* * *
 s all noble kids,
Marco Polo received a classic education. He studied the texts of the Bible, and
knows the basis of the teology of the Church. His family is composed of merchants.
One of his uncles, Marco Polo il vecchio (the Elder) has a counter in Crimea, precisely in Soldaia.
Marco Polo knows the italian business but the french one too. He's interested by
the sciences, nature and (maybe the most important thing for his future) human
relations.
He is six years old when his father and uncle must go to the east because of the war.
And fifteen when they will come back.
His mother then dead, he stood with his father and uncle in Venice during two years.
* * *
During this two years, the two brothers Niccolo and Matteo were waiting for the election of
a new pope, in order to give him the wishes of Kubilai Khan. But anxious to disappoint the Emperor
with a too long wait, they decided to go back, with Marco. The young traveller go then to the continent
where he will discover so many things that will fill him with wonder. He will made a trip
of twenty-four years.
When he went back, in 1295, Marco Polo then 39, rediscovered Venice... and its problems.
* * *
t this moment,
Genova and Venice are not really friend cities, making war each other
(Constantinople, in muslim territory, a venetian property has been retaken by the Genovese)
In 1298, during one of those numerous naval battles, near Curzola, the 8th of september, it
was an event ! The genovese fleet, with 85 boats, under Lamba Doria authority, battled versus
the venitian one, ordered by Andrea Dandolo.
Remark : the venitian fleet was more numerous than the genovese with ten boats.
However, the genovese fleet won the victory. The rest of the venitian fleet, ie 11 boats, came back
leaving 18 sinking boats and 66 other destroyed and burnt after being plundered.
Dandolo was one of the numerous prisonners, and will commit suicide in jail, don't accepting the defeat.
Marco Polo, "sopracomito" was a prisonner too (with 7000 others, but this is a detail).
Math. : each boat had 250 sailors on board, 7000 prisonners only,
the venetian fleet was destroyed, about 66 boats on 95, how numerous were the drowned men, jagged,
well, killed soldiers ?
Answer.
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 n jail, Marco Polo is prisonner with
Rustichello da Pisa, a genovese novelist. The venetian dictated him the story of his adventures, and
Rustichello edited them in french.
When Marco Polo had been free, tree years had passed.
few years later, he married him
with Donata (from the Loredano or Badoer family (by interest or love, we don't know). She gave him three
daughters. He dies in 1324, in Venice, being 70 years old, with the honours of the Republic.
* * *
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 hat doest it stay of the Polo's home ?
The initial home doesn't more exist.
It was destroyed because of a fire. Now there is a theater, il teatro
Malibran
built in 1677...
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History continues here |
he
Polo family is part of the venetian nobility. His family finds its origins in Dalmatian
coasts, in Sebenico (act. in Croatia)
In addition to this, the Polo family has other characters : his father Niccolo and his
uncle Matteo. We often speak about Marco Polo, the man who makes the european discover Asia and China
but we never speak about those who made Marco Polo discover the asian continent.
That's right : Niccolo and Matteo are decisive elements in the discovering of the
oriental world.
owever, we don't know many things about his parents.
Before going for its own trip, Niccolo Polo (the father) has maried a noble-woman in 1253. He will go three
monthes later, leaving home without knowing his wife was pregnant.
Marco Polo will born in 1254. It's not sure he is bornt in Dalmatia or Venice, but it's in Venice
he had growed. Venice, the most important financial place of the Mediterranean sea at this moment.
