1. Marco Polo

3. Marco Polo • Marco Polo was born into a wealthy merchant family in • Venice (Italy) in 1254 • At that time Venice was a • powerful city trading with the • whole known world such as • Egypt and Persia • Venice is a city built on many small islands, which are • connected by canals (small rivers)

4. Cathay - China • Marco Polo’s father was a rich merchant who often went on trading journeys to distant lands. • At seventeen years old, he went with his father and uncle on a journey through the Holy Land, Persia and Tartary, and to the Empire of China, then called Cathay. • It took the travellers three years to reach Cathay.

5. Meets Kublai Khan in Peking • The emperor of Cathay was a king named Kublai Khan who lived in Peking. • Marco Polo's father and uncle had been in Cathay once before and had entertained Kublai Khan. • He was pleased with Marco Polo and he invited him to the palace. Marco Polo studied the Chinese language, and it was not very long before he could speak it.

6. Escorts Kublai khan’s daughter to Persia • Marco Polo desired to marrythe daughter of Kublai Khan,the Princess Cocachin, and he had sent to ask her father for her hand. • They went on a long voyage stopping at Borneo, Sumatra, Ceylon and other places, until the ships entered the Persian Gulf and the princess was safely landed.

7. Returns to Venice • They had been away so long and were so much changed in appearance that none of their relations and old friends knew them when they arrived in Venice • At length, in order to show that they were the men that they declared themselves to be, they gave a dinner to all their relations and old friends. • He then brought into the room the rough Tatar filled with rubies, emeralds and diamonds. It was the finest collection of jewels ever seen in Venice.

8. Captured by the Genoese • Marco Polo and many of his countrymen were captured by the Genoese when Venice was at war with Genoa. • This was because Venice shipped in treasures from the East and had warships to protect their rich cargoes from the pirates of the Mediterranean.

10. Creation of his Manuscript • He was locked in a Genoese prison for a year. One of his fellow-prisoners was a skilful penman and Marco Polo would tell him his experiences in China, Japan, and other Eastern countries. • This was carefully written out. Copies of the manuscript exist to this day. One of these is in a library in Paris. It is said that the book was translated into many languages, so that people in all parts of Europe learned about the adventures of Marco Polo.

11. The end

12. 1. What was Christopher Columbus the first to do? 2. How many voyages (trips) did Christopher Columbus take? 3. Where was Marco Polo born? What is so special about this city? 4. Who did Marco go on his first journey with? 5. How was Marco’s father able to travel so often? 6. Fill in the blank it took Marco Polo ______ years to reach ____________ (China) 7. Was was Marco Polo’s father and uncle familiar with Cathay? 8. What language did Marco Polo learn in Cathay? 9. Who did Marco Polo wish to marry? 10. Why did no one recognize Marco Polo when he came back to Venice? What did he do to prove he was who he said he was? 11. What happened to Marco when Venice was at war with Genoa? 12. What happened to Marco Polo when he was in jail? 13. What is said about the book? 14. In your opinion, what is Marco Polo’s legacy?

13. Assignment • Write a rap about the 3 explorers we have talked about so far. These are Magellan, Christopher Columbus, and Marco Polo. Make sure you include at least 4 facts on each explorer, especially where they traveled, their legacies, the good AND bad things they did, and if they were the first to complete something.