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The Travels of Marco Polo

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Marco – The Storyteller

• He often told of adventures to faraway places such as China.

• Marco had traveled to China and the Indies; the islands off the China coast.

• He told stories about meeting Kublai Khan, China’s ruler, and seeing amazing things – white bears, black stones that burned, and a place where night lasted all winter and day lasted all summer.

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“Marco Millions”

• People in his hometown of Venice, Italy laughed and called him Marco Millions because he told so many tales.

• Few Europeans had ever been to Asia, so they could not prove Marco was wrong.

• They thought his stories could not be true but many were.

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Marco’s Travels

• Marco left his home in Venice, Italy in 1271 with his father Niccolo and his uncle Maffeo.

• They were caravan traders who traveled the Silk Road and were interested in the riches of the east.

• Four years after beginning their journey, the Polos reached China.

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Trade Routes to the East

• Europeans carried on a busy trade with the people of Asia.

• Europeans wanted: gold, jewels, silk, perfumes, furs, jade, ivory, and especially spices. (pepper, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg)

• They used the spices to make their food taste better and to hide the bad taste of spoiled meat.

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Silk Road

• About 4,000 miles long, the Silk Road was a series of trade routes connecting the east to the west. (Asia to Europe)

• The trade route was traveled by caravan traders and bandits who made travel much more dangerous.

• The Silk Road was physically difficult for travel.• Caravans needed their own defense forces so

forts and walls were built along the Silk Road for protection.

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Genghis Khan

• When Genghis Khan unified the region as the Mongolian Empire, the Silk Road became an important path for communication.

• Travel across the Silk Road was safe for a time under Mongol control.

• Cultural diffusion - The movement of customs and ideas from one culture to another.

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Marco’s Adventures

• Marco’s father introduced his son to China’s ruler, Kublai Khan.

• Kublai Khan asked Marco to explore his kingdom.

• Marco spent seventeen years working for the Khan and discovering new and mysterious things.

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Kublai Khan

• Kublai Khan was China’s Mongol ruler.

• Marco described his palace as having walls covered with gold and silver.

• One hall was so big that “a meal might be served for more than 6,000 men.”

Marco’s Return to Europe

• He came home with the items that created quite a buzz in Europe…

• Compass

• Gunpowder

• Vast array of colored silk

• Noodles

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The Travels of Marco Polo

• Upon returning to Venice, Marco became the captain of a Venetian ship.

• Venice and Genoa, two Italian city-states, were involved in battle.

• Marco was captured and thrown into prison.

• While there his stories were written down.

• Two hundred years later, The Travels of Marco Polo was published.

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Trade Routes to the East

• For most European traders travel to Asia and back was too hard and took too much time.

• In 1453 trade with the Far East was stopped by Muslim Turks after they captured the city of Constantinople.

• A new trade route to China would have to be found.

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A New Trade Route?

• Kingdoms in Europe began to explore the possibility of a water route to Asia.

• They were not willing to give up the luxury goods they had become accustomed to.

• Portugal was the first to search for a faster water route to China by sailing around Africa.

Reasons for Exploration

• It was long before Spain, England, and Italy joined Portugal in the search of new lands.

• Why? Claiming new lands would:– Increase their territory – establish colonies– Increase their wealth – trade goods– Spread their religion- Christianity

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