| The Life of Marco Polo | |
|---|---|
| 1254 | Marco Polo, the son of Niccolo Polo, is born in Venice. |
| 1259 |
Niccolò and Maffeo Polo leave Constantinople and transfer their trading business to Soldaia, a city in Crimea controlled by the Mongol empire. Searching for better profits, the Polos move east to Bukhara (in modern-day Uzbekistan) where they trade for three years. |
| 1264 |
The Polo brothers join an embassy sent by Hulagu Khan, ruler of the Ilkhanate empire in present-day Iran, Iraq and most of the former Soviet republics, to his brother Kublai Khan, ruler of the Mongol Empire in present-day Mongolia, North China and much of Western China. |
| 1266 |
The Polo brothers arrive at the court of Kublai Khan in Dadu (present-day Beijing) China. Kublai Khan sends the Polos back to Venice with a letter to the Pope, requesting 100 educated missionaries to teach Christianity and Western customs to his people, and oil from the lamp in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (the reputed resting place of Jesus Christ). The letter also includes a golden tablet that authorizes the Polos to receive food and lodging throughout Kublai Khan’s domain. |
| 1269-1270 | The Polo brothers return to Venice and await the nomination of a new Pope. |
| 1271 |
The Polo brothers present Kublai Khan’s letter to newly-elected Pope Gregory X, and set out to Mongolia with seventeen-year-old Marco Polo, two Dominican monks and the oil from the lamp. The monks do not finish the voyage out of fear. The Polos are also carrying letters for the Mongol emperor from the Pope. |
| 1274 |
The Polos give the Pope’s gifts to Kublai Khan. The Polos spend the next seventeen years in China. Kublai Khan takes a liking to young Marco Polo, and dispatches him on diplomatic missions throughout the empire. Marco later claims that Kublai Khan made him the governor of the city of Yangzhou for three years. |
| 1291-1294 |
Kublai Khan sends the Polos to escort a Mongol princess to her betrothed in the Ilkhanate in Persia. The Polos travel by sea from the Chinese port city of Quanzhou to Sumatra, Sri Lanka, India and finally to Persia. |
| 1295 | The Polos return to Venice and tell their stories of the East to doubting Venetians. |
| 1298 |
Marco Polo is captured during a civil war between Venice and Genoa. During his imprisonment, he dictates a detailed account of his travels to a fellow prisoner. The resulting book (known alternately as “Il Milione,” “The Description of the World” or “The Travels of Marco Polo”) becomes a huge success in Europe, 200 years before the invention of the printing press. |
| 1299-1300 |
Marco Polo is released from prison, marries, and has three children. He never leaves Venice again. |
| 1310-1320 | Marco Polo writes a new version of Il Milione in Italian. |
| 1324 | Marco Polo dies at home at age 70. |
Source: Encyclopedia Britannica












uh well i am on dis site to learn about him for a project and yeah. go marco polo
hah i think marco polo story is really cool
hi i think Marco Polo was a brilliant man wait he is a briant man. It was interesting when he journeyed to southeast China. And i think he could have thought soooooooo much of what he did he is soooooooooooooo AWSOME sorry i get exicted when i talk about people who amaze me.
ROCK ON MAN (Marco Polo) SO I THINK MARCO POLO RULEZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
he rocks
its shundu (beijing) not dadu
Shang-tu was the Great Khan’s summer palace in the north, where years later Marco would meet him. His father and uncle first met Kublai in Dadu or Khan balik which today is known as Beijing.
thanks for the timeline and wow i cant believe he did all these things!
excelente pelicula, la de enio marricone
Doing a project too. It helps that this site has most of the pictures all large in size. Makes citations a bit easier woo
I just went to this site to find out if Niccolo or Maffeo was Marco’s father because I have A BIG report to do and I would not want to have the two men confused…Good job with this page too
Marco Rulezz im doing a project on him in class he is awsome!
Peace out home dogs
i am doing a report on him. and this is very very Helpful.
-Adriana
marco polo ur great u rock.wish i were i ur genetation:)….am doing my project on marco polo…hope my project too rocks:)
this is my family history and I am very proud to be apart of this family!
Soooo useful.
Love it
man i had to do a report about this dude….i did it the last min. and got an A+…..hahha…easy A
I woke up at 2:30am 27 Sept 09 and could not go back to sleep so I started watching TV. KET was showing Denis and Francis’s footage of their journey. I could not stop watching it. What an experience that was not only for them but for me to be able to see what they went through. Thanks so much for sharing their story and I plan to buy the book. Thanks to all who helped make this journey possible. Wade in Louisville KY
I think the was really good to!
i problyn younger then all of u and im on this site 4 school
ya im doing a project w/ my bff about marco polo too its going good!
I was looking for another site when I found this one and its so helpfull! It gave me all the information I needed for my school project and it has really good pictures,too. I highly recomend others to read it,especially for projects and reports.
i’m doin a speech for school and i’m really excited on how everyones’ gonna like it!!!
They (Dennis and Francis) came to talk and show us the video at our school, they’re awesome! They’re both really nice and just seem to be great friends
I am doing a project on marco pol and this realy helped!!! <3
thanks alot (literally) i’m doing a project myself
go marco polo i love your song marco polo by bowwow
I AM DOING A REPORT ON MARCO POLO AND IS REAL GOOD IN HELPING ME. THANKS
i have to do a report on his guy and i haven’t done anything at all i’m supposed to be researching right now
Does anybody know when Marco polo’s dad died???
THANKS!!! THIS TIME LINE REALLY HELPS!
Marco Polo is an insperation to traverlers and to me!
Im doing a report on Marco Polo in social studies & everybody in my class had to pick a traveler so I picked Marco Polo. Ever since I had to do my report ive learnd so much about him. Hes a rockin’ man. Hes my FAVORITEST TRAVELER IN THE WORLD. I even learned some cool facts about him, & also ive seen some pretty cool pictures of him to. WOW!
Dir friends..
who knows about detail of Marco Polo’S travel story when he pass in Persia as gifts he get and as donate he ?????/
this info is so good for project reports
I’m doing a report on him and the teacher said he set out for China in 1271. I’m In 5th grade.
Beautiful book and spectacular film. Reminds me of home. Happy travels to Dennis and Francis.
thanx, it ’s really help.
What are these people illiterate nit wits who cannot write proper English? Marco Polo went to “Cathay”, via land not sea. He was fourteen, he left with his four uncles and his father. This information was in history books when History was actually taught. One of the other subjects taught in our education system was English, which something that is no longer taught, from the responses given. Shame on you!!!!
Dear Friends, of ” In the footsteps of Marco Polo ” I can no longer be reached at the old Email address of ( francis@returntovenice.com)
So for now please feel free to contact me at franc.is.marcopolo@gmail.com Thanx & Remember what I always say “There’s more to Explore ” Francis O’Donnell
Dear Friends, of ” In the footsteps of Marco Polo ” I can no longer be reached at the old Email address of ( francis@returntovenice.com)
So for now please feel free to contact me at franc.is.marcopolo@gmail.com Thanx & Remember what I always say “There’s more to Explore ” Francis O’Donnell
this is spectacular
Marco Polo is a lil interesting but how would i know im not a big fan of history!! but im doin a stupid history project on him cause he sounded really interesting so hopefully he is:))
Dear Friends, of ” In the footsteps of Marco Polo ” I can no longer be reached at the old Email address of ( francis@returntovenice.com)
So for now please feel free to contact me at franc.is.marcopolo@gmail.com Thanx & Remember what I always say “There’s more to Explore ” Francis O’Donnell
It was so helpful. I loved it!
I’m one of the four million people who are doing a project on him, i’m still amazed that when he left china with six hundred people that he was one of the eighteen who survived the trip!
i am doing a report on him this was very helpful.
I love this sight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
so helpful! thanks!
this help so much with my projet thanks
I think that Marco Polo was a great explorer and is a cool guy