Nicolo polo biography

In , they returned to Venice to meet Marco for the first time. The three of them embarked on an epic journey to Asia, exploring many places along the Silk Road until they reached " Cathay ".

Niccolò polo death

They were received by the royal court of Kublai Khan, who was impressed by Marco's intelligence and humility. Marco was appointed to serve as Kublai's foreign emissary, and he was sent on many diplomatic missions throughout the empire and Southeast Asia, visiting present-day Burma, India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam. After leaving the princess, they travelled overland to Constantinople and then to Venice, returning home after 24 years.

Marco joined the war effort on behalf of Venice and was captured by the Genoans. While imprisoned, he dictated stories of his travels to Rustichello da Pisa , a cellmate. He was released in , became a wealthy merchant, married, and had three children. He died in and was buried in the church of San Lorenzo in Venice. Though he was not the first European to reach China , Marco Polo was the first to leave a detailed chronicle of his experience.

His account provided the Europeans with a clear picture of the East's geography and ethnic customs, and it included the first Western record of porcelain, gunpowder, paper money, and some Asian plants and exotic animals. 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.

Marco Polo was born around in Venice , [ 10 ] [ 11 ] [ 12 ] [ 13 ] but the exact date and place of birth are archivally unknown. He was nicknamed Milione during his lifetime which in Italian literally means 'Million'. 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.