How much is Marco Polo worth?
| Net Worth: | $20 Million |
|---|---|
| Profession: | Venetian Merchant |
| Date of Birth: | September 15, 1254 (aged 69) |
| Country: | Venice, Italy |
| Height: | 1.98 m |
About Marco Polo
Venetian trader, traveler, and author Marco Polo (September 15, 1254 – January 8, 1324) is thought to have had a net worth of $15 million. Prior to his travels, Marco Polo helped Europe become more aware of the geography and culture of the East. Christopher Columbus’ journeys and those of many other explorers were influenced by his book “The Travels of Marco Polo” which laid the groundwork for European Eastern discovery.
Moving eastward
Marco Polo was most likely nurtured primarily by his aunt and uncle after his mother passed away. He was most likely born to a wealthy merchant family in the Venetian Republic about 1254. Along with Marco’s uncle Maffeo, his father Niccolo traveled around Asia throughout Marco’s formative years.
They grew close when Kublai Khan sent his agents to Venice again in 1269 to request a papal notice. At the age of 15, Marco first encountered his father. Marco’s father and uncle once more traveled back to the East after receiving the Pope’s letter two years later, in 1271, and this time they took Marco with them.
Circumnavigating Asia
The adventures of Niccolo, Maffeo, and Marco throughout their 24-year journey through Asia were eventually detailed in Marco’s book “The Travels of Marco Polo.” Marco’s journeys across the Eastern islands, his time spent serving as a government representative to Kublai Khan, and information about the silk road are just a few of the many tales told in the book.
The Marco Polo Travels
When the three travelers reached Italy in 1295, they saw Genoa and Venice at war. During his two years in captivity, Marco Polo dictated to Rustichello da Pisa, a fellow prisoner, the happenings and discoveries of his time spent in Asia. The document “The Travels” which was based on these accounts, later became more popularly known as “The Travels of Marco Polo”
The transmission of Marco Polo’s accounts about Eastern geography and customs was the first significant study of the East available to Europeans, a distinction that cannot be overstated given the lack of a comprehensive edition of the original text.
Although there was some skepticism and mistrust of his stories at the time of its publication, “The Travels” introduced Europe to the prospect of the existence of a sophisticated civilisation outside of their own.
The Legacy of Marco Polo
After being released from prison in 1299, Marco Polo relocated to Venice and started a family before passing away on January 9, 1324, never making it back to Asia.
Centuries after his passing, European exploration of the East was fueled by his writings about Asia, where many of his presumptive fictions were proven to be true. Christopher Columbus, who read “The Travels of Marco Polo” before setting out to find a new trade route to the West, is perhaps his most famous follower.
