Niccolò and his brother Maffeo set off on a trading voyage before Marco's birth. His father, Niccolò Polo, a merchant, traded with the Near East, becoming wealthy and achieving great prestige. Mosaic of Marco Polo displayed in the Palazzo Doria-Tursi, Genoa, Italy However, since also his father Niccolò was nicknamed Milione, 19th-century philologist Luigi Foscolo Benedetto was persuaded that Milione was a shortened version of Emilione, and that this nickname was used to distinguish Niccolò's and Marco's branch from other Polo families. More precisely, he was nicknamed Messer Marco Milioni (Mr Marco Millions). According to the 15th-century humanist Giovanni Battista Ramusio, his fellow citizens awarded him this nickname when he came back to Venice because he kept on saying that Kublai Khan's wealth was counted in millions. In fact, the Italian title of his book was Il libro di Marco Polo detto il Milione, which means "The Book of Marco Polo, nicknamed ' Milione '". However, he was also nicknamed Milione during his lifetime (which in Italian literally means 'Million'). Marco Polo is most often mentioned in the archives of the Republic of Venice as Marco Paulo de confinio Sancti Iohannis Grisostomi, which means Marco Polo of the contrada of St John Chrysostom Church. Some Croatian sources claim Polo's ancestors to be of far Dalmatian origin, but most historians consider it unfounded, as the Polo family lived in Venice since the year 971. Andrea, Marco's grandfather, lived in Venice in " contrada San Felice", he had three sons: Marco "the older", Maffeo and Niccolò (Marco's father). His first known ancestor was a great uncle, Marco Polo (the older) from Venice, who lent some money and commanded a ship in Constantinople. Ĭorte Seconda del Milion, Venice, next to Polo's house, is named after the nickname of Polo, Il Milione Family origin There is substantial literature based on Polo's writings he also influenced European cartography, leading to the introduction of the Catalan Atlas and the Fra Mauro map. His travel book inspired Christopher Columbus and many other travellers. This account of the Orient provided the Europeans with a clear picture of the East's geography and ethnic customs, and was the first Western record of porcelain, gunpowder, paper money, and some Asian plants and exotic animals. Though he was not the first European to reach China, Marco Polo was the first to leave a detailed chronicle of his experience. He died in 1324 and was buried in the church of San Lorenzo in Venice. He was released in 1299, became a wealthy merchant, married, and had three children. At this time, Venice was at war with Genoa Marco was captured and imprisoned by the Genoans after joining the war effort and dictated his stories to Rustichello da Pisa, a cellmate. After leaving the princess, they travelled overland to Constantinople and then to Venice, returning home after 24 years. Around 1291, the Polos also offered to accompany the Mongol princess Kököchin to Persia they arrived around 1293. As part of this appointment, Marco also travelled extensively inside China, living in the emperor's lands for 17 years and seeing many things that had previously been unknown to Europeans. Marco was appointed to serve as Khan's foreign emissary, and he was sent on many diplomatic missions throughout the empire and Southeast Asia, such as in present-day Burma, India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. They were received by the royal court of Kublai Khan, who was impressed by Marco's intelligence and humility. The three of them embarked on an epic journey to Asia, exploring many places along the Silk Road until they reached Cathay (China). In 1269, they returned to Venice to meet Marco for the first time. īorn in Venice, Marco learned the mercantile trade from his father and his uncle, Niccolò and Maffeo, who travelled through Asia and met Kublai Khan. 1300), a book that described to Europeans the then-mysterious culture and inner workings of the Eastern world, including the wealth and great size of the Mongol Empire and China in the Yuan Dynasty, giving their first comprehensive look into China, Persia, India, Japan and other Asian cities and countries. His travels are recorded in The Travels of Marco Polo (also known as Book of the Marvels of the World and Il Milione, c. 1254 – 8 January 1324) was an Italian merchant, explorer and writer from the Republic of Venice who travelled through Asia along the Silk Road between 12. Marco Polo ( / ˈ m ɑːr k oʊ ˈ p oʊ l oʊ/ ( listen), Venetian:, Italian: ( listen) c.
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