Marco polo brief biography of martin

Marco Polo was a  Venetian merchant and explorer, he travelled through Asia along the Silk Road. He documented his journey in the book called The Travels of Marco Polo. The book was originally written in the language of Franco-Venetian. He travelled extensively across Europe to Asia from 1271 to 1295, the book defined the intricate workings of the life and society of Eastern civilizations. The book was well-received in Western countries as it helped create an understanding of the culture and lifestyle of Asian societies.

Marco Polo comprehensively described the details of the Mongol Empire and Yuan Dynasty of China. He also wrote an extensive description of Asian countries like China, Persia, India, Japan and other cities and countries. In 1292, he travelled with the Mongolian princess who was being sent to Persia. Although he was not the first European man to reach Asian countries, he holds a prominent description in history because of his travel logs. He was born in Venice and learnt the trade from his family, especially his father and uncle, Niccolò and Maffeo respectively. Marco died in 1324 and was buried in the church of San Lorenzo in Venice.

Birthplace and Family Origin of Marco Polo

Marco Polo was born in Venice, Italy in 1254. He was born into a wealthy family of merchants, although he had a financially stable childhood he was mostly brought up by extended family. Niccolò Polo, father of Polo left Venice to travel Asia for trade along with his brother Maffeo Polo. The mother of Polo died at a very young age leaving him in the care of an extended family. The father, Niccolò Polo arrived at Venice only after the death of his wife in 1269. Many old Venetian historical sources acknowledged Polo's ancestors to be of Dalmatian origin.

During their travels to Asia, Niccolò Polo and Maffeo reached China, where they met Kublai Khan. Kublai Khan was the emperor of the Mongol empire, he was the descendent of Genghis Khan. Most of northeast Asia was conque

Marco Polo: The Early Years

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.

Did you know? Christopher Columbus purportedly sailed to the New World with a copy of Marco Polo’s “Travels” in tow. Thinking he would reach Asia and having no idea about the Mongol Empire’s collapse, Columbus marked up the book with notes in preparation for a meeting with Kublai Khan’s descendent.

The Byzantine re-conquest of Constantinople in 1261, along with upheavals in the Mongol Empire, may have blocked their way home. Niccolò and Maffeo therefore turned east in order to trade in such things as silk, gems, furs and spices. After spending three years in Bukhara in present-day Uzbekistan, they were encouraged by a Mongolian embassy to visit Kublai Khan, grandson of Genghis Khan, who controlled a huge swath of Asia. Kublai quizzed them on European affairs and decided to send them on a goodwill mission to the pope. In 1269, the two brothers finally made it back to Venice, where Niccolò and Marco Polo met each other for the first time.

Marco Polo’s Travels Along the Silk Road

Two years later, Niccolò and Maffeo sailed to Acre in present-day Israel, this time with Marco at their side. At the request of Kublai Khan, they secured some holy oil from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem and then backtracked to Acre to pick up gifts, papal documents and two friars from newly elected Pope Gregory X. The friars quickly abandoned the expedition, but the Polos continued on, p

  • When was marco polo born
  • Marco Polo and the Silk Road

    Marco Polo was an Italian explorer. His well-documented travels to China were some of the most influential in world history, and did much to kickstart the European age of exploration.

    Introduction

    Marco Polo was born in Venice, Italy on September 15, 1254. His father and uncle were prosperous merchants who already begun trading with Chinese and Eastern merchants. Because of the constant threat of war, the Polos left Venice and eventually settled in what is now Uzbekistan. The move east to Uzbekistan made trading with China and the East much easier. In 1264, Marco's father Nicolo, and uncle, Maffio set out on a two-year long journey to meet Kublai Khan, the emperor of China in what is now Beijing. According to the account of Marco Polo, Kublai Khan received them well and requested they come back to teach the Chinese people Christianity and western customs.

    Marco Polo's Descriptions of China and the Silk Road

    In 1271, the Polos set out to return to China. This time, they took Marco with them. The four year voyage across western and central Asia was long and arduous. After traveling by sea to the Persian gulf, the Polos were forced to take an ancient caravan route through present day Iraq, Iran, and Turkmenistan. They then traversed the desolate Gobi Desert, and made their way through several ancient mercantile cities. In the spring of 1275, the Polos finally reached Shangdu, the summer residence of Kublai Khan. The route taken by the Polos became known as The Silk Road. Kublai Khan and his royal court immediately took a liking to Marco and appointed him commissioner in the Mongol government. In the meantime, Marco studied the native languages and culture. Marco soon became a trusted advisor to Kublai Khan and began recording his observations of the great ruler and his vast territories, palaces, arms, and riches. Marco described the vast Asian trading network and, in particular, the thriving silk, iron, and salt industries. He also

      Marco polo brief biography of martin

  • Marco polo and the silk road summary
  • Serial D · Classic Series Episodes 14 – 20:
    Marco Polo

    The TARDIS lands in 1289 China. There it is seized by explorer Marco Polo, who intends to present it as a gift to Kublai Khan, in the hope that it will win him his freedom. The Doctor, Susan, Ian and Barbara will have to accompany Polo as he travels across the desert to the court in Peking. Susan befriends a young girl in the caravan named Ping-Cho, who is heading towards an arranged marriage. Also accompanying Polo is Tegana, an emissary of a rival warlord. While claiming to seek peace with Kublai Khan, Tegana's true mission is to assassinate the Khan, imperilling the lives of Polo and all those journeying with him.

    Before moving to Britain, Doctor Who creator Sydney Newman had made a name for himself at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. There, he met English writer John Lucarotti, who had been supplying scripts for the CBC since the mid-Fifties, including a lengthy 1956 radio serial entitled The Three Journeys Of Marco Polo. In 1963, Newman recommended Lucarotti to Doctor Who story editor David Whitaker. By this time, the writer had taken up residence on a houseboat moored at Majorca, off the coast of Spain, but returned to London in late June of that year to meet with Whitaker and producer Verity Lambert.

    Lucarotti was interested in writing an historical adventure for Doctor Who and suggested it might involve the Venetian explorer Marco Polo. This narrative would allow him to make use of the material he had compiled while researching his earlier radio serial. One of history's best-known explorers, Polo left Venice in 1271 to accompany his father and uncle to the palace of Kublai Khan at Shangdu, China (which Europeans knew as “Cathay”). Polo impressed the Khan and travelled extensively throughout Chinese lands at his behest; he also served as the Khan's emissary to India and Burma. However, the Polos had become too useful to the Khan, who repeatedly denied them per