Explorer

The renowned explorer Marco Polo is known for many achievements, but perhaps his greatest is the compilation of one of the world’s earliest and most successful travel accounts. Published around 1300, his book documents his adventures during a 24-year journey from Venice to Asia and back.

Polo himself didn’t pen down his experiences. Following his return to Venice in 1295, he found himself imprisoned by the Genoese, adversaries of the Venetians. During his captivity, he met Rusticiano, a fellow prisoner and writer from Pisa, to whom he recounted his tales. Rusticiano transcribed them into a medieval language known as Franco-Italian, and the accounts were subsequently published.

Although the original manuscript is lost, over 100 illuminated copies from the Middle Ages have survived. These copies, while often exquisitely crafted, exhibit significant variations. The work became known as “Il Milione”, possibly derived from one of Polo’s nicknames. In English, it’s often referred to as “The Travels of Marco Polo.”

The Bodleian Library in Oxford, England, houses one of the earliest versions of the book, dating back to around 1400. Lavishly illustrated, this copy is regarded by many scholars as authoritative. It narrates the journey starting from 1271 of a trio of Venetians through remarkable lands, culminating in an audience with the Mongolian emperor, Kublai Khan.

The places Polo and his companions visited—such as Hormuz, Balkh, and Kashgar—became enduring features of Europeans’ geographical knowledge. Polo’s vivid descriptions brought these distant locales to life, offering insights into both extraordinary marvels and mundane commercial activities.

Despite being published centuries before the advent of the printing press, Polo’s book rapidly gained popularity, spreading across the Italian Peninsula within months. It rekindled Europe’s interest in international trade and exploration, influencing the age of discovery that followed two centuries later.

During his lifetime, Europe’s gaze turned eastward due to the formidable Mongol empire’s expansion. By the time of Polo’s journey, the empire had reached its zenith, stretching from Hungary in the west to the Pacific shores in the east.

Originating from disparate tribes, the Mongols unified under Genghis Khan’s leadership, expanding their dominion across vast territories. Their conquests extended from China and Central Asia to parts of Europe, disrupting established powers and trade routes.

Polo’s Venetian background positioned him within a trading hub primed for expansion into the East. His family had already begun forging connections in the region, meeting with the Mongol Khan during their initial travels in 1261. Thus, Polo’s own journey was part of a broader tradition of Venetian exploration and trade expansion.