![]() ![]() The Polos make it home safely, then turn around not too many years later and go back, this time taking Niccolo’s teenaged son, Marco, with them. Kublai was his most famous grandson, conquering China and added it to the Mongol empire. Genghis Khan was the founder of that empire, and his descendants carried on his legacy of domination. The events of the book take place in the 13th century, when Mongol hordes roamed Eurasia and conquered far and wide, ultimately building the greatest land empire the world has ever seen. They make it there and back again in part because of the protection of the great Mongol ruler Kublai Khan, in whose shadow their travels take place:īy virtue of this, the bearer, together with his whole suite, are safely conveyed and escorted from station to station by the governors of all places within the imperial dominions, and are entitled, during the time of their stay in any city, castle, town, or village, to a supply of provisions and everything necessary for their accommodation (589-92). The journey is difficult and, at times, harrowing. ![]() They journey to the exotic East, through lands untamed and unknown, to China, to what many in Europe would consider the far end of the world. The Polos would have ventured forth to bring back goods and prestige to their beloved Venice. Venice at the time was a thriving city sometimes as war with its Italian neighbors, and always on the lookout for ways to expand economically and geographically. Niccolo Polo and Maffeo Polo, Marco’s father and uncle, respectively, are Venetian merchants who, naturally, spend a lot of time away from home.
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