Traveller;
born on Korcula in 1251;
died at Venice in 1324.
The Polo family were great
nobles originating on
the coast of Dalmatia.
Niccolo and Maffeo had
established a trading
outpost on the island
of Korcula, off the coast
of Dalmatia. The place
Marco Polo grew up, Venice,
was the center for commerce
in the Mediterranean.
Marco had the usual education
of a young gentleman of
his time. He had learned
much of the classical
authors, understood the
texts of the Bible, and
knew the basic theology
of the Latin Church. His
father Nicolo and his
uncle Matteo, sons of
the Venetian patrician,
Andrea Polo, had established
a house of business at
Constantinople and another
at Sudak on the shore
of the Black Sea, in the
southeast of the Crimea.
They left Constantinople
with a consignment of
jewels and after reaching
Sudak went to the residence
on the banks of the Volga
of Barka (Bereke), Mongol
Khan of Kiptchak, who
welcomed them and paid
them well for their wares.
But war having broken
out between Bereke and
Hulagu, the Mongol conqueror
of Persia, and Bereke
having been defeated,
the Venetians were at
a loss how to return to
their own country. Leaving
Kiptchak they continued
their journey towards
the east, thus reaching
Bokhara, where they stayed
three years. Envoys from
Hulagu to the Great Khan
of Tatary passing through
the town and finding these
"Latins" who
spoke the Tatar language
induced them to accompany
them to the residence
of the great khan, which
they reached only after
a year's journey. Kublai,
the great khan, was the
most powerful of the descendants
of Jenghiz Khan. While
his brother Hulagu had
received Iran, Armenia,
and Egypt Kublai was master
of Mongolia, Northern
China, and Tibet, and
was to conquer Southern
China. This intelligent
prince endeavoured to
maintain intercourse with
the West and favoured
the Christians, whether
Nestorians or Catholics.
Hence Nicolo and Matteo
Polo were well received
by him, he questioned
them with regard to the
Christian states, the
emperor, the pope, princes,
knights, and their manner
of fighting and confided
to them letters to the
pope in which he asked
for Christian missionaries.
Accompanied by a Mongol
"baron", the
two brothers set out
in 1266 and after three
years of travel reached
St.-Jean d'Acre in 1269.
There the papal legate,
Teobaldo Visconti, informed
them that Clement IV
was dead and they returned
to Venice to await the
election of a new pope.
The cardinals not having
reached a decision at
the end of two years
the brothers Polo determined
to return, but this
time they brought with
them the youthful Marco,
son of Nicolo, then
aged eighteen. All three
went to Acre to see
the legate and request
of him letters for the
great khan, but they
had scarcely left Acre
when they learned that
this same legate had
been elected pope under
the name of Gregory
X (1 Sept., 1271). Overjoyed,
they returned to Acre
and the new pope gave
them letters and appointed
two Friars Preachers
to accompany them. But
while going through
Armenia, they fell amid
troops of the Mameluke
Sultan Bibara the Arbelester,
the monks refused to
go further, and the
Venetians continued
their journey alone.
It was only after three
years and a half that,
after having escaped
all kinds of dangers,
they reached the dwelling
of Kublai, who received
them probably at Yen
King near the present
Peking (1275). The great
khan was delighted to
see them once more;
they presented him with
the letters from the
pope and some oil from
the lamp at the Holy
Sepulchre.
Kublai
conceived a great affection
for the youthful Marco
Polo, who readily adopted
the Tatar custom and
soon learned the four
languages as well as
the four writings of
which they made use
(probably Mongolian,
Chinese, Persian, and
Uighur). The great khan
sent him on a mission
six months' journey
from his residence (probably
to Annam) and the information
he brought back with
regard to the countries
he traversed confirmed
him in the good will
of the sovereign. For
three years he was governor
of the city of Yang-chow
(Janguy), on which twenty-seven
cities were dependent.
The question of his
share in the siege of
Siang-yâng and the engines
of war constructed under
his supervision are
much more doubtful.
According to Chinese
historians the reduction
of this city took place
in 1273, prior to Marco
Polo's arrival in China;
on the other hand the
details which he gives
concerning Kublai's
expedition against the
Kingdom of Mien (Burma,
1282) leave it to be
supposed that he participated
therein. He was also
charged with several
missions to the Indian
seas, Ceylon, and Cochin
China. At last after
having journeyed through
almost the whole of
Western Asia, the three
Venetians obtained,
but not without difficulty,
the great khan's permission
to return to their own
country. They set sail
with a fleet of fourteen
four-masted ships and
were charged with the
escort of an imperial
princess betrothed to
Arghun, Khan of Persia.
After a perilous voyage
through the Sonda Strait
and the Indian Ocean,
they landed at Ormuz
and after having delivered
the princess to the
son of the lately deceased
Arghun they continued
their journey by land
as far as Trebizond,
where they took ship
for Constantinople,
finally reaching Venice
in 1295 after an absence
of twenty-four years.
In costume and appearance
they resembled Tatars;
they had almost forgotten
their native tongue
and had much difficulty
in making themselves
recognized by their
friends. Their wealth
speedily aroused admiration,
but their marvellous
accounts were suspected
of exaggeration. Marco,
who was constantly talking
of the great khan's
millions, was nicknamed
"Messer Millioni"
and in the sixteenth
century their dwelling
was still called the
"Corte de millioni".
War having broken out
between Genoa and Venice,
Marco Polo was placed
in command of a galley
(1296), but the Venetian
fleet having been destroyed
in the Gulf of Lajazzo
he was taken prisoner
to Genoa. There he became
associated with Rusticiano
of Pisa, an adapter
of French romances,
who wrote down at his
dictation the account
of his travels. On his
release from prison
Marco Polo became a
member of the Great
Council of Venice and
lived there till his
death.
The "Book of Marco
Polo" dictated
to Rusticiano was compiled
in French. A more correct
version, revised by
Marco Polo, was sent
by him in 1307 to Thibaud
of Cepoy, the agent
of Charles of Valois
at Venice, to be presented
to that prince, who
was a candidate for
the Crown of Constantinople
and the promoter of
a crusading movement.
The Latin, Venetian,
and Tuscan versions
are merely translations
which are often faulty,
or abridgments of the
first two texts. The
compilation of his book
may be regarded as one
of the most important
events in the history
of geographical discoveries.
Hitherto Occidentals
knew almost nothing
of Asia; in his "Tresor"
Brunetto Latini (1230-94)
merely reproduces in
this respect the compilations
of C. Julius Solinus,
the abbreviator of Pliny.
The "Book of Marco
Polo", on the other
hand, contains an exact
description by an intelligent
and well-informed witness
of all the countries
of the Far East. It
is characterized by
the exactness and veracity
of Venetian statesmen,
whose education accustomed
them to secure information
with regard to various
nations and to estimate
their resources. This
Venetian character extends
even to the tone, which
modern taste finds almost
too impersonal. The
author rarely appears
on the scene and it
is regrettable that
he did not give more
ample details concerning
the missions with which
he was charged by the
great khan. Otherwise
nothing could be more
lifelike than the pictures
and descriptions which
adorn the account, and
the naïvete of the old
French enhances their
literary charm.
In
a prologue the author
briefly relates the
first journey of his
father and uncle, their
return to Venice, their
second journey, their
sojourn with the great
khan, and their final
return. The remainder
of the work, which,
in the editions is divided
into three books, comprises
the description of all
the countries through
which Marco Polo travelled
or concerning which
he was able to secure
information. The first
book treats hither Asia,
Armenia, Turcomania,
Georgia, the Kingdom
of Mossul, the Caliphate
of Bagdad, Persia, Beluchistan,
etc. Curious details
are given concerning
the City of Bagdad and
the fate of the last
caliph, who died of
hunger amid his treasures,
and concerning the Old
Man of the Mountain
and his Assassins. He
mentions the recollections
in Bactria of Alexander
the Great, whom the
kings of the country
regarded as their ancestor.
Subsequently he describes
Kashmir and the deserts
of the plateau of Hindu
Kush and Chinese Turkestan,
"Great Turkey"
and its capital, Kashgar.
He mentions the Nestorian
communities of Samarkand
and after crossing the
desert of Gobi reaches
Karakoram, the old Mongol
capital, which affords
him the opportunity
for an important digression
regarding the origin
and customs of the Tatars.
Book II introduces us
to the Court of Kublai
Khan and we are given
most curious information
with regard to his capital,
Kambalik (Peking), his
magnificence, and the
organization of his
Government. We are shown
with what facility the
Mongols adopted Chinese
etiquette and civilization.
Then follows a description
of the provinces of
China, first of China
north of Hwang-ho or
Cathay, where there
were stones which burned
like wood (coal), then
Si-ngan-fu, the ancient
capital of Thâng (Shen-si),
Tibet, into which he
penetrated a distance
of five days' walk,
Sunnan, the Kingdom
of Mien (Burma), Bengal,
Annam, and Southeast
China.
At the beginning of
Book III he relates
the great maritime expedition
which Kublai Khan attempted
against Zipangu (Japan)
and which ended in defeat.
Then he enters the Indian
seas and describes the
great island of Java
and that of the lesser
Java (Sumatra), Ceylon,
in connection with which
he speaks of the Buddhists
and their reformer "Sagamoni
Borcam" (Khakamouni).
From here he goes to
the coast of "Maabar"
(Coromandel) and gives
a full description of
India. He mentions the
existence of the island
of Socotra and the large
island of Madagascar,
in connection with which
he speaks of the regular
currents of the Strait
of Mozambique and relates
the legend of the roc,
the fabulous bird of
the voyages of Sinbad
the Sailor. He concludes
with information concerning
Zanzibar, the people
of the coast of Zanguebar,
Abyssinia, the Province
of Aden, and the northern
regions where the sun
disappears for a period
of the year. The "Book
of Marco Polo"
was soon translated
into all European languages
and exercised an important
influence on the geographical
discoveries of the fifteenth
century. Christopher
Columbus had read it
attentively and it was
to reach the western
route to the lands described
by Marco Polo that he
undertook the expedition
which resulted in the
discovery of America.
His own words in his
book:
" I believe it
was God's will that
we should come back,
so that men might know
the things that are
in the world, since,
as we have said in the
first chapter of this
book, no other man,
Christian or Saracen,
Mongol or pagan, has
explored so much of
the world as Messer
Marco, son of Messer
Niccolo Polo, great
and noble citizen of
the city of Venice (and
Vela Luka)."
