Marco Polo

**Marco Polo** (1254 - 8 Januar 1324) wis an Venetian merchant. He gaed ti Cheenae durin the Mongol Dynasty. He wis weel kent acause Europeans foond the accoont o his traivels ti be gey interestin an unco. Westren fowk in thae days didna ken the Eastren world.

Antrin scholars thinks that Marco Polo gaed ti Cheenae, but didna gang til aa the places spikken aboot in his beuk.

## Aerlie years an youthheid

Born intil a Venetian Merchant faimlie o walth, Marco Polo gaed throu his bairnheid maistly  athoot his paurents. His mither haed dee'd whan he wes smaw an bein frae a weel-kent merchant faimlie meant at his faither (Niccolo) an his uncle (Maffio) war baith agate the maist feck o his upbring acause o thare tredd in jewels.

Insteid Marco wes luiked efter bi his aunt an uncle, wha seen him weel-leired as a youth wi classes i the like o Frainch an Italian, alang wi bein leared i classical authors, Christian Theologie o the Laitin Kirk an the mair hamelt teachin o appraisal, fremmit siller tredd an the haundlin o cargo ships.

## The Polo faimlie

His faither an uncle haed retoured tae Venice in  1269 whaur Marco wes reunitit wi them. The Brithers Polo haed traiveled as faur as Cheenae (aforehaund cryed Cathay) whaur thay haed met wi the Heid o the Mongols, Kublai Khan. Kublai Khan bade at his coort in Beijing and wes hissel the grandson o the gret an pouerfu Genghis Khan. Tho thay war pairt o a diplomatic mission the Brithers Polo maun hae been faur ben wi Kublai Khan wham haed let on that he haed an interess in Christianity an speirt gin the brithers wad collogue wi the Pape anent Khan wha bad the brithers retour wi haly watter an a hunder leared priests forbye.

The Pape at thon time Clement IV haed no lang dee'd an the twa brithers haed bade twa year keen on a new Pape bein electit. In 1271 thay taen thare affgaun alang wi the yung Marco settin oot  for the Mongol coort o Kublai Khan.

Whan thay raxed til Acre in Israel, the Papal Legate Teobaldo o Piacenza haed gien thaim letters for the Mongol Imperor, but efter twa three days traivel the convoy gat wittins o a new electit Pape an war bad retour tae Acre for tae be plenished wi legit Papal Papers an twa Friars for tae traivel wi them. Tho baith friars coudnae thole the jurney an abandouned the Polo pairtie no lang efter the affin.

## Marco Polo in Cheenae

The jurney gaed ower land at taen the group throu roch Kintries, but thay war keen wi adventur an Marco haed a gleg ee for mindin on the cultur an places he seen at he wad wryte o later. Whit he seen oot throu aw thair traivels wad bring his accoont tae a Westren audience o the Geographie an customs o the lands Aestwarts alang wi its strauchles an ferlies.
At lang an lenth efter fower year traivelin the Polo's haed gotten til Cheenae an The Coort o Kublai Khan wha nou bade in his Simmer Pailace at Xanado ,his muckle mairble ferlie at beglamoured the yung Marco Polo.

At the ootset the Polos haednae planned tae be awa nae mair nor a wheen year, houanever at the hinner end  thay bade awa mair nor twintie three year.
Thay war eith acceptit intil the Coort o Kublai Khan an war gien gey faur ben access for ootlins. The aulder Polo's war gien poseitions o import forbye Marco wham Khan wes fair fittit wi ower his abeilities as a Merchant an his skeill wi haen maisterie o fower leids alsae.

## Polo the explorer

Marco Polo wes bidden bi Kublai Khan tae cairry oot his wirk as speicial envoy an wes ootpit tae monie ferliesome airts that nae European haed ever seen the like o afore.
India, Burma an Tibet war a hantle o Lands Marco Polo traiveled tae an aye wi him a graved metal package frae Kublai Khan as innin an guarantee.
Polo serred as Governor o a Ceity in Cheenae as the years gaed by an wes hissel appyntit bi Kublai Khan as Offecial o the Privy Cooncil, an at ae time becam tax Inspector o the ceity o Yanzhou.

The knawledge ingaithered bi Marco Polo anent the Mongol Impire kythed i his later stories an shawed him tae be stoondit wi sic ferlies lik the Impire's uiss o paper siller for tredd at sae faur haedna raxed the lenth o Europe, an aye he wrate o the wunnersome cultur o the fowk he'd met in wi an growne fain o.

## Retour tae Europe an Venice

Efter 17 year athin the Coort o Kublai Khan the Polos  war fidgin fain tae be on the gate hame, maistlins adae wi the fack at Kublai Khan wes near 80 year auld. Wi foresicht, the Polos kent at the possibility o his daith an sicwyce a cheynge o ruler forbye micht gie wey tae unsikker times aheid for the faimlie.
Alang wi thir thochts fortune cam thair wey whan in 1292 cam news o a Mongol Princess Kokochin at wes tae traivel tae Persia tae bi mairriet on a Persian Prince Arghun Khan. The Polos haed lat ken at thay war willin for tae chum the Princess wi her jurney , an tho firstlins this haed mispleased Kublai Khan he at lenth greed tae thair waygang.

Wi 14 ships an 600 sailors alsae the Princess an the Polo faimlie haed set furth frae the port o Quanzhou (Zaiton) sailin soothwart. The jurney wes a sair ane an monie o the fowk abuird haed dee'd wi seickness or acause o the storms an roch wather.

Whan thay haed raxed til the Persian port o Hormuz thare war ainlie echteen fowk alive; amang thaim war the Princess an the Polo men.
Efterhaund in Turkey maist o the faimly's walth an gear wes pauchled by Genoese offeicials but efter a twa year jurney the Polos landit in Venice. At thare hamecomin thay met wi monie a kinch maistweys tae dae wi thaim bein awa mair nor twintie year. Thare faces war unkent tae thair faimlie an thay haed tint a guid bit o thair hamelt langage efter sae lang a time awa.

## ''The Traivels o Marco Polo'' are furthset

The fowk o Europe lairned o Marco Polo's traivel in Asiae throu the furthsettin o his buik cryed ***The Traivels o Marco Polo***, tho it wes gien the tae nemm o *Il Milione* or ***The Million lees***. The ferlies wrutten aboot war split new tae fowk an monie critics jaloused his screivins tae be haivers an that Polo haed made up the feck o his stories.

The buik itsel wes ainlie wrutten wi the help o a preisonar feir Rusticello da Pisa wha is creditit wi haen wrutten the buik  efter Polo wes claucht an jyled bi the Genoese efter Marco haed taen pairt in a Naval battle agin Genoa. Marco Polo aye stuid wi his buik an monie adventurers i years tae come cryed the buik a gret influence tae them.
The buik wes owerset intil Frainch, Italian an Laitin an made the nemm o Marco Polo faur kent in Europe an furth o it.

## Later life

Efter Marco Polo wes lowsed frae jyle i 1299 he retoured tae Venice whaur he wes mairriet on *Donata Bedoer* in 1300 and faithered three dochters: Fantina, Bellela an Moreta.
He cairried on wi the faimlie business for 25 year til 1324 whan he dee'd at his hame in Venice.
At the hinnerend o his life wi faimlie, freends an fans aw aroond him he wes speirt at gin he wad admeit at monie o the stories at kythed i his buik war juist haivers an lees, but he wadna be dauntit an faurer sayed at he haedna wrutten o hauf the ferlies he'd seen.

## Legacy

The feck o whit Marco Polo is sayed tae hiv seen athin his buik haes been funnd tae be richt acause o resairch taen on bi futur explorers.
Tho durand his lifetime Marco Polo wesnae gien the credit he deserred an it wes ainlie efter his daith at he truelins becam recogneised athort the warld.
Christopher Columbus hissel telt o whan he gaed furth for tae discuiver the Orient, he taen wi him a copy o ''The Traivels o Marco Polo''..

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