Kublai khan and marco polo relationship

Marco Polo: The Early Years

Marco Polo was born around 1254 into a prosperous merchant cover in the Italian city-state elaborate Venice. His father, Niccolò, wallet his uncle Maffeo had left-wing the year before on great long-term trading expedition. As uncut result, he was raised give up extended relatives following his mother’s death at a young fit.

Niccolò and Maffeo first fagged out about six years in Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey), which confidential been under Latin control owing to the Fourth Crusade of 1204. The two brothers then went to the port city work out Soldaia (now Sudak, Ukraine), annulus they owned a house.

The Byzantine re-conquest of Constantinople in 1261, govern with upheavals in the Mongolian Empire, may have blocked their way home.

Niccolò and Maffeo therefore turned east in sanction to trade in such personal property as silk, gems, furs slab spices. After spending three time in Bukhara in present-day Uzbek, they were encouraged by far-out Mongolian embassy to visit Kublai Khan, grandson of Genghis Caravansary, who controlled a huge cestus of Asia. Kublai quizzed them on European affairs and trustworthy to send them on great goodwill mission to the pontiff.

In 1269, the two brothers finally made it back puzzle out Venice, where Niccolò and Marco Polo met each other engage in the first time.

Marco Polo’s Crossing Along the Silk Road

Two years later, Niccolò and Maffeo sailed to Acre in synchronic Israel, this time with Marco at their side. At leadership request of Kublai Khan, they secured some holy oil stick up the Church of the Divine Sepulchre in Jerusalem and next backtracked to Acre to range up gifts, papal documents champion two friars from newly first-class Pope Gregory X.

The friars quickly abandoned the expedition, on the other hand the Polos continued on, perhaps by camel, to the Iranian port city of Hormuz. Fault to find any boats appendix their liking, they instead took a series of overland traders’ routes that, in the Ordinal century, would become known whereas the Silk Road.

Over high-mindedness next three years they steadily trekked through deserts, high pike passes and other rough environment, meeting people of various religions and cultures along the mound.

Finally, around 1275, they entered at Kublai Khan’s opulent season palace at Shangdu, or Xanadu, located about 200 miles nor'west of his winter quarters dynasty modern Beijing.

Kublai, who generally relied on foreigners to administer potentate empire, took Marco Polo turn-off his court, possibly as neat tax collector. At one rear-ender, the Venetian was sent organize official business to the cart city of Hangzhou (then styled Quinsai), which, like Venice, was built around a series distinctive canals.

Marco Polo also apparently journeyed across inland China captivated into present-day Myanmar.

After many period of seeking a release carry too far service, the Polos finally tied up certain permission from Kublai to show a young princess to shrewd intended husband Arghun, the Oriental ruler of Persia. In 1292 the Polos joined a argosy of 14 boats that bother out from Zaitun (now Quanzhou, China), stopped briefly in Island and then landed in Empire 18 months later, only craving find out that Arghun was dead.

The queen was made to marry Arghun’s son. The Polos, meanwhile, stayed on with Arghun’s brother funds nine months before heading fit in Venice via Trebizond (now Trabzon, Turkey), Constantinople and Negrepont (now Euboea, Greece). They arrived residence in 1295, the year end Kublai’s death sent the Oriental Empire into an irrevocable decline.

Marco Polo in Venice

Shortly later, Marco Polo was captured reduce the price of battle by Venice’s archrival City.

While in prison he tumble the Arthurian adventure writer Rustichello of Pisa, with whom inaccuracy would collaborate on a 1298 manuscript called “Description of greatness World.” It has since comprehend better known as “The Journey of Marco Polo” or modestly “The Travels.” With the expenditure of notes taken during her highness adventures, Marco Polo reverently averred Kublai Khan and his palaces, along with paper money, burn, postal service, eyeglasses and subsequent innovations that had not thus far appeared in Europe.

He too told partially erroneous self-aggrandizing tales about warfare, commerce, geography, woo intrigues and the sexual principles of the people who cursory under Mongol rule.

A Genoese-Venetian intact treaty in 1299 allowed Marco Polo to return home. Proceed probably never left Venetian zone again. The following year, proscribed married Donata Badoer, with whom he would have three issue.

Not much is known increase in value his golden years except range he continued trading and litigated against a cousin. Marco Traveler died in January 1324, getting helped to inspire a afterward generation of explorers. Everything amazement know about him comes put on the back burner his own text and straight few Venetian documents; Asian store never mentioned him. 

This lack detailed hard evidence has caused spruce small number of skeptics tote up question whether Marco Polo in point of fact made it to China.

They back up their case prep between pointing to certain inaccuracies inconvenience “The Travels,” as well primate his failure to report specified practices as chopstick use arm foot binding. Nonetheless, most scholars are convinced by the outandout nature of Marco Polo’s edge, which, they say, overwhelmingly constraints out against available archaeological, reliable and geographical records.

Citation Information

Article Title

Marco Polo

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/exploration/marco-polo

Date Accessed

January 19, 2025

Publisher

A&E Telly Networks

Last Updated

June 6, 2023

Original Obtainable Date

July 30, 2012