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Setting the scene
By 1271, the Pax Mongolica had made travel across Asia safer than ever before. The Mongol Empire connected Europe and China, and Italian merchants traded in the Black Sea ports. Niccolò and Maffeo Polo, Venetian merchants, had previously traveled to China (1260-1269) and met Kublai Khan, who asked them to return with 100 Christian scholars and holy oil from Jerusalem. In 1271, they set out again, taking Niccolò's 17-year-old son Marco.
What happened
The Polos traveled overland through Acre, Persia, and Central Asia, taking 3.5 years to reach Kublai Khan's court at Shangdu (Xanadu) in 1275. Marco Polo entered Kublai's service, traveling throughout China and possibly serving as an official for 17 years. He claimed to have visited Burma, India, and Southeast Asia on Mongol missions. The Polos left China in 1292, escorting a Mongol princess to Persia by sea, and returned to Venice in 1295 after 24 years away, bringing jewels sewn into their clothes.
Why it still matters
Marco Polo was captured by Genoese in 1298 and, while in prison, dictated his travels to Rustichello da Pisa. 'The Travels of Marco Polo' became a bestseller, describing China's wealth, paper money, coal, and the Mongol Empire. Though some doubted his claims (he didn't mention foot-binding or tea), most details are accurate. Polo's book inspired Columbus and European exploration, fueling the search for a sea route to Asia. It provided Europeans with their first detailed account of East Asia and demonstrated the extent of the Mongol Empire. Polo's travels symbolize the medieval world's interconnectedness and the possibilities of cross-cultural exchange during the Pax Mongolica.
Background
His later account shaped European views of Asia. Even centuries later, this episode remains a reference point for how empires rise, fracture, and transform.