The Millions of Marco Polo

On September 7, 1298, near the island of Curzola, the fleets of two ancient enemies, Genoa and Venice, clashed. Genoa delivered a devastating defeat to the Venetians, sinking nearly all their galleys and capturing 7,000 prisoners. Among them was Marco Polo, the commander of one of the galleys.

Three years earlier, he had returned from his long journey with his father, Niccolò, and his uncle, Maffeo. Their home had already been occupied by relatives, and due to their foreign accents and worn clothing, they were mistaken for strangers. However, to celebrate their return, they hosted a grand feast. For each course, they appeared in new attire, giving the discarded clothes to their servants. At the end of the feast, Marco poured out the treasures hidden in his worn garments before the eyes of the guests—diamonds, rubies, and sapphires. During their travels, they had invested all their money in gemstones. This display convinced the wealthy Venetians of the authenticity of the Polo family, and they eagerly listened to Marco's stories. From then on, Marco was known as Marco Milione.

The Genoese also heard of his fame and gladly listened to the stories of their captive. One of his fellow prisoners, Rustichello of Pisa, wrote everything down in French. What had been fragmented until then became a coherent narrative. His book became widely popular, as its adventurous tales were captivating. It was translated into Latin and Italian.

Given the worldview of the time, many doubted the claims that intelligent beings lived, traded, and built cities throughout Asia. The most unbelievable aspect was the existence of the vast empire of China (Cathay). Its enormous cities, whose suburbs alone were larger than Venice, and its mighty rivers, where 200,000 ships sailed annually—more than in all of Europe—were astonishing.

China's four- and six-masted ships, with crews of two to three hundred and cargoes of a thousand baskets of pepper and other spices, were particularly remarkable. And to European eyes, there were even more marvels: paper money, gold, gemstones, silver, and countless unfamiliar inventions. Nothing seemed more wondrous than the tales woven about China.

Michael Prawdin "Tschingis-Chan und sein Erbe", Buchgemeinschaft Donauland, Wien