Reference
- Kublai Khan(kō'blī kän), 1215–94, Mongol emperor, founder of the Yüan dynasty of China. From 1251 to 1259 he led military campaigns in S China. He succeeded (1260) his brother Mongke (Mangu) as khan of the empire that their grandfather Jenghiz Khan had founded. The empire reached its greatest territorial extent with Kublai's final defeat (1279) of the Sung dynasty of China; however, his campaigns against Japan (see kamikaze), Myanmar, Vietnam, and Indonesia failed. Kublai's rule as the overlord of the Mongol empire was nominal except in Mongolia and China...
- Marco Polo (1254–1324)Marco Polo (1254–1324) – the greatest European (Venetian) traveler and merchant before the era of the Great Geographical Discoveries, “Herodotus of the Middle Ages.” It is believed that Marco Polo was born precisely on Korčula, Croatia, although many believe that he is from Venice. Venetians often used the services of captains from their Adriatic colonies. It is reliably known that Marco Polo was captured by the Genoese in the Battle of Korčulain 1298...
- Mongol Empire, GreatAfter uniting the Turco-Mongol tribes and being declared Great Fierce Khan, Chinggis began his conquests of the settled lands. After conquering Northern China he looked west for trade but was forced into conflict. On his death his empire stretched from China to Russia and his sons continued the expansion. In China and Iran multicultural regimes were founded and trade links were established from Europe to China...
- Polo, MarcoMedieval Europe's greatest explorer and travel writer, Marco Polo, probably was born in Venice about 1254. He may have been about six years old when his father, Niccolò, and his uncle Maffeo traveled to the East, where they became the first Europeans to reach China, or as they called it, Cathay. They returned to Venice in 1269, with a request from the great khan, Kublai, written in Turkish and addressed to the pope, expressing the khan's interest in Christianity and inviting 100 learned men to visit his empire and provide instruction in Western religion and science...
- Yüan(yüän), Mongol dynasty of China that ruled from 1271 to 1368. It was a division of the great empire conquered by the Mongols. Kublai Khan, who adopted the Chinese dynastic name Yüan in 1271, swept down from N China, which the Mongols had ruled since the 1230s, and finally defeated the Sung dynasty in 1279. The Mongols set up a government in some ways modeled on the traditional Chinese administrative system, kept key government positions to themselves, and hired people from Central Asia to serve in the government. The Mongols adopted policies that discriminated against the Chinese, and to prevent rebellion Mongol troops were deployed all over the country...
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Credo Reference is an easy-to-use tool for starting research. Gather background information on your topic from hundreds of full-text encyclopedias, dictionaries, thesauri, quotations, and subject-specific titles, as well as 500,000+ images and audio files and over 1,000 videos.
The Mongols and Marco Polo in Xanadu
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The century-long era known as the Pax Mongolica was a time of extraordinary East-West trade and cross-cultural communication. Learn about this epoch through the remarkable journeys of Marco Polo and his family, the missionary Giovanni de Montecorvino, the Nestorian priest and diplomat Rabban Bar Sauma, and others, as they reveal the astonishing multiculturalism of the Mongol world.
Online Resources
- The curious case of Marco Polo from Korčula: An example of invented tradition: Science DirectIn this paper the author deals with the claiming of Korčulan identity for Marco Polo as an invented tradition. According to some, the combination of Korčulan archive data, Korčulan family names and some historical facts give the island’s inhabitants the opportunity to question Marco Polo’s “Venetian origin” and attempt to claim that he or his family originated on the island...
- Marco Polo: BritannicaMarco Polo, (born c. 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...
- Marco Polo Visits the Great Kublai Khan: JSTORFrench miniature which illustrates the story of the Venetian traveller shows a mulberry bark coin bearing the imperial seal
- The Travels of Marco Polo: LOCThis manuscript from about 1350 is one of the oldest extant copies of Les voyages de Marco Polo (The travels of Marco Polo), the account by the Venetian merchant Marco Polo (circa 1254-1324) of his adventures in Central Asia and the Far East during the latter part of the 13th century. It is possibly one of five manuscripts relating to Marco Polo's journey that belonged to King Charles V of France (reigned 1364-80). Later it was part of the library of the French book collector Alexandre Petau. It was sold to Queen Christina of Sweden (1626-89) in 1650. Accompanied by his father Niccolò and his uncle Maffeo, Marco Polo travelled overland to China in 1271--75. He then spent 17 years serving Kublai Khan (1215--94), grandson of Genghis Khan and conqueror of China, for whom he undertook assignments in China as well as in South and Southeast Asia...
Marco Polo and Sir John Mandeville
- Kanopy This link opens in a new windowAlthough traders had traveled the Silk Road since the Roman Empire, there was little awareness of what existed at the other--until Marco Polo's accounts of China opened Europeans' eyes to a mysterious, advanced civilization. Start with background on the medieval world, then look closely at Polo's travels and legacy.
Perspectives
Travels of Marco Polo
His journey through the East began in 1271--when, still a teenager, he set out of Venice and found himself traversing the most exotic countries. His acceptance into the court of the great emperor Kublai Khan, and his service to the vast and dazzling Mongol empire, led him to places as far away as Tibet and Burma, lands rich with gems and gold and silk, but virtually unknown to Europeans. Later, as a prisoner of war, Marco Polo would record the details of his remarkable travels across harsh deserts, great mountain ranges, and dangerous seas, as well as of his encounters with beasts and birds, plants and people. His amazing chronicle is both fascinating and awe-inspiring--and still serves as the most vivid depiction of the mysterious East in the Middle Ages. Edited and with an Introduction by Milton Rugoff and an Afterword by Howard Mittelmark
Marco Polo
As the first European to travel extensively throughout Asia, Marco Polo was the earliest bridge between East and West. His famous journeys took him across the boundaries of the known world, along the dangerous Silk Road, and into the court of Kublai Kahn, where he won the trust of the most feared and reviled leader of his day. Polo introduced the cultural riches of China to Europe, spawning centuries of Western fascination with Asia. In this lively blend of history, biography, and travelogue, acclaimed author Laurence Bergreen separates myth from history, creating the most authoritative account yet of Polo's remarkable adventures. Exceptionally narrated and written with a discerning eye for detail, Marco Polo is as riveting as the life it describes.
Marco Polo: Journey to the East
- Kanopy This link opens in a new windowChronicles the life of the adventurer whose 25-year journey through Asia and China launched the Age of Exploration and brought the wonders of the East to Europe.
Marco Polo, China, and Silk Road Trade
- Kanopy This link opens in a new windowExamine the state of the global economy circa 1400, when Europe was surprisingly at the bottom of the economic success ladder. Along the way, you'll examine the broad economic outlines of China, India, and the Islamic world and discover how Europe laid the groundwork for the new capitalist world system that exists today.