Marco Polo

Marco Polo was an Italian merchant and traveler who journeyed across Asia in the late 1200s. He lived from about 1254 to 1324. He spent more than 20 years away from home and traveled all the way to China. His book about the trip became one of the most famous travel stories in history. It introduced many Europeans to Asia for the first time.

Marco was born in the city of Venice. At the time, Venice was a busy trading port on the coast of Italy. His father and uncle were merchants who had already traveled to Asia once. They returned home when Marco was a teenager. In 1271, the three Polos set out together on a long trip east. Marco was about 17 years old.

Their route followed parts of the Silk Road, a network of trade paths that linked Europe to Asia. The journey took about three and a half years. They crossed deserts, mountains, and grasslands. They passed through what is now Iran, Afghanistan, and the high plains of Central Asia. Finally, they arrived at the court of Kublai Khan, the Mongol emperor who ruled China.

Kublai Khan liked the young traveler and kept him at his court for about 17 years. The emperor sent Marco on missions to far parts of the empire. Marco saw cities bigger than any in Europe. He wrote about paper money, coal that burned like wood, and a postal system that used relay riders to carry messages thousands of miles.

The Polos finally returned to Venice in 1295. Soon after, Marco was captured during a sea battle with the rival city of Genoa. While in prison, he met a writer named Rustichello. Marco told his stories, and Rustichello wrote them down. The book is usually called The Travels of Marco Polo.

Many Europeans did not believe him. The book described animals, palaces, and customs that sounded made up. Some readers nicknamed him "Marco of the Millions" because they thought he made his numbers too big. Even today, historians still argue about how much of the book is true. A few scholars wonder if Marco really reached China at all. Most think he did, but agree that some details came from other travelers' tales.

True or not, the book changed history. About 200 years later, a young Italian sailor named Christopher Columbus owned a copy. He read it carefully and made notes in the margins. When he sailed west across the Atlantic in 1492, he was hoping to reach the rich lands Marco Polo had described.