilization, the idea of an intelligent society outside of the Vatican being a very strange idea at the time. But still, the Polos found exactly that.
When Khan demanded 100 priests, the Polos could only summon 2, who promptly turned back for home when they heard of the journey ahead of them. Though through all the hardships and tough terrain, Marco was interested in every second of the journey.
Over the course of the trek, Marco found and recorded much of what would teach Europe about their neighbors. Many unfortunate things happened along the way, however, one being Marco Polo's contracting a virus and being forced to retreat to what is now Afghanistan's mountains in order to recover. Crossing the Gobi Desert was another challenge, the desert reportedly so long "it would take a year to get from end to end." But after four years of travel, the Polos finally reached Kublai Khan and China.
When Khan demanded 100 priests, the Polos could only summon 2, who promptly turned back for home when they heard of the journey ahead of them. Though through all the hardships and tough terrain, Marco was interested in every second of the journey.
Over the course of the trek, Marco found and recorded much of what would teach Europe about their neighbors. Many unfortunate things happened along the way, however, one being Marco Polo's contracting a virus and being forced to retreat to what is now Afghanistan's mountains in order to recover. Crossing the Gobi Desert was another challenge, the desert reportedly so long "it would take a year to get from end to end." But after four years of travel, the Polos finally reached Kublai Khan and China.
Time in China and Return
The Polos had originally planned to only be gone for about five years, but ended up returning to Venice 23 years after leaving. Once they had returned, the city had changed, and the brothers had trouble speaking their native Italian after using Mandarin so long. But the knowledge they shared made up for it, even if the Polos were not believed until after they were deceased. When the brothers returned to Italy, the Emperor had ordered them to take a Chinese princess with them, who was to marry a Persian prince; the prince had died when they arrived, though, so she married his son instead.
Travels of Marco Polo
When the Polos returned, they were imprisoned by the city-state named Genoa. While in prison, Marco wrote a book recording his travels a sights. He claimed to even know of Madagascar and Japan, which not many people believed.
Trivia
Many researchers today do not believe that the Polos had gone as far as China, and only told the stories of explorers they had met along the way. This can be discredited, however, with how accurate Marco Polo's writings were.
~
Christopher Columbus carried a copy of Marco Polo's book with him on his travels, writing notes in the margins.
~
Marco Polo's book, Travels of Marco Polo, was translated from its original Italian to French, Latin, and Spanish.
~
~
Christopher Columbus carried a copy of Marco Polo's book with him on his travels, writing notes in the margins.
~
Marco Polo's book, Travels of Marco Polo, was translated from its original Italian to French, Latin, and Spanish.
~