Marco+Polo

By Anna Eringis Marco Polo was an amazing man. He is best known for traveling across Asia, mapping it, and writing his masterpiece about his adventures, called __The Travels of Marco Polo__. Some think it is one of the greatest travel narratives that have ever been written! Nobody knows much about Marco’s childhood. What we do know, is that he was born in 1254 in Venice. He was named after St. Mark, a patron saint of Venice. He probably didn’t get a very good education, because he spent most of his days wandering along the wharves, and learned most of what he knew, from life in the city. Even so, he did learn to read and write some Italian. For the first 15 years of Marco’s life, his father, Nicolo, and his uncle, Maffeo, were away trading at sea. While trading, Nicolo and Maffeo received a message from Kublia Khan, the ruler of China, to come to his court. At his palace, they learned that the Khan’s mother was Christian, so if the Khan believed in the Christian religion, he would adopt the Christian beliefs. This was significant for the Catholic Church, because China would then fall under Christian rule. So Nicolo and Maffeo were sent back to Europe and asked to bring one hundred scholarly men and some oil from the lamp in Jesus’ tomb, which was supposed to heal the ill. These treasures would help teach the Khan about Christianity. They headed over to the port of Joppa, with Marco, who was now 17, where they traveled to the Holy City and bought some oil from the lamp in Jesus’ tomb. They could not find one hundred scholarly men, but they did turn up with 2 Dominican friars, named Fra Guglielmo di Tripoli and Fra Nicolo da Vicenza, along with jewels and other gifts. When they received these items, they headed back to China. But not long after they had started off, they got word that Saracens were raiding the land ahead. The Polos wanted to go on, but the Dominicans disagreed. They were terrified. When they learned that a group of Knight Templar’s was nearby, the friars accompanied the Knights to the coast and left their letters and gifts with the Polos. The Polos also had letters from the pope and the Khan’s golden tablet to protect them. They journeyed across most of Asia to get back to the Khan. Along the way, they “discovered” many things that they had never seen or heard of ever before. In Greater Armenia, they saw Mt. Ararat, where Noah’s ark had landed. In Chintalis, they saw how asbestos was produced, and in Badakshaun, they saw the ruby, sapphire, and lapis luzi mines. When they reached Horman they were supposed to sail to the Khan, but they decided not to, because the summer air was “unwholesome.” The hot winds made the water rise up to your chin, and the ships were made of wood, so hard, that nails could not go into it. They had to use wooden pegs held in place with coconut yarn. The Polos did not think these ships seaworthy, so they headed back to Kerman, where they had come from. While they were heading back, they passed through Tangtut, where they met some of the Khan’s men. Since the Khan wanted their trip as pleasant as possible, they headed for his summer palace, north of Peking. At the Khan’s court, Marco was a highly favored servant for seventeen years. He helped carry out the Khan’s duties, such as providing for the poor, which the Khan was willing to do this for as long as necessary. Marco was also sent on missions to report to the Khan about all that he had seen, because the Khan was very curious. One day, the Polo’s were asked to escort a princess to the Khan’s grand nephew. The Polo’s were homesick, and after two years at sea, when they finally reached the palace, they headed back to Venice where they were originally from. In 1295, Genoa and Venice sent ships to destroy each other. Both cities were almost wiped out. Somehow, Marco was taken prisoner by the Genoas. In prison, Marco met a writer named Rustichello. They became friends and when Marco told him about his adventures, he suggested they write them down. This manuscript is called __The Travels of Marco Polo__. It was first printed in 1477 in Germany. After Marco got out of prison, he married Donata Badoer and they had three children. By this time he was forty-five. Sadly, Marco died on January 8, just before midnight, and was buried beside his father, who was buried in the Church of San Lorenzo. Unfortunately, the church has changed so much that it is impossible to find either Marco or Nicolo’s tomb. As you can see, without Marco Polo, the world would not be as advanced as it is today. We wouldn’t have known about Asia as soon, and the Khan might not have considered Christianity. Maybe there wouldn’t even be an America! __ Bibliography  __ Greene, Carol. __Marco Polo: Voyager to the Orient__. Reginsteiner Publishing Enterprises, Inc.: Canada, 1887 McNeese, Tim. "Polo, Marco." __World Book Online Reference Center__. 2008. [Place of access.] 20 May 2008 .
 * __ Marco __**__ **Polo** __