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Matt's Today in History, Marco Polo Born, September 15, 1254

Marco Polo Born, September 15, 1254

On September 15, 1254, Marco Polo was born in Venice, then an independent city-state and today part of Italy. Marco, his father Nicolo and his uncle Maffeo, while not the first Europeans to visit the area we now call China, had such a storied journey to the Far East that its telling helped inspire European journeys of discovery for centurie.

The Polo family were merchants, which in the Venice of the 13th century often meant travel to remote locations in order to secure sought-after items. Niccolo Polo and his brother Maffeo were successful traders and spent a large portion of their careers in the area around the Black Sea and as far east as modern day Uzbekistan. In 1264, the two met the brother of the Grand Khan Kublai. He was headed to the Mongol capital of Khanbaliq, which today is Beijing, China. After a journey of two years, the brothers and the traveling party reached Khanbaliq and received a gracious welcome and an audience with the Khan.

The Khan sent the men back home with precious cargo: a man who was to be the Mongol ambassador to the Pope, a letter from the Khan asking for teachers to be sent east to instruct his people about Christianity and Western life, and a small golden tablet that granted them safe passage anywhere within the Khan's lands. The ambassador left the brothers near the halfway point of the journey, but they continued on with their letter to His Holiness.

They eventually delivered the letter and were given a reply from the Pope that was to be delivered to the Khan. The brothers set out again for Cathay (as the area of China was then known) in 1271, but this time they took other travelers: Nicolo's son Marco, who was 17, and two friars. The route, which would become known as the Silk Road, contained its share of danger and disease. Marco fell ill on the way and the group had to stop in Badakhshan (an area that is now northeastern Afghanistan and southeastern Tajikistan) for a year in order for him to recover.

The Polo's journey to the Far East took several years, but they arrived safely and were granted another audience with Kublai Khan. According to Marco, he became a court favorite, so much so that the Khan gave him a job at the court as a sort of personal ambassador in his kingdom. During his 17 years of employment, Marco traveled far and wide in China, Burma and India on special missions. He became an excellent speaker who could converse in at least four languages.

In 1291, the Khan sent Marco on one final mission. He was ordered to escort a Mongol princess to her wedding. The trip took over two years, after which Marco, his father and his uncle were released from their obligations at the court and allowed to begin their trip home to Venice.

The Polos became celebrities in Venice. In an age when most people rarely if ever traveled away from the town in which they were born, tales of the Far East seemed like stories of another planet. Despite repeated tellings of the famous stories, it is doubtful that anything about the Polos would've been written down had it not been for a war between Venice and Genoa in 1298. Although the details are lost, Marco ended up in prison for several months. During that time, he dictated the story of his journeys to another prisoner, Rustichello da Pisa. When Marco was released in 1299, he had his book published with the title Il Milione, or "The Million". It was an enormous success, no easy feat in the days before the printing press.

Some historians doubt that Marco Polo and his family ever made the journey to Kublai Khan's court. As with so many stories from the Middle Ages, there is no way to know exactly what happened. Marco's book was translated to Latin and then to Italian, although it is thought to have been written in Old French. Translators of the day could be fairly liberal with their interpretations, so it is possible that the book contains inaccuracies. Regardless of it's accuracy, the book obviously inspired at least one great explorer, Christopher Columbus. Among Columbus's belongings was a copy of "The Million" with detailed notes written in the margins of almost every page. After Marco Polo returned to Venice, his days of travel were over. He married and had three daughters, all of whom married into nobility. He died at his home at the age of 69 in January, 1324.

Marco Polo Born, September 15, 1254 Marco Polo Geboren am 15. September 1254 Μάρκο Πόλο Γεννήθηκε στις 15 Σεπτεμβρίου 1254 Marco Polo Nacido el 15 de septiembre de 1254 Marco Polo Né le 15 septembre 1254 Marco Polo Nato il 15 settembre 1254 マルコ・ポーロ 1254年9月15日生まれ 마르코 폴로 출생, 1254년 9월 15일 Marco Polo Nasceu em 15 de setembro de 1254 Марко Поло родился 15 сентября 1254 года Marco Polo Född, 15 september 1254 Marco Polo Doğum, 15 Eylül 1254 Марко Поло Народився 15 вересня 1254 року 马可波罗出生于 1254 年 9 月 15 日

On September 15, 1254, Marco Polo was born in Venice, then an independent city-state and today part of Italy. Em 15 de setembro de 1254, Marco Polo nasceu em Veneza, então uma cidade-estado independente e hoje parte da Itália. Marco Polo, 15 Eylül 1254'te, o zamanlar bağımsız bir şehir devleti olan ve bugün İtalya'nın bir parçası olan Venedik'te doğdu. Marco, his father Nicolo and his uncle Maffeo, while not the first Europeans to visit the area we now call China, had such a storied journey to the Far East that its telling helped inspire European journeys of discovery for centurie. Marco, seu pai Nicolo e seu tio Maffeo, embora não sejam os primeiros europeus a visitar a região que hoje chamamos de China, tiveram uma jornada tão famosa no Extremo Oriente que sua narrativa ajudou a inspirar jornadas de descoberta européias por séculos. Marco, babası Nicolo ve amcası Maffeo, bugün Çin olarak adlandırdığımız bölgeyi ziyaret eden ilk Avrupalılar olmasalar da, Uzak Doğu'ya öyle hikayeli bir yolculuk yaptılar ki, anlattıkları yüzyıllar boyunca Avrupalıların keşif yolculuklarına ilham kaynağı oldu.

The Polo family were merchants, which in the Venice of the 13th century often meant travel to remote locations in order to secure sought-after items. Polo ailesi tüccardı ve bu da 13. yüzyılın Venedik'inde aranan malları temin etmek için genellikle uzak yerlere seyahat etmek anlamına geliyordu. Niccolo Polo and his brother Maffeo were successful traders and spent a large portion of their careers in the area around the Black Sea and as far east as modern day Uzbekistan. Niccolo Polo ve kardeşi Maffeo başarılı tüccarlardı ve kariyerlerinin büyük bir bölümünü Karadeniz çevresinde ve günümüz Özbekistan'ının doğusuna kadar olan bölgede geçirdiler. In 1264, the two met the brother of the Grand Khan Kublai. İkili 1264 yılında Büyük Han Kubilay'ın kardeşiyle tanıştı. He was headed to the Mongol capital of Khanbaliq, which today is Beijing, China. Bugün Çin'in Pekin kenti olan Moğol başkenti Hanbalık'a gidiyordu. After a journey of two years, the brothers and the traveling party reached Khanbaliq and received a gracious welcome and an audience with the Khan. İki yıllık bir yolculuğun ardından kardeşler ve kafile Hanbalık'a ulaşır ve Han tarafından nezaketle karşılanarak huzuruna kabul edilirler.

The Khan sent the men back home with precious cargo: a man who was to be the Mongol ambassador to the Pope, a letter from the Khan asking for teachers to be sent east to instruct his people about Christianity and Western life, and a small golden tablet that granted them safe passage anywhere within the Khan's lands. Han, adamları değerli bir yükle birlikte evlerine geri gönderdi: Papa nezdinde Moğol elçisi olacak bir adam, Han'dan halkına Hıristiyanlık ve Batı yaşamı hakkında bilgi vermek üzere doğuya öğretmenler gönderilmesini isteyen bir mektup ve Han'ın topraklarında istedikleri yere güvenli bir şekilde geçmelerini sağlayan küçük bir altın tablet. The ambassador left the brothers near the halfway point of the journey, but they continued on with their letter to His Holiness. Büyükelçi, yolculuğun yarısına gelindiğinde kardeşlerden ayrıldı ama onlar Papa Hazretlerine yazdıkları mektupla yola devam ettiler.

They eventually delivered the letter and were given a reply from the Pope that was to be delivered to the Khan. Sonunda mektubu teslim ettiler ve Papa'dan Han'a iletilmek üzere bir cevap aldılar. The brothers set out again for Cathay (as the area of China was then known) in 1271, but this time they took other travelers: Nicolo's son Marco, who was 17, and two friars. Kardeşler 1271'de Cathay'a (o zamanlar Çin bölgesi olarak biliniyordu) doğru tekrar yola çıktılar, ancak bu sefer yanlarına başka yolcular da aldılar: Nicolo'nun 17 yaşındaki oğlu Marco ve iki rahip. The route, which would become known as the Silk Road, contained its share of danger and disease. İpek Yolu olarak bilinecek olan bu güzergâh, tehlike ve hastalıklardan payına düşeni alıyordu. Marco fell ill on the way and the group had to stop in Badakhshan (an area that is now northeastern Afghanistan and southeastern Tajikistan) for a year in order for him to recover. Marco yolda hastalandı ve iyileşebilmesi için grup bir yıl boyunca Badahşan'da (günümüzde Afganistan'ın kuzeydoğusu ve Tacikistan'ın güneydoğusunda kalan bölge) durmak zorunda kaldı.

The Polo's journey to the Far East took several years, but they arrived safely and were granted another audience with Kublai Khan. Poloların Uzak Doğu'ya yolculuğu birkaç yıl sürse de sağ salim varmışlar ve Kubilay Han'la bir kez daha görüşmeye hak kazanmışlardır. According to Marco, he became a court favorite, so much so that the Khan gave him a job at the court as a sort of personal ambassador in his kingdom. Marco'ya göre, sarayın gözdesi haline gelmiş, öyle ki Han ona krallığında bir tür kişisel elçi olarak sarayda iş vermiş. During his 17 years of employment, Marco traveled far and wide in China, Burma and India on special missions. Marco, çalıştığı 17 yıl boyunca Çin, Burma ve Hindistan'da özel görevler için çok uzaklara seyahat etti. He became an excellent speaker who could converse in at least four languages. En az dört dilde konuşabilen mükemmel bir konuşmacı oldu.

In 1291, the Khan sent Marco on one final mission. 1291'de Han, Marco'yu son bir göreve gönderdi. He was ordered to escort a Mongol princess to her wedding. Bir Moğol prensesine düğününde eşlik etmesi emredildi. The trip took over two years, after which Marco, his father and his uncle were released from their obligations at the court and allowed to begin their trip home to Venice. Yolculuk iki yıldan fazla sürmüş, ardından Marco, babası ve amcası saraydaki yükümlülüklerinden muaf tutularak Venedik'e dönüş yolculuğuna başlamalarına izin verilmiştir.

The Polos became celebrities in Venice. Pololar Venedik'te ünlü oldular. In an age when most people rarely if ever traveled away from the town in which they were born, tales of the Far East seemed like stories of another planet. Çoğu insanın doğduğu kasabadan nadiren de olsa uzaklaştığı bir çağda, Uzak Doğu hikayeleri başka bir gezegenin hikayeleri gibi görünüyordu. Despite repeated tellings of the famous stories, it is doubtful that anything about the Polos would've been written down had it not been for a war between Venice and Genoa in 1298. Meşhur hikâyelerin tekrar tekrar anlatılmasına rağmen, 1298 yılında Venedik ve Cenova arasında bir savaş olmasaydı Pololar hakkında herhangi bir şeyin yazıya dökülmüş olacağı şüphelidir. Although the details are lost, Marco ended up in prison for several months. Ayrıntılar kaybolmuş olsa da Marco birkaç ay hapis yatmıştır. During that time, he dictated the story of his journeys to another prisoner, Rustichello da Pisa. Bu süre zarfında, yolculuklarının hikayesini başka bir mahkum olan Rustichello da Pisa'ya yazdırdı. When Marco was released in 1299, he had his book published with the title Il Milione, or "The Million". Marco 1299'da serbest bırakıldığında, kitabını Il Milione, yani "Milyon" adıyla yayınlattı. It was an enormous success, no easy feat in the days before the printing press. Muazzam bir başarıydı, matbaadan önceki günlerde kolay bir başarı değildi.

Some historians doubt that Marco Polo and his family ever made the journey to Kublai Khan's court. Bazı tarihçiler Marco Polo ve ailesinin Kubilay Han'ın sarayına yolculuk yaptığından şüphe duymaktadır. As with so many stories from the Middle Ages, there is no way to know exactly what happened. Orta Çağ'dan kalma pek çok hikâyede olduğu gibi, tam olarak ne olduğunu bilmenin bir yolu yok. Marco's book was translated to Latin and then to Italian, although it is thought to have been written in Old French. Marco'nun kitabı Latinceye ve ardından İtalyancaya çevrilmiş olsa da, Eski Fransızca olarak yazıldığı düşünülmektedir. Translators of the day could be fairly liberal with their interpretations, so it is possible that the book contains inaccuracies. Dönemin çevirmenleri yorumlarında oldukça liberal olabiliyorlardı, bu nedenle kitapta yanlışlıklar olması mümkündür. Regardless of it's accuracy, the book obviously inspired at least one great explorer, Christopher Columbus. Doğruluğu ne olursa olsun, kitabın en az bir büyük kaşife, Kristof Kolomb'a ilham verdiği açıktır. Among Columbus's belongings was a copy of "The Million" with detailed notes written in the margins of almost every page. Kolomb'un eşyaları arasında, neredeyse her sayfasının kenarına ayrıntılı notlar yazılmış bir "Milyon" kopyası da vardı. After Marco Polo returned to Venice, his days of travel were over. Marco Polo Venedik'e döndükten sonra seyahat günleri sona erdi. He married and had three daughters, all of whom married into nobility. Evlendi ve üç kızı oldu, hepsi de soylularla evlendi. He died at his home at the age of 69 in January, 1324.