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→Life of Marco Polo
Marco was born in 1254 in the Republic of Venice, which was a great mercantile power in medieval Europe and had extensive trading contacts with the Muslim world. He was born into a successful family of merchants. We know little about his early life, but he appears to have been apprenticed to a merchant and received little formal education. At the age of seventeen, he accompanied his uncle and father on a trading expedition to Asia. They had already traded and traveled in Asia for many years.
The Polos left Venice and did not return home for 24 years. They had traveled the Silk Road and made their way to China and they appear to have been very successful. During his travels, Polo spent over 17 years in China. Marco apparently even served in the administration of the Emperor and had visited the Imperial court, many times.<ref> Burgan, Michael. [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0756501806/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0756501806&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=5045b633cd5e01f145efaf9aa79b4a1f Marco Polo: Marco Polo and the silk road to China ] (London, Capstone, 2002), p. 13</ref>
The Polos returned to Venice in 1295 with a great many gemstones and jewels. Marco was a wealthy man and married the daughter of a leading merchant. Venice was frequently at war with its great rival, the Italian city-state of Genoa. Marco was so wealthy that he fitted out a warship which he personally commanded. He was captured at the great Venetian defeat by Genoa at the battle of Curzola (1298) and was imprisoned by the Genoese and held for ransom.
