Marco Polo: From Venice to Xanadu
Drawing on original writings and walking in the footsteps of Marco Polo himself, Laurence Bergreen'sMarco Polo: From Venice to Xanaduis the most definitive biography of the legendary traveler to date, separating the man from his considerable myth.Look insideMarco Polo(Click on thumbnails to see a larger image):Marco Polo: a traditional portrait; GrangerFrontispiece of an early published edition of Marco Polo’s Travels, Nuremberg, Germany, 1477; GrangerKublai Khan, emperor of the world’s largest land-based empire; GrangerMarco Polo commanded a Venetian galley similar to this in the Battle of Curzola; GrangerStone carving on the Marco Polo bridge; Laurence BergreenMarco Polo’s vivid and occasionally misinterpreted descriptions of his travels inspired this medieval artist to depict dragons in China; GrangerMarco Polo timeline (All dates given in the Julian calendar):1215- Kublai Khan, the grandson of Genghis Khan and Marco Polo's mentor, is born.1254- Marco Polo born in Venice, although one tradition locates his birthplace in the Venetian colony of Dalmatia.1260- Kublai Khan becomes leader of the Mongols and in 1271 founds the Yuan ("Origin") Dynasty.1271- Young Marco Polo leaves Venice with his father Niccolo and uncle Maffeo, bound for the court of Kublai Khan.1274- Kublai Khan oversees a failed Mongol invasion of Japan, as the Mongols, masters of the Steppe, meet their match at sea.1275- The three Polos arrive in Shang-du, Kublai Khan's summer palace immortalized by Samuel Taylor Coleridge as Xanadu; Marco begins his years in the service of the Khan.1276 - 1293- Marco travels throughout Asia, reaching the coast of India, and possibly Zanzibar, gathering intelligence for Kublai Khan and serving as a tax collector for the Yuan (Mongol) dynasty.1281- Kublai Khan's second failed invasion of Japan, a serious blow to his prestige.1292- The Polos escort Princess Kokachin to Persia to marry, their last formal service to Kublai Khan before departing.1294- Kublai Khan dies, freeing the Polo family, who undertake a dangerous return voyage by sea.1295- Marco, his father, and uncle, arrive in Venice after their 24-year absence.  They have been away for so long that their fellow Venetians do not recognize them.1298- Marco is captured by the Genoese in the Battle of Curzola, according to some accounts, and confined to a cell in Genoa with a romance writer, Rustichello of Pisa, to whom he dictates his adventures in China, his reminiscences of Kublai Khan, his life among the Mongols.1300- Safely back in Venice, Marco Polo marries Donata Badoer; the couple has three daughters.1324- As manuscript versions of his exploits spread throughout Europe, Marco Polo dies in Venice, claiming that he did not reveal the half of his experiences in his remarkableTravels.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.