He requested that the Polos secure him some holy oil and to bring a message of goodwill from him to the Pope. Kublai Khan founded the Yuan Dynasty, that ruled all much of East Asia, for almost a century (1271-1368). He was the grandson of the Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan and he ruled Northern China and later conquered south China and beyond, forging one of the greatest Empires in the Medieval World. The books opens with an account of his uncle and father traveling the Silk Road and meeting the great Emperor, Kublai Khan, the Emperor of China in his capital Dadu (present-day Beijing). It has been estimated that he traveled over 15,000 miles on horseback, ship and foot. There has been controversy over the veracity of his claims, since his death.īased on the book, it is possible to reconstruct the travels of Marco. Polo continued to trade but he never again left his home city and he died in 1324. Marco was later released and returned to his native Venice. The book The Travels of Marco Polo was a best-seller and was read throughout Europe.

Rustichello later used Marco’s stories and he incorporated them into a book. Marco recounted his many adventures in Asia to the Pisan writer. In prison, the merchant was held captive with Rustichello da Pisa, who was a well-known popular writer. He was captured at the great Venetian defeat by Genoa at the battle of Curzola (1298) and was imprisoned by the Genoese and held for ransom. Marco was so wealthy that he fitted out a warship which he personally commanded. Venice was frequently at war with its great rival, the Italian city-state of Genoa. Marco was a wealthy man and married the daughter of a leading merchant. The Polos returned to Venice in 1295 with a great many gemstones and jewels.

Marco apparently even served in the administration of the Emperor and had visited the Imperial court, many times. During his travels, Polo spent over 17 years in China. They had traveled the Silk Road and made their way to China and they appear to have been very successful. The Polos left Venice and did not return home for 24 years. They had already traded and traveled in Asia for many years. At the age of seventeen, he accompanied his uncle and father on a trading expedition to Asia. We know little about his early life, but he appears to have been apprenticed to a merchant and received little formal education. He was born into a successful family of merchants. Marco was born in 1254 in the Republic of Venice, which was a great mercantile power in medieval Europe and had extensive trading contacts with the Muslim world.

The Travels of Marco Polo by Marco Polo