Marco Polo
Marco Polo was a Venetian merchant and explorer whose journey to Asia and long service at the court of Kublai Khan produced one of the most influential travel accounts in world history. Born in 1254 into a family of merchants who had already traveled to China, Marco set out at age 17 with his father Niccolò and uncle Maffeo in 1271, traveling the Silk Road through Persia, Afghanistan, and the Pamirs to reach the court of the Mongol emperor. Kublai Khan was so impressed with the young Marco that he employed him as an envoy and administrator for approximately 17 years. Marco claimed to have served as governor of Yangzhou and traveled extensively throughout China, Southeast Asia, and India on diplomatic missions. He observed silk and porcelain manufacture, the use of paper money and coal, and sophisticated Chinese administrative systems entirely unknown in Europe. Marco Polo returned to Venice in 1295. When captured during a Genoese war, he dictated his experiences in prison to the writer Rustichello of Pisa, producing the work known as The Travels of Marco Polo or Il Milione (c.1300). Despite widespread contemporary skepticism, his account provided Europe with its most detailed knowledge of Asia and directly influenced cartographers including those who made maps used by Christopher Columbus.
- Lived: 1254 CE – 1324 CE
- Nationality: italian
- Roles: explorer, writer
