Did Marco Polo marry a Chinese?
Legend has it that, during his stay in China, the famous Venetian merchant Marco Polo was in love with one of the daughters of the Great Khan and, after marrying her, he brought her with him to Venice.
Who was Marco Polos wife?
Donata BadoerMarco Polo / Wife (m. 1300–1324)Marco Polo in Venice A Genoese-Venetian peace treaty in 1299 allowed Marco Polo to return home. He probably never left Venetian territory again. The following year, he married Donata Badoer, with whom he would have three daughters.
Who Did Marco Polo love?
Marco PoloRelationship InformationSignificant Other(s)Niccolò Polo (father) Maffeo Polo (uncle) Unnamed (aunt)Significant Other(s)Kokachin (Love Interest)Series Information10 more rows
Did Marco Polo have kids?
Fantina PoloAgnese PoloBellela PoloMoreta PoloMarco Polo/Children
Who is the traitor in Marco Polo?
Later in the episode, Yusuf admits that he was the culprit behind Ariq's treason and the foiled assassination attempts by Mei Lei and the Hashshashins. He claims that he did it to protect the khanate from over extension and ruin.
Why did Marco marry Rosie?
Rosie marries Marco in order to gain high status in the society and respect as a wife from her husband While Marco wants a faithful wife like his servant Joseph.
Did Marco Polo have twins?
By episode 9, she gives birth to twins.
When Did Marco Polo have kids?
It is believed that Agnese was born between 1295 and 1299, after Marco spent over twenty years travelling throughout Asia. Therefore, Marco is likely to have had this daughter soon after returning to Italy and just before his imprisonment in Genoa (1298-1299).
What happened at the end of Marco Polo?
Marco chooses Kublai and the war over the woman he loves, explaining that they can never really get away from Kublai and it would be a nightmare to live in fear.
Does the Polo family still exist?
Siro Polo Padolecchia, born in Venice in an ancient noble family, is the last living descendant of Marco Polo.
What did Marco Polo died of?
Venice, ItalyMarco Polo / Place of death
How true is Marco Polo on Netflix?
But according to Mongolian historians, much of the plot plays fast and loose with the facts. Batsukh Otgonsereenen, who spent 10 years researching his book The History of Kublai Khan, told AFP: "From a historical standpoint 20 percent of the film was actual history and 80 percent fiction."
When Did Marco Polo have kids?
It is believed that Agnese was born between 1295 and 1299, after Marco spent over twenty years travelling throughout Asia. Therefore, Marco is likely to have had this daughter soon after returning to Italy and just before his imprisonment in Genoa (1298-1299).
What date did Marco Polo get married?
1300 (Donata Badoer)Marco Polo / Wedding date
Did Marco Polo meet Kublai?
Lesson Summary. Marco Polo, a Venetian explorer and merchant, published a book titled "The Travels of Marco Polo." In his story, he regaled Europeans with his adventures on the Silk Road and his meeting with the Mongol Emperor Kublai Khan, grandson of Ghengis Khan.
Are there any living descendants of Marco Polo?
Siro Polo Padolecchia, born in Venice in an ancient noble family, is the last living descendant of Marco Polo.
What was Marco Polo’s family like?
The Polos were likely shrewd, alert, and courageous; they traded with the Middle East and acquired considerable wealth and prestige. Marco Polo’s f...
What did Marco Polo do?
Marco Polo was 17 or 18 when he began his journey from Venice to the farthest reaches of the Mongol empire. Living among the emperor’s dominions, w...
Why was Marco Polo so influential?
Marco Polo’s account in Il milione opened new vistas to the European mind, and, as Western horizons expanded, Polo’s legacy grew as well. The wealt...
What were Marco Polo’s other accomplishments in Asia?
Kublai Khan sent Marco Polo on fact-finding missions to distant parts of the empire, including visits to Yunnan (and possibly Myanmar [Burma]) and...
Who was Marco Polo?
Italian explorer and merchant noted for travel to central and eastern Asia. Marco Polo. Polo wearing a Tartar outfit, print from the 18th century. Born. September 15, 1254. Venice, Republic of Venice. Died. January 8, 1324 (aged 69) Venice, Republic of Venice.
How many daughters did Marco Polo have?
They had three daughters, Fantina (married Marco Bragadin), Bellela (married Bertuccio Querini), and Moreta. Pietro d'Abano, philosopher, doctor and astrologer. Pietro d'Abano philosopher, doctor and astrologer based in Padua, reports having spoken with Marco Polo about what he had observed in the vault of the sky during his travels.
What happened to Marco Polo in 1295?
Marco Polo returned to Venice in 1295 with his fortune converted into gemstones. At this time, Venice was at war with the Republic of Genoa. Polo armed a galley equipped with a trebuchet to join the war. He was probably caught by Genoans in a skirmish in 1296, off the Anatolian coast between Adana and the Gulf of Alexandretta (and not during the battle of Curzola (September 1298), off the Dalmatian coast, a claim which is due to a later tradition (16th century) recorded by Giovanni Battista Ramusio ).
What is the book of Marco Polo called?
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' ".
Where did Marco Polo learn to trade?
Born in Venice, Marco learned the mercantile trade from his father and his uncle, Niccolò and Maffeo, who travelled through Asia and met Kublai Khan. In 1269, they returned to Venice to meet Marco for the first time. The three of them embarked on an epic journey to Asia, exploring many places along the Silk Road until they reached Cathay (China). They were received by the royal court of Kublai Khan, who was impressed by Marco's intelligence and humility. Marco was appointed to serve as Khan's foreign emissary, and he was sent on many diplomatic missions throughout the empire and Southeast Asia, such as in present-day Burma, India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. As part of this appointment, Marco also travelled extensively inside China, living in the emperor's lands for 17 years and seeing many things that had previously been unknown to Europeans. Around 1291, the Polos also offered to accompany the Mongol princess Kököchin to Persia; they arrived around 1293. After leaving the princess, they travelled overland to Constantinople and then to Venice, returning home after 24 years. At this time, Venice was at war with Genoa; Marco was captured and imprisoned by the Genoans after joining the war effort and dictated his stories to Rustichello da Pisa, a cellmate. He was released in 1299, became a wealthy merchant, married, and had three children. He died in 1324 and was buried in the church of San Lorenzo in Venice .
What is the nickname of Marco Polo?
Nickname Milione. Corte Seconda del Milion is still named after the nickname of Polo, Il Milione. Marco Polo is most often mentioned in the archives of the Republic of Venice as Marco Paulo de confinio Sancti Iohannis Grisostomi, which means Marco Polo of the contrada of St John Chrysostom Church .
How many copies of Marco Polo's book are there?
A total of about 150 copies in various languages are known to exist. Before the availability of printing press, errors were frequently made during copying and translating, so there are many differences between the various copies.
Marco! Polo!
Marco Polo (1254-1324) was a Venetian merchant, who is best remembered for his travels to China. Also, from childhood pool games where you go underwater screaming “Marco”! and then pop up screaming “Polo!” Or something like that. And, there’s the Netflix series .
Donata Badoer
Donata was born in 1280, the daughter of Vitale Badoèr. Her name means “gift.”
Marriage
Marco and Donata married in 1300. Donata was twenty when she was married to Marco Polo, who was forty-six at the time. This might seem like a bit of an age difference these days, but it was a typical arraignment in those days.
Married Life
We do not know much about either Marco Polo or his wife during their married years. Basically, it appears that they had a life of a successful Venetian merchant family. And, had three daughters, Fantina, Bellela, and Moreta Polo.
Final Years
Donata and her daughters were given the authority to execute Marco Polo’s will when he died in 1324. Donata would live on for about ten years, dying somewhere between 1333 and 1336.
Conclusion
Donata Badoer, a Venetian noblewoman, married Marco Polo in 1300. They had three daughters together. We do not know much about Donata, though a modern-day poet once used her voice to examine the complexities of contact between the people of Europe and China at that time.
Who was Marco Polo?
1254, Venice [Italy]—died January 8, 1324, Venice), Venetian merchant and adventurer who traveled from Europe to Asia in 1271–95, remaining in China for 17 of those years, and whose Il milione (“The Million”), known in English as the Travels of Marco Polo, is a classic of travel literature.
Who was Marco Polo's father?
Marco Polo’s father, Niccolò, and uncle, Maffeo, continued this legacy. Traveling east as far as Mongol emperor Kublai Khan ’s summer residence, Shangdu, they established friendly relations with him before returning to Europe as his ambassadors.
What were Marco Polo's other accomplishments in Asia?
What were Marco Polo’s other accomplishments in Asia? Kublai Khan sent Marco Polo on fact-finding missions to distant parts of the empire, including visits to Yunnan (and possibly Myanmar [Burma]) and through southeastern China to “Quinsay” (now Hangzhou).
Where did the Polos travel to?
Leaving Badakhshān, the Polos proceeded toward the Pamirs, but the route they followed to cross these Central Asian highlands remains uncertain. Descending on the northeastern side of the chain, they reached Kashi (“Cascar”) in what is now the Uygur Autonomous Region of Xinjiang, China.
How old was Marco Polo when he started his journey?
Marco Polo was 17 or 18 when he began his journey from Venice to the farthest reaches of the Mongol empire. Living among the emperor’s dominions, with his father and uncle, as an advisor and emissary for 16 or 17 years, he returned to Venice by way of Hormuz (aboard ship) and Constantinople (overland).
Where was Marco Polo's letter presented?
Marco Polo, his uncle, and his father presenting the pope's letter at the court of Kublai Khan, detail of an illuminated manuscript; in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, England. © Photos.com/Getty Images Plus.
Who was the pope who was elected Pope by the Polos?
The Polos had been on the road for only a few days when they heard that their friend Teobaldo had been elected pope as Gregory X. Returning to Acre, they were given proper credentials, and two friars were assigned to accompany them, though they abandoned the Polos shortly after the expedition resumed. Marco Polo.
Where was Marco Polo born?
Marco Polo was born around 1254 into a prosperous merchant family in the Italian city-state of Venice. His father, Niccolò, and his uncle Maffeo had left the year before on a long-term trading expedition. As a result, he was raised by extended relatives following his mother’s death at a young age. Niccolò and Maffeo first spent about six years in Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey), which had been under Latin control since the Fourth Crusade of 1204. The two brothers then went to the port city of Soldaia (now Sudak, Ukraine), where they owned a house.
How long did Marco Polo stay abroad?
Marco Polo remained abroad for 24 years. Though not the first European to explore China—his father and uncle, among others, had already been there—he became famous for his travels thanks to a popular book he co-authored while languishing in a Genoese prison.
What was Marco Polo's first journey?
Marco Polo: The Early Years. Marco Polo’s Travels Along the Silk Road. Marco Polo in Venice. Marco Polo (1254-1324) was a Venetian merchant believed to have journeyed across Asia at the height of the Mongol Empire. He first set out at age 17 with his father and uncle, traveling overland along what later became known as the Silk Road.
What did Marco Polo describe in his travels?
With the help of notes taken during his adventures, Marco Polo reverently described Kublai Khan and his palaces, along with paper money, coal, postal service, eyeglasses and other innovations that had not yet appeared in Europe.
Where did the Polos go in the 19th century?
The friars quickly abandoned the expedition, but the Polos continued on, possibly by camel, to the Persian port city of Hormuz. Failing to find any boats to their liking, they instead took a series of overland traders’ routes that, in the 19th century, would become known as the Silk Road.
Where did the Polos go to?
The Polos, meanwhile, stayed on with Arghun’s brother for nine months before heading to Venice via Trebizond (now Trabzon, Turkey), Constantinople and Negrepont (now Euboea, Greece). They arrived home in 1295, the year after Kublai’s death sent the Mongol Empire into an irrevocable decline.
Who took Marco Polo into his court?
Kublai, who generally relied on foreigners to administer his empire, took Marco Polo into his court, possibly as a tax collector. At one point, the Venetian was sent on official business to the port city of Hangzhou (then called Quinsai), which, like Venice, was built around a series of canals. Marco Polo also purportedly journeyed across inland China and into present-day Myanmar.
What happened to Marco Polo in 1298?
In 1298, when Marco Polo was captured in battle by the Genoese, the envious sisters in law told the oriental princess that her husband was dead; reeling from pain the girl set fire to her clothes and jumped from the windows of Marco Polo's house into the underlying canal. The legend says that, sometimes, if at night you pass through ...
Who is the ghost of Marco Polo?
The ghost of the Chinese wife of Marco Polo. The ghost of the Chinese wife of Marco... Legend has it that, during his stay in China, the famous Venetian merchant Marco Polo was in love with one of the daughters of the Great Khan and, after marrying her, he brought her with him to Venice. The young girl was sweet and polite, ...
Where did Marco Polo meet Marco Polo?
The two met while in prison, where Polo dictated the stories of his travels and his adventures at the court of Kublai Khan. [Marco was a prisoner of war, having been captured in a battle between Venice and its rival city-state Genoa in 1298.]
What are some interesting facts about Marco Polo?
10 Facts About Marco Polo. Explore the real Marco Polo and decipher the man from the many myths. Explore the real Marco Polo and decipher the man from the many myths. Venetian explorer Marco Polo spent more than two decades in the service of Kublai Khan, one of the greatest rulers in history who reigned over Mongolia for 34 years.
How long did Marco Polo travel?
Polo traveled extensively with his family, journeying from Europe to Asia from 1271 to 1295 and remaining in China for 17 of those years. Take a look at real life of this legendary explorer to separate fact from the fiction.
How old was Polo when he left Venice?
Polo was only 15 years old when he left Venice on the great adventure that took him to the court of Kublai Khan. His father Niccolò and his uncle Maffeo Polo had made the journey previously. Polo barely knew his father, who had spent Polo's childhood as a traveling merchant when they left on their quest.
How many languages did Polo speak?
Polo knew four languages. In addition to his native tongue, Polo wrote that he knew four languages. He never elaborated on which four they were, but from his writings, historians have surmised they were Mongolian, Persian, Arabic, and Turkish — not Chinese.
Where did Marco Polo observe sheep?
In The Travels of Marco Polo, he mentions observing the mountain sheep on the Pamir Plateau in Badakhshan [now northeastern Afghanistan] . Of course, the sheep weren't named after him in his lifetime. The first scientific mention of Ovis ammon polii was in 1841 by zoologist Edward Blyth.
Who inspired Christopher Columbus to travel to China?
Columbus is said to have been inspired by Polo's adventures and took a copy of The Travels of Marco Polo on his Westward sail two centuries after Polo's journey to China.
Family business
Born into a noble family of Venetian merchants, Marco Polo began his long experience with Cathay through the adventures of his father, Niccolo, and his uncle, Maffeo Polo, partners in a trading operation at a time when Venice was the world leader in foreign commerce.
Years in China
With the approval of Kublai Khan, the Polos began widespread trading ventures within his empire. While on these business trips around the empire, Marco Polo demonstrated his quick mind and his ability to relate what he saw in clear, understandable terms.
Leaving the khan
Although the Polos enjoyed the profits of their enterprise, they longed to return to Venice to enjoy their wealth. They were prevented from returning for a time because Kublai Khan was unwilling to release them from his service. Their chance to return to Europe came in 1292, when they were sent on a mission to Persia and then to Rome.
Record of his travels
While imprisoned in Genoa, Marco Polo related the story of his travels to a fellow prisoner named Rusticiano, a man from Pisa, Italy, who wrote in the romantic style of thirteenth-century literature. A combination of Marco Polo's gift of observation and the writing style of Rusticiano emerged in the final version of Marco Polo's travels.
Overview
The Travels of Marco Polo
An authoritative version of Marco Polo's book does not and cannot exist, for the early manuscripts differ significantly, and the reconstruction of the original text is a matter of textual criticism. A total of about 150 copies in various languages are known to exist. Before the availability of printing press, errors were frequently made during copying and translating, so there are many difference…
Life
Marco Polo was born in 1254 in Venice, the capital of the Venetian Republic. His father, Niccolò Polo, had his household in Venice and left Marco's pregnant mother in order to travel to Asia with his brother Maffeo Polo. Their return to Italy in order to "go to Venice and visit their household" is described in The Travels of Marco Polo as follows: "...they departed from Acre and went to Negropont, and from Negropont they continued their voyage to Venice. On their arrival there, M…
Scholarly analyses
Sceptics have long wondered whether Marco Polo wrote his book based on hearsay, with some pointing to omissions about noteworthy practices and structures of China as well as the lack of details on some places in his book. While Polo describes paper money and the burning of coal, he fails to mention the Great Wall of China, tea, Chinese characters, chopsticks, or footbinding. Hi…
Legacy
Other lesser-known European explorers had already travelled to China, such as Giovanni da Pian del Carpine, but Polo's book meant that his journey was the first to be widely known. Christopher Columbus was inspired enough by Polo's description of the Far East to want to visit those lands for himself; a copy of the book was among his belongings, with handwritten annotations. Bento de Góis, …
See also
• Chinese expeditions to the Sinhala Kingdom
• Chronology of European exploration of Asia
• John of Montecorvino, Catholic Italian missionary to China
• Rabban Bar Sauma, Uyghur Nestorian Christian monk from Zhongdu (Khanbaliq, modern Beijing) who led a Mongol diplomatic mission to medieval European monarchs and the pope, visiting Greece, Italy, and France
Bibliography
• Marco Polo, Marci Poli Veneti de Regionibus Orientalibus, Simon Grynaeus Johannes Huttichius, Novus Orbis Regionum ac Insularum Veteribus Incognitarum, Basel, 1532, pp. 350–418.
• Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Marco Polo" . Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
Further reading
• Marco Polo (1918). Marsden, William (ed.). The Travels of Marco Polo. London: J.M. Dent & Sons. p. 461.
• Hart, H. Henry (1948). Marco Polo, Venetian Adventurer. Kessinger Publishing.
• Dalrymple, William (1989). In Xanadu.
Donata Badoer
Marriage
- Marco and Donata married in 1300. Donata was twenty when she was married to Marco Polo, who was forty-six at the time. This might seem like a bit of an age difference these days, but it was a typical arraignment in those days. An important part of marriage then (and let’s be honest, still today) was settling financial arraignments. The bride’s family arranged the dowry, the money an…
Married Life
- We do not know much about either Marco Polo or his wife during their married years. Basically, it appears that they had a life of a successful Venetian merchant family. And, had three daughters, Fantina, Bellela, and Moreta Polo. Donata’s main job as a wealthy merchant’s wife would have been to run the household as Marco Polo handled business affairs. Her responsibilities would in…
Final Years
- Donata and her daughters were given the authority to execute Marco Polo’s will when he died in 1324. Donata would live on for about ten years, dying somewhere between 1333 and 1336. A successful widow at this time had various options. She could remarry, which would be particularly likely if she was younger and still bearing children. Some chose to return to their family. Or, join …
An Imagined Account
- Daneen Wardropwas a professor of English and poet. Her poetry collection, Silk Road, is written in the voice of Donata Badoer. Wardrop uses Donata as a means to comment on the interactions of Europe and China, global economic and cultural matters, and Marco Polo. You can get a taste of the poetry here. The poems thus have themes that go far beyond trying to realistically imagine t…
Conclusion
- Donata Badoer, a Venetian noblewoman, married Marco Polo in 1300. They had three daughters together. We do not know much about Donata, though a modern-day poet once used her voice to examine the complexities of contact between the people of Europe and China at that time. Donata is best imagined by examining the lives of the typical Venetians of her...