Haw points out that Polo himself appears to state only that he had been an emissary of the khan, in a position with some esteem. In fact, Polo does not even imply that he had led 1,000 personnel. [135], Wood accused Marco Polo of taking other people's accounts in his book, retelling other stories as his own, or basing his accounts on Persian guidebooks or other lost sources. Marco and his uncle Maffeo financed other expeditions, but likely never left Venetian provinces, nor returned to the Silk Road and Asia. This sentence in The Book of Marvels was interpreted as Marco Polo was "the governor" of the city of "Yangiu" Yangzhou for three years, and later of Hangzhou. [85] [48] In 1300, he married Donata Badoèr, the daughter of Vitale Badoèr, a merchant. They were received by the royal court of Kublai Khan, who was impressed by Marco's intelligence and humility. [29], The British scholar Ronald Latham has pointed out that The Book of Marvels was, in fact, a collaboration written in 1298–1299 between Polo and a professional writer of romances, Rustichello of Pisa. Giulio Busi, "Marco Polo. [101][16][102] The lack of evidence makes the Curzola/Korčula theory (probably under Ramusio influence)[103] as a specific birthplace strongly disputed. 27, 1997, pp. Captured Venetian citizens were blinded,[32] while many of those who managed to escape perished aboard overloaded refugee ships fleeing to other Venetian colonies in the Aegean Sea. [97] His story of the princess Kököchin sent from China to Persia to marry the Īl-khān is also confirmed by independent sources in both Persia and China. These conjectures seem to be supported by the fact that in addition to the imperial dignitary Saman (the one who had arrested the official named "Boluo"), the documents mention his brother, Xiangwei. [22][23], In 1168, his great-uncle, Marco Polo, borrowed money and commanded a ship in Constantinople. "[121], Some scholars believe that Marco Polo exaggerated his importance in China. This account of the Orient provided the Europeans with a clear picture of the East's geography and ethnic customs and was the first Western record of porcelain, coal, gunpowder, paper money, and some Asian plants and exotic animals. sfn error: no target: CITEREFKellogg2001 (, Maria Bellonci, "Nota introduttiva", Il Milione di Marco Polo, Milano, Oscar Mondadori, 2003, p. XI. [152], The airport in Venice is named Venice Marco Polo Airport. He never found the kingdom but ended his travels at the Great Wall of China in 1605, proving that Cathay was what Matteo Ricci (1552–1610) called "China".[144]. It depicts the Polos' journeys throughout Asia, giving Europeans their first comprehensive look into the inner workings of the Far East, including China, India, and Japan. According to sources, Saman died shortly after the incident, while Xiangwei was transferred to Yangzhou in 1282–1283. [53] On January 8, 1324, despite physicians' efforts to treat him, Polo was on his deathbed. Book Summary: First published in 1931. "[129] He points out that Polo never claimed to hold high rank, such as a darughachi, who led a tumen – a unit that was normally 10,000 strong. However, neither of these accounts mentions Polo or indeed any European as part of the bridal party,[98] and Wood used the lack of mention of Polo in these works as an example of Polo's "retelling of a well-known tale". [75] Three and a half years after leaving Venice, when Marco was about 21 years old, the Polos were welcomed by Kublai into his palace. He was sent on many diplomatic missions throughout his empire and in Southeast Asia, (such as in present-day Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Vietnam),[5][6] but also entertained the Khan with stories and observations about the lands he saw. None of the manuscripts which have come down to us represent the original form of Marco Polo's narrative, but it is clear that certain texts are closer to the lost original than others. On their arrival there, Messer Nicolas found that his wife was dead and that she had left behind her a son of fifteen years of age, whose name was Marco". ISBN 0 415 34850 1", "Pierre Racine, " Marco Polo, marchand ou reporter ? [154], Croatian state-owned shipping company's (Jadrolinija) ship connecting Split with Ancona in Italy is named after Marco Polo.[155]. LATE UF THE ROYAL ENGINEERS (BENGAL), HON. [130] Haw also objected to the approach to finding mention of Marco Polo in Chinese texts, contending that contemporaneous Europeans had little regard for using surnames, and a direct Chinese transcription of the name "Marco" ignores the possibility of him taking on a Chinese or even Mongol name that had no bearing or similarity with his Latin name.[129]. Michele Cavalieri da Bergamo, maestro nella sagra teologia dello stesso Ordine, ... Con un catalogo de'cardinali Domenicani, e con cinque indici copiosissimi ... ne : Giovanni Michele m. 1701 Cavalieri : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming", "Marco Polo Was in China: New Evidence from Currencies, Salts and Revenues", "The curious case of Marco Polo from Korčula: An example of invented tradition", A counter-argument from Dr Igor de Rachewiltz at The Australian National University, "Mongols in World History | Asia for Educators", "Marco Polo's China: A Venetian in the Realm of Khubilai Khan", "Stephen G. Haw: Marco Polo's China. [126][127][125] In fact, it is a well-documented fact that Kublai Khan trusted foreigners more than Chinese subjects in internal affairs. Francesco Pipino solemnly affirmed the truthfulness of the book and defined Marco as a "prudent, honoured and faithful man". Marco Polo's ship. Consider upgrading to a modern browser for an improved experience. An illustration of two cells of a film strip. Though Marco Polo never produced a map that illustrated his journey, his family drew several maps to the Far East based on the wayward's accounts. To give more weight to this mission he sent with the Polos, as his legates, two Dominican fathers, Guglielmo of Tripoli and Nicola of Piacenza. [29] He received a good education, learning mercantile subjects including foreign currency, appraising, and the handling of cargo ships;[29] he learned little or no Latin. [85], According to some recent research of the Italian scholar Antonio Montefusco, the very close relationship that Marco Polo cultivated with members of the Dominican Order in Venice suggests that local fathers collaborated with him for a Latin version of the book, which means that Rustichello's text was translated into Latin for a precise will of the Order. PART I. [7] Around 1291, the Polos also offered to accompany the Mongol princess Kököchin to Persia; they arrived around 1293. The accusation was that Boluo had walked on the same side of the road as a female courtesan, in contravention of the order for men and women to walk on opposite sides of the road inside the city. [31] Their decision to leave Constantinople proved timely. ... Full text of "Ser Marco Polo; notes and addenda to Sir Henry Yule's edition, containing the results of recent research and discovery" According to the 15th-century humanist Giovanni Battista Ramusio, his fellow citizens awarded him this nickname when he came back to Venice because he kept on saying that Kublai Khan's wealth was counted in millions. The Polos managed to fight and escape through a nearby town, but many members of the caravan were killed or enslaved. [107], However, in the 2010s the Chinese scholar Peng Hai identified Marco Polo with a certain "Boluo", a courtier of the emperor, who is mentioned in the Yuanshi ("History of Yuan") since he was arrested in 1274 by an imperial dignitary named Saman. Latham, Ronald "Introduction" pp. Divisata con cinque cronologie. [39] He also said that city wall of Khanbaliq had twelve gates when it had only eleven. [89] In fact, a Mongol delegate was solemny baptised at the Second Council of Lyon. It is possible that he became a government official;[29] he wrote about many imperial visits to China's southern and eastern provinces, the far south and Burma. [148] Marco Polo describes in his book a food similar to "lasagna", but he uses a term with which he was already familiar. Engraving from 'The Book of Ser Marco Polo', c. 1299. In fact, the Italian title of his book was Il libro di Marco Polo detto il Milione, which means "The Book of Marco Polo, nicknamed 'Milione'". [115] The historian David Morgan points out basic errors made in Wood's book such as confusing the Liao dynasty with the Jin dynasty, and he found no compelling evidence in the book that would convince him that Marco Polo did not go to China. 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