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Marco Polo's family included wealthy merchants and traders-prominent members of Venetian society.

Among these were Giovanni da Pian del Carpini in 1245 and Willem van Ruysbroeck in 1253.Īlthough challenged by other nations, Venice controlled the Mediterranean and dominated European trade with the Middle East and with much of the rest of Asia. For instance, Pope Innocent IV sent friars there to attempt to convert the Mongols to Christianity. Had preceded the Polos in making the trip to the court of the Great Khan in China.

Few traders traveled the entire route from Europe to China merchandise changed hands a number of times before reaching its destination. Although trade declined when the Roman Empire degenerated, trade was revived by the Mongols during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. The Chinese Empire had been a strong power with a well developed culture since the time of the Roman Empire, and there was active trade between the two empires along a 4,000-mile (6,400-km) caravan route, known as the Silk Road. Although the Mongols made no great effort to change the culture of the nations they conquered, they did not trust the natives' participation in government and looked to foreigners, especially Europeans, for help in administering their empire.įor many years, Europe and central Asia had been engaged in trading. The grandson of Genghis Khan, Kublai Khan (1215-1294) became the Great Khan in 1257 and ruled the immense Mongol Empire. They had also subjugated Russia and threatened Europe as well. Under Genghis Khan, the Mongols had conquered China and most of the rest of eastern Asia. Governments were becoming more stable and trade was increasing. The Dark Ages that had followed the collapse of the Roman Empire were ending. Marco Polo lived at an auspicious time in history. In any case, it served to excite Europeans about the riches in trade and culture which might be found in unfamiliar areas of the world and to encourage them to venture out in search of them. Only later was it realized that most of its contents are quite accurate. His account of the trip was published in 1298 as Divisament dou Monde (Description of the world), now known generally as 'The Travels of Marco Polo.' Although read widely when it appeared, it was regarded by most readers as a work of fiction. He included information on the culture and religion as well as the geography and government of the regions he visited. He was among the first Europeans to visit this part of the world and was the first to record in detail the many things he observed there. 1254-1324) was a Venetian merchant and adventurer who made an extended, twenty-four year (1271-95), journey with his father Niccolò and his uncle Maffeo into central Asia, including seventeen years spent in Mongol-controlled China. The Journeys of Marco Polo and Their Impact Overview

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