Marco Polo Biography

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 conquered by the Mongols. A unique demand that was documented by the historians as the “Holy water” found in Christian churches and 100 Christian priests. This act is associated with the interest of the Mongol empire in the Christian religion. 

Travels to China

Polo along with his father and uncle travelled back to China from Italy. Their travel began in the year 1271. They remained in the Mongol kingdom of China till 1295. Impressed by the wits and humility of the young Polo, Kublai Khan presented him with the designation of foreign emissary. He was sent to various diplomatic missions to northeast Asian countries like India and Burma.

He also went to diplomatic agreements with southeast countries like Indonesia, Vietnam and Sri Lanka. He soon gained a prominent position in the empire as he would give vivid descriptions of the countries he visited. He also travelled to the various provinces and regions in China.

During his travels to different countries of the Middle East, he accurately captured the sights and smells. This perfect picture of the culture and landscapes of the Middle East and Asian countries provided the Vatican and other Western civilizations a clear picture of the society and hierarchy of Asia. 

The travels of Polo were not always comfortable; he suffered from illness and difficult roads. While crossing Afghanistan, Polo was forced to retreat to the mountains in order to recover from an illness. Another difficult road mentioned explicitly in the text of his travels was the Gobi desert. Polo mentioned the desert as "This desert is reported to be so long that it would take a year to go from end to end," he then mentioned the time duration and scarcity of the food  "And at the narrowest point it takes a month to cross it. It mainly had landscapes of mountains and sands and valleys. There is nothing at all to eat."

The Nickname 

It was his travel stories and the wealth he accumulated from his travels, he received the nickname called Milione. The title of his book in Italian is translated into Il Libro di Marco Polo detto il Milione, which means "The Book of Marco Polo, nicknamed 'Milione'. Many historians believe that the etymology of the name is associated with the wealth he accumulated. Some historians have a different point of view, they associate the nickname with a shortened version of Emilione, and that this nickname was used to distinguish Niccolò's and Marco's branches from other Polo families. Whatever might be the reason, it is evident that he was widely mentioned in historical documents and Marco Polo biography books with the nickname, Millione.

Polo’s Journey Back to Europe

The journey back to the Vatican is also documented in the Marco Polo biography book. Polo served about 17 years in the court of the Mongol emperor. The decision of returning to Italy was not well received by the Mongolian Emperor, he allowed Marco Polo to leave the country in 1291 with the condition of escorting a Mongolian princess to Persia, where she was destined to marry a Persian prince. 

Marco Polo escorted princess Kököchin to Persia. From there they travelled overland to Constantinople. The princess' journey with Polo was through the sea, Polo was accompanied by a caravan of several hundred passengers and sailors. The historical text only mentions 17 individuals that survived the voyage excluding Polo. The caravan suffered from fatal diseases and was faced with sea storms. They landed on Persia's Port of Hormuz. The travel of Polo continued for 2 more years until he reached the coast of Venice. Polo and his family reached Venice in 1295, after 24 years. 

Captivity of Marco Polo

The captivity of Polo by the Genoese is mentioned in the Marco Polo short biographies. The traveller, explorer and author were captured during the war between the Republic of Genoa and Venice. Polo was a commander of a Vatican ship against the Republic of Genoa, his ship was destroyed in the war. He was titled a war prisoner and was sentenced to a Genoese prison, where he met a fellow prisoner and writer named Rustichello. During his term in the prison, he explained his adventures and the cultures and customs of Asia.

It was a combined effort to write the experiences and travel logs into a book. The book was called “The Travels of Marco Polo”. The book was published in  French, Italian and Latin. The book was among one of the most popular European books. The book mainly emphasizes the landscape and the culture of Asian countries. The book gave a view of the mystery of the rich cultural heritage of Asia. Another interesting aspect of the book was the intricate details of the economy of the Asian market. It was through his book that Western civilization came to the idea of the paper. The currency used in Asia was made of paper which was rather an intriguing feature of the economy. 

While his work was well-received it soon began to be the centre of controversy, many people believed that all the descriptions were, in fact, Polo’s imagination. With increasing allegations, the book soon earned a nickname called  Il Milione which when translated into English is titled "The Million Lies". Although the book was always the centre of controversy Polo defended his book and influenced other traders and travellers.

Marriage and Family of Marco Polo

Polo was finally released from captivity in August 1299, after the release, he followed his uncle and was involved in the trade. He soon gained a reputation in the trade. The Polo family probably invested profits from trading, and even many gemstones they brought from the East. The company continued its activities and Marco soon became a wealthy merchant. 

It is estimated that Polo was married in the1300 after the death of his father. He married Donata Badoèr, who was the daughter of a wealthy merchant called Vitale Badoèr, He and Donata Badoèr had three children. The names of their children are Fantina, Bellela, and Moreta. Fantina is known to have married Marco Bragadin while the second daughter Bellela was married to Bertuccio Querin. There is no record of the marriage of his third daughter Moreta.

Death and Will of Marco Polo

The death of Marco Polo Was recorded on 8th January 1324. He suffered from illness and was bedridden during his last days. Many historians believe that Polo suffered from illness since 1323. The will of Polo was written and certified by the family priest called Giovanni Giustiniani, a priest of San Procolo. Polo’s wife and his three daughters were the co-executrices assigned by the church. He was buried in San Lorenzo. 

According to his will, he divided his assets, including several properties, among individuals, religious institutions, and every guild and fraternity to which he belonged. It was mentioned in the Marco Polo biography book that the church was entitled by law to a portion of his estate; he approved of this in his will and ordered that a further sum be paid to the convent of San Lorenzo. Another portion of his wealth was paid to set free Peter, a Tartar servant, who may have accompanied him from Asia. There was also some documentation of forgiving the debts of his sister in law. 

Legacy 

Although the work of Polo was believed to have over-exaggeration he always defended the truth of his book. It is needless to say that his work has influenced the travel of many explorers. One of the most prominent examples is of Christopher Columbus who was known to have a copy of Polo’s book.