Marco Polo traveled with his father and uncle the thousands of miles of the Silk Road by land from Europe all the way to China where Marco stayed for many years. The publication of his life experiences and travels there changed European history. Two hundred years later, even Christopher Columbus used this publication as his inspiration to sail to find the “New World”. Here, I have prepared for you an account of Marco Polo’s journey and adventures:
Between the 7th and 8th Crusades, Venetian traders Niccolo and Matteo Polo settled on the Black Sea in 1259, in an area conquered a few years earlier by Genghis Khan. This was over two centuries before Columbus sailed west.
The Polos traveled east, where, after 5,600 miles, they made it to China. There they were received by the new Mongol ruler, Kublai Khan, 1215–1294, grandson of Genghis Khan. He was Emperor of China, Korea, North India, Persia, Russia and Hungary.
Kublai Khan sent Nicole and Matteo Polo back to the Pope requesting 100 teachers of the Christian faith and a flask of oil from Christ’s empty tomb in Jerusalem.
Upon reaching Rome, they found out that the Pope, Clement the Fourth, had died. The new Pope, Gregory the Tenth, had just been elected and was preoccupied with the wars in Europe.
Due to the unsettled situation, only two preaching Dominican friars accompanied the Polo’s on their return to China in 1271. Niccolo also brought along his 17-year-old son, Marco Polo.
As they crossed a warring area of Turkey, the fearful friars turned back, leaving only speculation as to how history would have been different had they continued the journey and turned China all Christian.
They gave Kublai Khan the flask of oil from Jerusalem. He was so impressed with young Marco Polo that he employed him as an envoy for 17 years. Marco Polo learned several Asian languages.
He requested the Christian Bible be brought to him for Easter and Christmas, which he would kiss. Kublai Khan also honored Saracen-Muslim, Jewish and Buddhist feast days.
When asked why he did this, not understanding the incompatibility of differing beliefs, he responded: “I respect and honor all four great Prophets: Jesus Christ, Mohammed, Moses and Buddha, so that I can appeal to any one of them in heaven.”
Most folks don’t realize that a thriving Nestorian Christian community existed in China throughout Kublai Khan’s Yuan Dynasty, but declined during the subsequent Ming Dynasty when Mongolian and other “foreign influences” were forced out.
During the many years that Marco stayed in China, he occupied many high positions for Kublai Khan. He traveled extensively there and learned very much about the culture and customs of China and the Far East.
In 1291, the Polos accompanied the Mongol princess Kököchin to Persia for Kublai Khan. From there, they travelled to Constantinople and then to Venice, returning home after being gone for 24 years.
Marco was captured during the Battle of Curzola in 1298 and imprisoned in Genoa.
There he recited to his cellmate, Rustichello da Pisa his travels to Persia, China, Mongolia, and India. Upon being published, it became Medieval Europe’s best-seller, The Travels of Marco Polo.
It was nicknamed “Il Milione” or One Million Lies, as it described many things unbelievable to Europeans:
- India’s worship of cattle;
- homes smeared with cow dung;
- naked holy men;
- exotic herbs and spices;
- indigo blue dye;
- fields of cotton cloth being dyed;
- China’s spaghetti noodles;
- a Chinese compass;
- gunpowder;
- paper from tree pulp;
- printed paper currency;
- ice-cream;
- eye glasses;
- wheelbarrow;
- thread from worms – silk;
- porcelain dishes – “China”;
- burning black stones – coal;
- pinatas;
- wine from rice;
- asbestos from a mineral;
- feet-binding of little girls so their feet remain tiny;
- arrows shot from a recurve bow; and
- an imperial “pony-express” style postal system.
Marco Polo surprised Europeans with the claims that the Magi, who brought gifts to baby Jesus, were buried in Saveh, a town in Persia south of Tehran, Iran.
After a year, Marco Polo was released. He returned to Venice, married, had three children and became a successful merchant. He died in 1324 and was buried in Venice’s San Lorenzo Church.
Marco Polo stated regarding his return to Europe from China: “I believe it was God’s will that we should come back, so that men might know the things that are in the world, since, as we have said in the first chapter of this book, no other man, Christian or Saracen, Mongol or pagan, has explored so much of the world as Messer Marco, son of Messer Niccolo Polo, great and noble citizen of the city of Venice.”
The End
True Texan Tales 