So, who is Marco Polo? This is the most famous medieval Italian traveler (if you follow the path of Marco Polo on a map, it turns out that he traveled half the world) and writer. The book “On the Diversity of the World” became a bestseller and sold out in huge quantities throughout Europe.
Despite the fact that the accuracy of the facts presented in it is doubtful, this work is still considered a most valuable source containing essential information in history, ethnography and geography of the Middle Eastern and Asian regions.
In contact with
Attention! It is known that he used the book during his sea travels. In particular, with the help of it, the Italian tried to find the shortest route to India. This book has survived to this day. It is known that Columbus made more than 70 notes in its margins.
Brief biography of the Venetian traveler
There are a lot of blank spots in the biography of the famous merchant. Historians do not doubt the fact of its existence, but some points have not been fully studied yet.
Family
In particular, it is unknown where and when the traveler was born. There are several versions of the origin:
- The father was the merchant Niccolo Polo. The son was born between 1254–1261. in Venice ( official years life: 1254–1324) and was only child in the family, since at the time of birth the father had already left for China, and the mother died before her husband returned.
- The father was originally from Dolmatia (Croatia) and moved to Venice only in the middle of the 19th century. Perhaps by that time the future traveler had already been born, since there is no information about birth in the Republic in the archives of Venice. If we follow this version, it turns out that Niccolò was a Dalmatian and not a Venetian merchant. In Venice, he and his brothers had only a trading post.
The journey of a father and his brothers
Venetian traders XIII century took a leading position in the Mediterranean Sea. They were the main importers of valuable goods from Africa. But this was not enough.
The heads of the largest trading houses in Venice turned their gaze to the East. Their mysterious and rich Asia beckoned, which could offer European businessmen a variety of different, elite and incredibly expensive goods.
Niccolo was the head of one of the most successful trading houses in Venice and, of course, wanted to conquer the eastern markets. Together with his brother Matteo, he went to the Crimea, to the city of Sudak. There was a trading post there, led by another brother of theirs, Marco. This trip took place sometime between 1253–1260.
From Sudak the brothers went to the capital of the Golden Horde, Sarai-Batu. There they spent a year, and then went on to Bukhara, where they stayed for another 3 years (at this moment there was actually a war between Batu and Berke, the Mongol khans from the Genghisid clan, who were rivals). From Bukhara with a Persian caravan they moved to Khanbalik (Beijing), where at that time another Genghisid ruled - Kublai (Kublay). By the time of his arrival, Kublai had completely conquered China and became the Great Khan.
In Beijing, the brothers stayed for a year, were received by the khan, and received from him a golden paiza, which allowed them to travel unhindered throughout the territory. Mongol Empire, and they were also given instructions - convey a message from Khubilai to the Pope. Great Khan wanted Catholic missionaries from .
The brothers returned to Venice only in 1271. At the same time, Niccolo learned that his wife had died and that he had a fully grown 16-year-old son.
Travel to China and life at the court of the Great Khan
In 1271, the entire family (father, son and father's brothers) made a trip to Jerusalem. From there the merchants set off on their way back to China. In 1275, Marco with his father and uncle arrived in Shandu. It can be said that the young Venetian did brilliant career at the khan's court. He writes that he was a military adviser to the khan, as well as the governor of one of the Chinese provinces.
Attention! The traveler wrote that he spent about 17 years in China. The chronology in the book is not always accurate, but the geographical and ethnographic descriptions, descriptions of the customs that existed in the Middle Kingdom at that time are as detailed as possible.
The family managed to return to their homeland, Venice, only in the 90s of the 13th century. The merchants took advantage of the marriage of one of the Mongol princesses, volunteering to accompany her by sea to her groom in Persia.
Book
In Venice no one doubted the reality of the family's trip(Marco Polo’s path is shown very clearly on the map of the Republic at that time).
Upon his return, the merchant managed to fight with the Genoese and even spend some time in a Genoese prison.
It was in conclusion that the book was written. More precisely, it was not the traveler who wrote, but his cellmate Rusticiano.
Marco dictated his notes and ideas to him.
Attention! No authentic handwritten text has survived. Some researchers believe that a mixture of Old French and Italian languages, others - that a little-known Venetian dialect. One way or another, only lists from the original manuscript have survived to our time.
The book originally consisted of four parts:
- the first part is about the journey to China through the countries that Marco visited;
- the second part is the customs of the Celestial Empire and the court of the Great Khan;
- third part - description of countries South-East Asia, Japan and India;
- the fourth part is a story about the wars waged by the Mongols.
The Way of Marco Polo on the map(according to his book) looks like this:
- there: Venice - Jerusalem - Akka - Baghdad - Hormuz - Kerman - Kashkar - Karakorum - Beijing - Chengdu - Pagan - Beijing;
- back: Beijing - through all of Southeast Asia, Hindustan and the Middle East by sea - Hormuz - Tabriz - Constantinople - Venice.
The book was translated into many languages. It is clear that during the rewriting and translation, mistakes and inaccuracies were made; perhaps entire fragments of the authentic text were thrown out or fantastic additions were made; as a result, Marco Polo’s path on the map was partially changed.
last years of life
Not much is known about the last years of the life of the Venetian traveler, but all data is documented. The merchant was married to a noble Venetian woman, had several houses and offices in Venice, was involved in business, and participated in litigation.
The couple had three children, all girls. Two married merchants from Dolmatia (possibly version about the Croatian origin of the family and is correct).
Died in 1324. He was buried in the Church of San Lorenzo.
False Journey Version
Alone modern researchers doubt that the famous merchant actually made such a journey and for a long time lived in China. They argue their point of view by the fact that the book contains chronological inaccuracies and there is no mention of:
- hieroglyphs;
- book printing;
- porcelain;
- gunpowder;
- Great Wall;
- traditions of tea drinking and foot binding for women.
Skeptics also point out that Chinese source there is not a word about the presence of the Venetians at the court of the Great Khan.
Arguments in defense of the traveler
Many historians believe that Polo actually made the journey, and did not glean information from the lips of Persian merchants. Proponents of this version say that
- spoke excellent Mongolian and Persian, Chinese(especially writing) he did not need to know, since official language there was a Mongolian at court;
- he knew little about the traditions of China and the Chinese, since he lived rather separately, and the Chinese themselves did not favor European barbarians;
- didn't describe the great the Chinese wall, since it was completely completed only during the reign of the Ming Dynasty;
- I wrote from memory, so topographical, geographical and historical inaccuracies are quite acceptable.
As for Chinese chronicles, Europeans were rarely mentioned there at all. But in the chronicle of Yuan-Shi there is a mention of a certain Po-Lo, who lived and worked at the court of the Great Khan.
Attention! The Venetian's book contains a lot interesting facts about the life of the court of Kublai Khan. An outsider could hardly be so knowledgeable about the smallest details of everyday life and court intrigues.
What Marco Polo discovered
It cannot be said that Marco Polo's family became pioneer of the trade route To China. It also cannot be said that this was the first contact between Europeans and Chinese.
Historians know that the Roman emperors managed to establish contact with the Chinese Han dynasty, that in Chinese chronicles there are references to certain merchants from the countries of the “midnight sun”
(perhaps we were talking about the Scandinavians or Slavs from Novgorod the Great, who made long expeditions even before Tatar-Mongol invasion), that shortly before the journey of his father and uncles, an envoy visited China French king Louis IX.
However, the journey of Marco Polo and his subsequent detailed description provided an opportunity for Europeans to learn a lot about China and the Chinese. In Europe they started talking about paper money, coal, and sago palms. Detailed description the cultivation of spices and places of trade in them made it possible for European merchants to eliminate the Arab monopoly on this type of trade.
Marco Polo, travel map, biography
Brief biography of the traveler Mark Polo
Conclusion
In general, the travels of this family did an incredible thing - they brought Europe and Asia as close as possible. Marco Polo and his relatives visited many countries, thereby the Venetian merchants proved that overland travel through the Mongol Empire could be relatively safe, and therefore profitable. The question of who is Marco Polo and what did he do for rapprochement between Europe and Asia, can be considered sufficiently studied.
Good day! Continuing the theme of great travelers and explorations, I decided to talk about Marco Polo. He's had enough bright life, full of adventures, but he was considered an eccentric and did not believe his stories. This was the case with many great people who were recognized only after death, and this was also the case with Marco...
Biography of Marco Polo.
(1254 – 1324) the most famous European traveler of the Middle Ages who visited the countries of the East. He was born into a rich family Venetian merchant Niccolo Polo.
Venice in those days was the center of trade between West and East. Venetian merchants often traveled to Crimea and Constantinople, where they had trading posts.
His father Niccolò and uncle Matteo traveled to Beijing from Constantinople in 1260. Beijing at that time was the capital of Kublai Khan, the grandson of the founder of the Mongol Empire, Genghis Khan.
Their journey lasted 9 years, after which they both returned to Venice. Kublai asked them to return to China and bring with them several priests, since the Khan had the intention of introducing Christianity in China.
Marco's father and uncle again went on a long journey to Voskhod in 1271, and took Marco, who was 17 years old at that time, with them. Their expedition reached Beijing around 1275, by land route (via Asia Minor, Kurdistan, Iran, Afghanistan, Pamir and the Yellow River Valley) and was warmly received by Kublai Khan.
The Great Khan often brought talented foreigners closer to his court, and hired Marco Polo into the civil service. Marco soon became a member privy council, and the emperor entrusted him with several secret tasks.
One of his assignments was to compile a report on the situation in Burma and Yuanan after their conquest by the Mongols in 1287, and another assignment was to purchase a “tooth of the Buddha” in Sri Lanka. Marco soon became prefect of Yangzhou, an important city on the Grand Canal.
Marco Polo built a brilliant career, he studied China very well during his 15 years of service, and also collected a lot of information about Japan and India.
He managed to leave China only in 1292, at which time he was assigned to accompany the Chinese and Mongol princesses to Persia, where they were to marry the Ilkhan (Mongol governor) and his heir.
Marco reached Persia by sea, and there he received the news that Kublai Kublai had died. This freed him from the obligation to return to China. And he, taking advantage of the moment, went to Venice around 1924, arriving there in 1295.
The Venetian Republic was at war with the Genoese Republic at that time. IN next year After returning to Venice, he found himself on board a Venetian merchant ship, which was captured by Genoese corsairs in the eastern Mediterranean.
From 1296 to 1299 he was in a Genoese prison, in which he dictated his famous "The Book of Marco Polo" to some Rustichello. This book described the mainland, China, as well as many islands from Japan to Zanzibar.
Marco was released from prison in 1299, and lived the rest of his life in Venice. He died in 1324.
In the eyes of his fellow citizens, Marco remained an eccentric; no one believed his stories, and he was given the nickname Marco Millione. The ashes of Marco Polo rest in the Church of San Lorenzo, but the exact burial place is unknown.
Marco Polo walked many thousands of kilometers, saw many countries, cultures, people, but still returned and decided to live the rest of his life in hometown. This once again confirms that there is nothing sweeter than home 🙂 Even though people didn't believe him, he still contributed to physical geography Asia and neighboring islands. Thank you Marco!
Marco Polo - famous Italian traveler of the 13th century, with whose name does the era of the Great begin? geographical discoveries. He was one of the first Europeans to travel to the east, where he spent a lot of time and collected a lot of new and interesting information for Europe at that time, and laid out significant trade routes. About him and the significance of his discoveries we'll talk in my message. But first brief information from the biography.
short biography
Marco Polo born in 1254 in the city of Venice(according to other sources on the Croatian island of Korcula) in a family of merchants. His uncle (Mattheo) and father (Nicolo) developed the lands lying from the Black Sea to the Volga, laying out new trade routes. But their activities were not limited to this - after some time they traveled with diplomatic mission to the Mongol Khan Kublai Khan, who gave them a very warm welcome. Thus, we can conclude that Marco is still been inspired to travel since childhood by his two closest relatives.
Trips
The young Italian went on his first trip at the age of 17 with his uncle and father, who were on a trading trip to China.
At the same time, the Polo brothers acted as delegates whose task was to establish diplomatic relations between Venice and China (which at that time was part of Mongolian state Yuan). It was decided to move through Jerusalem in order to acquire miraculous oil from the tomb of Christ there, which they later presented to Kublai Khan.
The result of a long journey (and the Polo family reached China by 1275) was warm relations with the khan, who liked Marco so much that he made him governor of one of the Chinese cities, where our young traveler spent three whole years.
IN total Marco Polo lived in China for 17 years during which he managed to visit many regions of the empire. In 1291, the khan decided to marry his daughter to a Persian prince and equipped a huge sea expedition, which included the Polo family. On his way to Persia, the Italian traveler managed to visit Southeast Asia, the island of Sumatra, Ceylon, and Iran.
Upon arrival in Persia, Marco's family learns of Khan's death and decides to return to Venice, which happens in 1295.
After some time in prison, namely in 1324, Marco was ransomed and returned to Venice, where he spent the rest of his life. Their last years The great Italian traveler spent his time in abundance.
Conclusion
Marco Polo had a life full of travel. Let us designate their main routes:
- Venice-Jerusalem-China. 1261-1275
- China-Southeast Asia-Ceylon-island of Sumatra-Persia 1291
- Persia-Venice 1295
Map of Marco Polo's travel routes:
And also in this form:
The result of the enormous experience and knowledge collected during the travels is the “Book on the Diversity of the World” - an invaluable work that helped humanity centuries later. This work was used both as a reference book with maps and as a fascinating tale of adventure. Based on the materials of this great work, subsequent great geographical discoveries were made.
If this message was useful to you, I would be glad to see you
Marco Polo short biography will help compile a report on the Venetian traveler.
Marco Polo biography briefly
Born in 1254 in the family of the Venetian merchant Niccolo Polo. In 1260, Marco's father and uncle went to Beijing, which Kublai Khan, the grandson of Genghis Khan, made the capital of his possessions. Kublai made them promise to return to China and bring with him several Christian monks. In 1271 the brothers again set off on a long journey to the east, taking Marco with them. The expedition reached Beijing in 1275 and was warmly received by Kublai Kublai.
Marco was a capable young man and knew 5 foreign languages. While his father and uncle were engaged in trade, he studied Mongolian. Khubilai, who usually brought talented foreigners to his court, hired Marco into the civil service. Soon Marco became a member of the Privy Council, then for some time served as governor of Yangzhou.
During his 15 years of service, Marco studied China and collected a lot of information about India and Japan. Khubilai did his best to prevent Marco from returning to Venice, so Polo’s stay in China dragged on for fifteen years.
In 1291, the khan nevertheless released Makro Polo and his comrades, ordering them to deliver the Mongol princess to Hormuz. On fourteen ships, the procession circumnavigated Indochina, visited Ceylon, India and reached the Persian island of Hormuz. Marco Polo returned to Venice only in 1295.
Returning to Venice, Marco found himself aboard a Venetian merchant ship and was captured by the Genoese in the eastern Mediterranean. From 1296 to 1299 he was in prison in Genoa, where he wrote “The Book of the Diversity of the World.” The book contains descriptions not only of China and mainland Asia, but also of the vast world of islands - from Japan to Zanzibar.
In 1299 Marco was released, returned to Venice and married (he had three daughters). In the eyes of his fellow citizens, he remained an eccentric; no one believed his stories.
The book of Marco Polo consists of four parts. The first describes the territories of the Middle East and Central Asia which Marco Polo visited on his way to China. The second describes China and the court of Kublai Khan. The third part talks about coastal countries: Japan, India, Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia and the east coast of Africa. The fourth describes some of the wars between the Mongols and their northern neighbors. "The Book of Wonders of the World" is one of the most popular objects historical research.
Marco Polo - Italian, Venetian merchant, traveler and writer, born in the Venetian Republic.Marco Polo ( 8 - 9 January 1254 G. - 1324 g.) presented the story of his travels through Asia in the famous “Book of the Diversity of the World” or also known as “The Travels of Marco Polo” published in 1300 year.
The book in which he described to Europeans the wealth and enormous size of China, its capital Beijing and other cities and countries of Asia.
Despite doubts about the reliability of the facts presented in this book, expressed from the moment of its appearance to the present time, it serves as a valuable source on the geography, ethnography, history of Armenia, Iran, China, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, India, Indonesia and other countries in the Middle Ages .
The book written by Marco had a significant influence on sailors, cartographers, writers XIV-XVI centuries.
In particular, she was on the ship of Christopher Columbus during his search for a route to India. According to researchers, Columbus made on it 70 notes.
Trade route
Marco found out about trade route from his father and uncle Maffeo Polo, when the two traveled through Asia and fatefully met Kublai Khan.
IN 1269 After the end of the trip, the brothers returned to and met their 15 year-old son Marco.
IN 1271 - 1295 After careful preparation, Marco Polo makes his epic journey to China with his father Niccolo and his father's brother Mafeo Polo.
coming another war between Venice and Genoa.
Marco Polo goes to prison. While in prison, Marco dictated his first stories to his cellmate and managed to write interesting library their manuscripts, which were later used in the creation of a unique book during that time period.
Marco was released at 1299 year, became a rich merchant, married and had three children. He died in 1324 year and was buried in the Church of San Lorenzo in .
On the edge XIV-XVI For centuries, his book was read to develop the concept of the world.
Marco Polo was not the first European to reach China, but he was the first to leave a detailed chronicle of his journey.
This book inspired not only Christopher Columbus, but also many other travelers.
Polo Family
Marco Polo was born into the family of a Venetian merchant, Nicolo Polo, whose family was involved in the jewelry and spice trade.
He made the most important journey of his life in 1274 from the city of Soldaya ().
Travels of the Polo Brothers
IN 1260 year Nicolo (father of Marco Polo), together with his brother Maffeo went to the main sea port Venetians on the Black Sea to Soldai.
Maffeo, seeing the flourishing of trade, stayed and founded a large trading house.
In the same 1260 Maffeo founded a new brand, Polo, in Soldai.
In preparation for such long and dangerous journeys, Maffeo Polo Soldiers' Base helped.
The route the brothers took, in 1253 a year has passed.
After spending a year in Sarai-Batu, the brothers moved on to Bukhara. Due to the danger of hostilities waged by Khan Berke (Batu's brother) in this region, the brothers were forced to postpone their return home.
Having stayed in Bukhara for three years and unable to return home, they joined the Persian caravan, which Khan sent Hulagu to Khanbalik (modern Beijing) to his brother, Mongol Khan Kublai, who by that time had almost completed the defeat Chinese dynasty Song soon became the sole ruler of the Mongol Empire and China.
Brothers Niccolò and Maffeo Polo became first"Europeans" who visited China.
Traveler Marco Polo
They owned the city for a century and a half. It was a time of unprecedented prosperity for Soldaya, years of glory and wealth, but also a time of severe upheavals, enemy invasions and devastation.
He talks about the trade of the Venetians in Soldai. famous traveler Marco Polo:
“At the time when Baldwin (one of the leaders of the crusaders) was emperor in Constantinople, i.e. 1260 g., two brothers, Mr. Nicolo Polo, the father of Mr. Marco, and Mr. Maffeo Polo, were also there; they came there with goods from . They consulted among themselves and decided to go to the Great Sea () for gain and profit. They bought all sorts of jewelry and sailed from Constantinople to Soldaya.”
From spiritual will it is known that the house of the Polo family in Soldai remains.
The book written by Marco Polo is one of the most popular objects of historical research. Bibliography compiled in 1986 year, contains more 2300 scientific works only in European languages.
December 2011 year in Ulaanbaatar, next to Genghis Khan Square, a monument to Marco Polo by the Mongolian sculptor B. Denzen was erected.
In honor of Marco Polo there is an Italian satellite TV channel that broadcasts via satellite Hotbird 13E
IN 2014 The series "Marco Polo" was filmed.
Page from a manuscript completed during Polo's lifetime
