why did marco polo become an explorer?
i can't find teh answer....anywhere...o.o
2007-12-10 04:12:56 · 2 answers · asked by sand_illusions 4 in Arts & Humanities ➔ History
As a teenager, Marco Polo traveled to China (then known as Cathay) with his father and uncle. The trio spent 20 years at the court of Kublai Khan -- this at a time when few Europeans had ever visited that country. Polo eventually returned to Venice and collected the stories of his travels into a book, Il Milione (also known as The Travels of Marco Polo), which was widely read and is the basis of his lasting fame. Polo is now remembered as the man who introduced Europeans to the Orient, and his name is synonymous with exotic travel. Some historians have claimed that Polo made parts of his story up, if not the whole thing, but this has never been proved.
At the end of year 1271, receiving letters and valuable gifts for the Great Khan from the new Pope Tedaldo (Gregory x), the Polos set out from Venice on their journey to the east. They took with them 17-year-old Marco Polo and two friars. The two friars hastily turned back after reaching a war zone, but the Polos carried on. They passed through Armenia, Persia, and Afghanistan, over the Pamirs, and all along the Silk Road to China.
Marco Polo was born in Venice Italy in the year 1254 so he was 17 when he went on his first trip to China (Cathay as it was known then).
2007-12-10 04:30:30 · answer #1 · answered by Thomas B 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
His father and his uncle were merchants who traveled to Cathay (China) on a trade journey and took Marco along on their second one. After returning home, he dictated his memoirs of the trip and thus became the Polo history remembers, even though he wasn't the first to make the trip. For a fuller discussion, see this site: http://geography.about.com/cs/marcopolo/a/marcopolo.htm
2007-12-10 12:21:47 · answer #2 · answered by aida 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋