Marco Polo (1254-1324 CE) was a Venetian merchant and explorer who travelled to China and served the Mongol ruler Kublai Khan (l. 1214-1294 CE) between c. 1275 and 1292 CE. Polo's adventures are recounted in his own writings, The Travels, where he describes the peoples, places, and customs of the East, including the fabulous court of the Khan. The work caused a sensation and was one of the principal factors in creating a lasting image in European minds that China was a fabulous land of wealth and exotica, almost too fantastic to be believed. Even if doubts remain as to just where he travelled to and what he saw with his own eyes, Marco Polo continues to enjoy a reputation as one of the world's greatest ever explorers and his work provides invaluable insights into Mongol rule and Asia in general in the late 13th century CE.
More about: Marco PoloDefinition
Timeline
-
1254 - 1324Life of the Venetian explorer Marco Polo.
-
1260 - 1294Reign of Kublai Khan, ruler of the Mongol Empire.
-
1271 - 1275Marco Polo travels across Asia to China.
-
c. 1275 - 1292Marco Polo serves Kublai Khan in Mongol Yuan Dynasty China.
-
1292 - 1295Marco Polo travels by land and sea from China to Venice.
-
c. 1296Marco Polo is captured and imprisoned by the Genoese. While in prison he writes his Travels, an account of his time in Mongol China.
