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A citizen of the Republic of Venice, Polo grew up in a family where both his father Niccoló and uncle Maffeo were merchants. Even before Marco was born, the brothers had travelled extensively.

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Marco Polo was born in 1254. His family were Ventians, but it is unclear if he was actually born in Venice or if the birth took place on the island of Curzola off the Dalmatian coast.

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We do know that Marco Polo spent at least part of his childhood in Venice.. He recieved a good education that included, among other things, classes in French and Italian.

Marco Polo’s mother died when he was just a child, after which he was taken care of by his aunt and uncle.

The Polo brothers returned to Venice in April 1269 and the now teenaged Marco could finally be reunited with his father.

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Depiction of Marco Polo

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In 1271, the Polo brothers embarked on a new journey, and this time the took Marco with them. They had finally been able to deliver the letter from Kublai Khan to the pope

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With them on their new journey east, the Polo family brought letters and gifts from the pope that they were to give to Kublai Khan, and they were also accompanied by two friars. The friars left them fairly soon, however, because they reached a war zone and the friars got too scared to continue.

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The Polo family pushed on without them, traveling through Armenia, Persia, and Afghanistan, and following a route that went over the Pamir Mountains of Central Asia to get to China.

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Tabriz

Badakhshan

Pamir Mountains

Taklaman Desert

Gobi Desert

Suchow

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The Polos reached Kublai Khan’s summer residence Shant-tu in May 1275. Kublai Khan new that they were on their way, and had sent a royal escort to greet them. Shant-tu was the original capital of Kublai Khan’s reign, but was as this point only used in the summers, since Kublai Khan had started spending the winters in Beijing (Cambaluc).

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“They knelt before him and made obeisance with the utmost humility. The Great Khan bade them rise and received them honorably and entertained them with good cheer. He asked many questions about their condition and how they fared after their departure. The brothers assured him that they had indeed fared well, since they found him well and flourishing."

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Kublai Khan took a liking to the young Marco Polo and appointed him to high posts in his administration. Already well-traveled and capable of speaking several different languages, Polo was sent by the Khan on a number of special missions to various places in China, Burma, and India. Many of the places that Marco Polo visited during these missions were remote ones that no European would visit and write about again until the 19th century.

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Depiction of Kublai Khan