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Objectives: To learn about the 13th century traveller Marco Polo. Understand what life was like in Medieval Europe. Compare travel in the 13th century to modern day travel by Tracing Tea. Locations


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M
arco Polo- adventures in Medieval Eurasia.

US Californian Curriculum Links:

Standard 7.6:1,6,8, 7.8:3.

Historical Interpretation 3

Research, Evidence and Point of View 4.


Objectives: To learn about the 13th century traveller Marco Polo. Understand what life was like in Medieval Europe. Compare travel in the 13th century to modern day travel by Tracing Tea.
Locations; Istanbul, Bukhara, Yazd, Kashgar, Samarkand.
Marco Polo Profile:

Born: 1254, Venice, Italy.

Parents: Mother died when he was young. Father, Niccolo Polo, returned to Venice to find a son, after 16 years trading in the East. Uncle, Maffaeo Polo, accompanied his brother and later nephew on their travels.

Life: Travelled widely through Europe and Asia, into the heart of the Mongol Empire. Polo became a proficient linguist, scribe, diplomat and merchant.

Later years: Imprisoned in Genoa during civil war. Upon befriending a fellow POW, scribe Rustichello, he retold his stories, which Rustichello recorded and called simply ‘Travels’.
Marco Polo’s father and Uncle were successful Venetian entrepreneurs. In Medieval Venice trade and commerce were hugely promising professions, as trade routes and technology were vastly improving, making sea travel and overland missions safer. These were particularly helped by two things; the Christian Church and the Mongol Empire.


Christian Church and the Crusades.

As Christianity spread across Europe, more people became interested in making a pilgrimage to the ‘Holy Lands’ in Jerusalem, particularly to the ‘Holy Sepulcher’ (the tomb Christians believed holds the body of Jesus). As more people made the pilgrimage, sea travel from Italy to the Middle East increased, and with it opportunities for trade and exploration, more ships were being built and navigational technologies improved.
The Mongol Empire.
In Europe the Mongol Empire had developed a fearful reputation. Hailed ‘the spawn of the Devil’ by the Pope, the military empire which was gradually expanding from Mongolia to China in the East and as far as Turkey in the West, stuck fear into the heart of Europeans. The Mongols were notoriously bloodthirsty and unforgiving, the warlord Genghis Khan had built a strong empire at the expense of many lives. However, Genghis’ grandson, Kublai Khan, realising that an empire built on war and death was not particularly sustainable, developed a complex system of government and diplomacy. He can be counted as one of the earliest exponents of ‘globalization’. Kublai was responsible for re-opening the series of roads and passes which in the nineteenth century would become known as ‘the silk route’. For the first time in centuries, merchants from Europe could make the passage overland to China in safety, and it was this, above all else, which enabled Marco Polo’s rise to fame.
Since the Sack of Constantinople, or the 4th Crusade, in 1209 (see lesson material on the Criusades), the city in modern day Turkey had been under the control of Venice. For this reason, Italian traders like the Polo’s flocked to the city to buy silk, jewels, spices and other exotic goods from the Middle East and beyond. However, these were turbulent times, and the relative peace which allowed the brothers to make the journey down the Adriatic Sea and across the Mediterranean to Constantinople didn’t last long. With local skirmishes raging, the only safe direction, facilitated by the Mongol Empire’s stronghold in the region, was East.
Niccolo and Matteao Polo travelled as far as Bukhara (now in present day Uzbekistan) a city which for many centuries had sat at the crossroads of international trading routes in the East. However, as Marco later recorded, once again, ‘beyond the ramparts of the city, chaos ruled’ and the travellers were forced to spend a further three years in Bukhara until it was safe to move on. Unfortunate as it may seem, it proved an unexpected boon for the Venetian brothers who not only learn the local language, but made influential friends, in particular the ambassador of the Great Mongol leader, Kublai Khan.

Not ones to pass up an opportunity, the Polo’s soon became liked and trusted by the ambassador, who was eager for them to meet the Great Khan.




Although the brothers may not have been the first European’s to reach Kublai’s court, they would certainly become the most notorious. After so many years living within the realms of his Empire, Niccolo and Matteo were proficient speakers of the local language, which impressed the Khan. He was interested in their European habits, intrigued by their tales of Christian lands, and impressed by their travels so far. In return, the bothers were won over by the Mongol’s lavish court and elegant manners, very different to the perception of the Mongols portrayed back home.

The Khan later sent the brothers back to their own lands, providing them with safe escorts throughout their journey if they promised to carry out some work on his behalf. The Khan was interested in Christianity- he wanted the brothers to meet the Pope, have him send 100 men of the church out to his Empire, and he wanted some oil from the flame in Jerusalem. Nervous, but undeterred by the Khan’s heavy expectations, the Polo’s made the journey West.
When they arrived back in Venice- circumstances had changed. Niccolo’s wife had died, and left in his procession a 15 year old son whose existence had been unknown to Niccolo. Marco was soon drafted in to accompany the brothers on their way back to Kublai Khan’s court.
Over the course of his adult life, Marco Polo was to travel throughout the Khan’s Empire on various diplomatic and exploratory missions. He journeyed as far as Japan, Indonesia, India and Russia.

Activities:


  1. Compare the excerpts from Polo’s ‘Travels’ below with the comments by the Tracing Tea Team. What is different? What is similar? How much do you think each place has changed?

  2. Find the blogs page on www.tracingtea.com Search for the places listed below. Read one or two of the blogs.

  3. Based on the pictures and comments from the Tracing Tea crew produce your own blog, writing from the perspective of Marco Polo as though he was travelling through the places below today. Note down what he would see, his reactions to the landscape and his view of the people.

Yazd:

“Yazd is another beautiful great trading city of Persia. The silk woven there is also called Yazd and is much demanded by merchants who make a lot of money by taking it all over the world. The inhabitants worship Mohammed.

Anyone wishing to travel beyond these regions must ride for seven days across an endless plain where there are only three villages in which to stay. But there are also, at frequent intervals, delightful little palm groves to be ridden through, all full of game – grouse and partridges, which are a great pleasure to travelling merchants, are to be found in those pleasant places. And there are beautiful donkeys.” Travels, Marco Polo.

The Great and Noble City of Balkh (Bactria): now in Northern Afghanistan.

“Balkh is a large and magnificent city. In the past it was even larger and more important but it has been sacked and plundered by the Tartars. There used to be many marble palaces and beautiful houses but they are all in ruins now. If the inhabitants are to be believed, it was here that Alexander married Darius’s daughter. The people worship Mohammed and the city stands at the north-east frontier of Persia…”


The Kingdom of Kashgar:

“Kashgar, once an independent kingdom is now ruled by the Great Khan. The people worship Mohammed and live in towns and cities of which the most important is Kashgar to the north-east. They depend for their lives on trade and craft. There are beautiful gardens and vineyards and fine smallholdings. Cotton, flax and hemp are all grown, and large numbers of merchants take their goods all over the world from here. But they are a wretched and mean people who eat and drink badly. Some Nestorians who have their own church and their own religious laws live here. The language is particular to the country, which it takes five days to cross.” Travels, Marco Polo.




“The highlight of Xinjiang and the northern most town on the Karakorum Highway is Kashgar. This ancient Silk Road city has hosted traders for thousands of years and today you can still buy everything from stolen Mercedes to Bactrian camels, dried hedgehogs and leopard skin hats. The usual fare of textiles, spices and dried fruits is also on show and whilst in the market we came up with our own Tracing Tea blend of Chinese black tea, saffron, rose petals and yellow flowers”. Sophie Ibbotson, TT producer and presenter.


Samarkand:

“Samarkand is a very large and noble city with a population of Christians and Saracens, ruled over by the Great Khan’s nephew who is not on very good terms with his uncle against whom he frequently rebels…Not long ago, Chaghatai, the Great Khan’s brother, converted to Christianity. He ruled over the country and others besides. When the Christians in Samarkand heard that their ruler had converted, they were so overjoyed that they built a big church dedicated to St John the Baptist.” Travels, Marco Polo.




“We have spent the day driving from Samarkand and have met with no incidents other than the car bonnet flying up along the main highway, necessitating some pretty nifty driving from Andy and then a whole lot of twine I the attempt to resecure it”. Michael Pye, TT logistician.



Turkey:

“In Turkey there are three different races, there are the Turkomans who worship Mohammed and who are faithful to his laws. These are primitive people who speak a rough and ready language and who live in the mountains or in the plains where livestock graze off rich pastureland. Many fine horses…can be found here.



Then there are the Armenians and Greeks who live together in the cities making a livelihood from trade and crafts. The finest carpets in the world are made here; crimson silk and silks in other rich and delicate colours and woven here, and many other precious objects are produced”. Travels, Marco Polo.
We drove out on Sunday morning to Sumela Monastery, an incredible site hidden half way up the steep hillside of a National Park… As I sketched the chapel from one of the walls a Turkish man came and filmed me and then two Indian ladies came and sat with me and spoke a little; I carried on drawing for a minute until one of them prodded me in the back and put her arm around me so that her little boy could take a picture of us – people are quite friendly here!” Fiona, TT artist for taxi trip.


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