Presenting famous people from Šibenik, Croatia who contribute the world like it is today- Part#3- MARCO POLO (1254 ?- Venice 1329) - Croation explorer, merchant and traveler

in #history7 years ago (edited)

He was famous explorer who opened Europe to Asia including China
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There are many speculations about his place of birth.Henry S. Hart in his book " Venetian Adventurer: Marco Polo" states that Marco Polo was a descendant of an old Dalmation family Pilich which had come from Šibenik, Dalmatia and settled in Venice in the 11 th century.
Especially important is Marco Polo's
Coat of Arms
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which includes three chickens.In Italian Polo means chicks or chickens.Accident or caincidence?
The merchant and the noble class in Dalmatia did use two surnames, one Latin-Italian as a citizents of Venice and Slavic in their own circles.Bogdanich became Bogdaneo, Mladinich - Mladineo, Arnerich - Arneri. Some simply used the Latin-Italian meaning of their name such Glavinich - Capogrosso, Cvietkovich - Florio or Florini, Pilich - Polo, etc.
The Croatian Census of Population for 1948 lists Polo on the island of Korcula with 40 individuals in 15 families.Also near the city of Šibenik has over 25 families with more than 130 individuals named Pilich.
How about Croatian Marco Polo?
Almost nothing is known about the childhood of Marco Polo until he was fifteen years old.His father Niccolo and uncle Maffeo who travelled through Asia and met Kublai Khan they returned to Venice in 1269 to meet Marco for the first time.His mother died when he was young boy, an aunt and uncle raised him.
He received a good education, learning mercantile subjects including foreign currency, appraising and the handling of cargo ships
In 1271 Niccolo and Maffeo set out for Asia again but this time they brought young Marco with them.The Polo's journey took place on land and they where forced to cut through challening and sometimes harsh territory. But through it all Marco reveled for the places and cultures he witnessed was remarkable and exceptionally accurate.His account of the Orient, especially provided the western world with its first clear picture of the East's geography and ethnic custom.
Silk Road
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Finaly after four years of travel the Polo's reached China and Kublai Khan,
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who was staying at his summer palace known as Xanadu, a grand marble architectural wonder that dazzled young Marco.The Polo's had planned to be gone for only a few years, they where away from Venice for more then 23 years.
Khan's acceptance of the Polo's offered the foreigners unparalleled access to his empire.
Niccolo and Maffeo were granted important position in the leader's Court.
Marco also impressed Khan who thought highly of the young man's abilities as a merchant.Khan employed Marco as a special envoy and he sand him into far-flung areas of Asia never before explored by Europeans.Burma, India, Tibet and other areas were among the places that Marco ventured into.
As the years wore on, Marco was promoted for his work.He served as governor of a Chainese city.At one point he was the tax inspector in the city of Yanzhou.
From his travels Marco amassed not only great knowledge about the Mongol empire, but incredible wonder.He marveled at the empires use of paper money, an idea that had failed to reach Europe and was in awe of its economy and scale of production.
Marco's later stories showed him to be an early anthropologist and ethnographer.
After 17 years in Khan's court, finally the Polos decided it was time to return to Venice.In the end Khan acquiesced to their request with one condition: They must escort a Mongol princess to Persia, were she was to marry a Persian prince.
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Traveling by sea the journey proved harrowing and many perished as a result of storms and disease.The group reached Persia's Port of Hormuz, with 18 people including the princess and Polos.
The Polos returned to Venice in 1295 after 24 years.When they returned, they were wearing mongolian clothing and could hardly remember their native language.
Soon Venice was at war with the rival city of Genoa and Marco Polo financied his own war galley.
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He was captured in the battle near the island Korčula in 1296 and sentenced to a Genoese prison, were he met a chellmates Rustichelo from Pisa, who had experience writing romantic novels.Marco told Rustichelo about his time in Asia, what he has seen, where he traveled and what he accomplished.His stories where soon committed to paper and published as a book called The Description of the World, later known as The Travels of Marco Polo, on Italian II Milione

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The book was printed in French, Italian and Latin, become most popular book in Europe and is the third most translated book after Bible and the Quran.But few readers allowed themselves to believe Marco's tale.They took it to be fiction, the construct of a man with a wild imagination.

It is known that the word (number) millione relates to Marco Polo, but why ?
When he returned to Vanice he talked about his experiences even megalomanic by increasing the facts, descriptions and numbers."Normal" numerals become too small too follow his descriptions. But for the number of 1 000 000 there was no special numerical expression, the name thousand of thousends was used.
As his second name was Emilio (full name: Marco Emilio Polo) that soon became a "emilion" coin of Venetian burial, which by tiny modification, "born" a new number.
Marco's storys has inspired other adventures to set off and see the world.Two centuries after, Cristopher Columbus set off across Atlantic in hope of finding a new route to the Orient.
With him was a copy of Marco Polo book.

He was released from prison in 1299 and returned to home in Venice. Became wealthy merchant, he merried with Donata Badoer and they have three daughters.
Marco died at his home on January 1324.
As he lay dying, friends and fans of his book paid him visits, urging him to admit that his book was fiction.Marco said:

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Thanks for sharing information about Marco Polo. It will definitely helpful for the community.

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