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Marco Polo
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Marco Polo
MARCO POLO Marco Polo is one of the most well known heroic travelers and traders around the world. In my paper I will discuss with you Marco Polo’s life, his travels, and his visit to China to see the great Khan. Marco Polo was born in 1254 in Venice. He was a Venetian explorer and merchant whose account of his travels in Asia was the primary source for the European image of the Far East until the late 19th century. Marco's father, Niccolo, and his uncle Maffeo had traveled to China as merchants. When they left Venice to return to China, they were accompanied by 17 year old Marco and two priests. Early life, despite his enduring fame, very little was known about the personal life of Marco Polo. It is known that he was born into a leading Venetian family of merchants. He also lived during a favorable time in world history, when the height of Venice’s influence harmonized with the greatest extent of Mongol conquest of Asia. Ruled by Kublai Khan, the Mongol Empire stretched all the way from China to Russia and the Levant. The Mongol crowds also threatened other parts of Europe, particularly Poland and Hungary, inspiring fears everywhere by their ruthless advances. Yet the ruthless methods brought a measure of stability to the lands they controlled, opening up trade routes. Into this favorable atmosphere a number of European traders ventured, including the family of Marco Polo. The Polos had long-established ties in the Levant and around the Black Sea: for example...
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