-->

• Marco Polo was a noted explorer who was famous for traveling China's Silk Road. He chronicled his journey in his book The Travels of Marco Polo.

• Fast Facts:

  1. Timeline: 1254-1324
  2. Lived for 17 years in China
  3. Employed by Kublai Khan
  4. Governor of Yangzhou for a time
  5. Fought against the Genoese but was captured
  6. In prison he wrote an account of his adventures in The Travels of Marco Polo

• Brief Background

  Marco Polo is generally considered to be born in Venice in 1254. He was raised in a family of merchants who conducted trade in the East.

  At the age of 17, Polo embarked on his journey along the Silk Road with his father and uncle. When he arrived in China, Polo gained favor with emperor Kublai Khan and was appointed as a governor of Yangzhou for three years.

  According to Polo, he and his family had asked several times to be allowed to go home, but Kublai Khan denied them passage out of China. Eventually Polo was granted permission to leave, and he returned to Venice, where he got married, had three children and died at the age of 70.

• Related Mahalo Pages

  Marco Polo Timeline | China | Kublai Khan | Silk Road | Niccolo Polo | The Travels of Marco Polo | Mongol Empire | Silk Road

Categories

• View History
• Discuss on the Message Board
• Embed this Page
• Share this page