Explorations of Marco Polo - Essay Example

Marco Polo Marco Polo (1254 - 1324), the Italian explorer who found most of Asia for the Europeans, gained reputation for his worldwide travels and is considered the greatest of the European explorers. The great explorers of the history such as Columbus, Bartolomeu Dias, Vasco da Gama, and Marco Polo have done important service to humanity in general and to the Europeans in particular. The biographical sketches of their life and career illustrate why they are considered so important in human history and what contribution they have made to the progress of mankind. These explorers had an insatiable thirst for adventure and exploration which paved the way for the development of later generations. "Marco Polo, Christopher Columbus and other explorers couldn't resist the urge to trade in goods that they could not find at home, such as precious metals, spices and silks." (Jones, 100) Marco Polo has always been regarded as making a more important contribution to the Western world as he found the significant silk root to China to pioneer the explorations of the East. Apart from the contributions he made through his various explorations, Marco Polo also made a commendable input to the world of explorers through his book Il Milione, also known as Oriente Poliano. In other words, he is considered the most famous Western explorer who excelled the other voyagers with his determination, his writing, and influence over the following generations. Thus, this great explorer of the Europe travelled on the Silk Road to reach further than his predecessors, and explore the new land of China, and returned to his land to narrate the tales of his explorations that later became the greatest travelogue to humanity. Bartolomeu Diaz (c. 1450 - 1500), the Portuguese navigator, has been remembered as the first explorer to round the Cape of Good Hope, which was considered an unattainable task. Diaz's name is written in golden letters in the history of European explorations as he was one of the great Portuguese sailors who helped find the south-eastern sea route between Western Europe and Asia. "The first European to see the stormy Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa was Bartholomew Diaz (or Dias), a courageous Portuguese sea captain and explorer. Diaz was one of the great Portuguese seamen who helped find the south-eastern water route between Western Europe and Asia." (Bartolomeu Dias (or Diaz): Portuguese Adventurer & Explorer) He was master to Vasco da Gama as well as he pioneered the later expeditions of the East through the African coast. Vasco da Gama (1460-1524), the Portuguese explorer, discovered an ocean route from Portugal to the East and his explorations were proved significant for the later European exploration and colonization of the East. His voyage from Portugal to India eventually helped the European Imperial and colonial interests to make him a famous explorer of Europe. Starting his sail from Lisbon, Portugal, in 1497, Vasco da Gama rounded African Cape of Good Hope to reach Calicut, India, in 1498. Though he was well-received in India in the beginning, da Gama left the land in 1498, when he was asked to pay a large tax and leave all of his trading goods. "When he left, da Gama took his goods with him, together with some Indian hostages. Upon his return, da Gama was treated as a hero and was rewarded by the king." (Vasco da Gama: Explorer) Christopher Columbus (1451 -1506) was another Italian explorer who made significant voyages across the Atlantic which resulted in the European discovery of the American continents. There is a distinct and unrivalled place for Columbus in the history of exploration and voyages. It is mainly the characteristics of his explorations and the great spirit of exploration to give a shining model to the following explorers that Columbus is mainly known. Examining the mostly southward voyages of the Portuguese into the Atlantic and Africa, Columbus realized that the sail westward would ultimately get to India and he took the different root. "The fundamental difference between Columbus' voyage in 1492 and those of Bartolomeu Dias and Vasco da Gama is that the Portuguese explorers had knowledge that the areas they were travelling to existed; there was a history of contact, however nebulous and sporadic, between Europe and Africa or Europe and Asia." (Christopher Columbus and the Spanish Empire) Christopher Columbus has been significant in the history as the great heir of Marco Polo and he was appreciably influenced by the writings of Polo. Thus, Marco Polo set the way for the explorations of the following generations which also suggests the importance of Polo in comparison to the other explorers. "Marco's story made people curious about Asia and its riches. Less than two hundred years later, when explorer Christopher Columbus sailed west looking for a route to Asia, he took Marco's book with him." (Burgan, 5-6) Ferdinand Magellan (1480 -1521), the Portuguese explorer, is celebrated as the first person to make a voyage across the Pacific and to circumnavigate the Earth in the history of mankind. In spite of the fact that he could not complete the entire voyage, he has played a great role in opening up the great trade links of the world. "Ferdinand Magellan proved to the world and all those who rejected his ideas that one could circumnavigate the world. His discoveries and passages opened new doors to a larger world. He will always be remembered as the first man who sailed around the world." (Ferdinand Magellan) Marco Polo, the Italian voyager and merchant, was born in 1254 in the island of Korcula in the Adriatic Sea, which was controlled by Venice. Young Marco was fortunate to have the right atmosphere for a growing explorer and he continued the legacy of his father Nicolo Polo who was a sea merchant. From early childhood, he had the right spirit required of an explorer, and he grew determined of his goals. "Marco could take days at sea before he came back. Nothing could prepare him for this next journey." (Tye) He has been considered important figure in the history of Europe because he was one of the first Europeans to travel crossways Asia through China, and his explorations paved the way for future explorations and trade relationships. Marco Polo has been highly praised for his geographic explorations and the narrations of these experiences, and he brought back incredible tales of the mysterious Orient at a time when little was known of the East. Though he did not gain the deserved recognition at the hands of his contemporaries, his importance remained constant through the history, thanks to his writings. Marco kept alive his passion for voyages which was developed under his father's influence, and he travelled vast and wide to reach beyond the expectations of his ancestors or contemporaries. His travel through the Silk Road took him to China, where he established his friendship with the Mongol ruler Kublai Khan. "It was in the Khan's employ that Marco spent years exploring China, as well as serving as a city governor and an ambassador. According to Marco's accounts of the time they spent in China, they frequently requested to be allowed to return to their native Venice, but were turned down by the Khan because he enjoyed their company so much." (Late, Great Geographers) A comparative analysis of the great explorer Marco Polo in relation to his contemporary voyagers and explorers, it becomes lucid that he acquires a superior position as the great voyager to travel through the Silk Road and set the initial environment for the following explorers, and he made a remarkable contribution by writing all his experiences for the future generations. "Marco Polo wasimportant because he found Asia for the western world. (Tye) He was, in every sense, a man of his time and was quite competent of comprehending the different cultures totally strange in spirit to his own. "Marco's book has become the most influential travelogue on the Silk Road ever written in a European language, and it paved the way for t he arrivals of thousands of Westerners in the centuries to come. Today there is a school of experts conducting research and authentication of Marco Polo and his Travels." (Marco Polo and His Travels) In short, Marco Polo was an important explorer to his contemporary world as he found the new routes to the East through his enduring thirst for explorations, and he has left a remarkable imprint on the succeeding explorers through his historical account of his voyages. Works Cited "Bartolomeu Dias (or Diaz): Portuguese Adventurer & Explorer." Rob Ossian's Pirates Cove. 11 Dec. 2008. . Burgan, Michael. Marco Polo: Marco Polo and the Silk Road to China. Compass Point Books. 2002. P 5-6. "Christopher Columbus and the Spanish Empire." The European Voyages of Exploration. The Applied History Research Group. The University of Calgary. 1997. 11 Dec. 2008. . "Ferdinand Magellan." Biography: Historical Figures. Study World. 11 Dec. 2008. . Jones, Susan. "Exploring the Global Marketplace: Succeeding Locally Involves Thinking Globally." Journal of Accountancy. Vol. 200. Iss. 4. 2005. P 100. "Late, Great Geographers." Geographical. Vol. 72. Iss. 11. 2000. P 89. 11 Dec. 2008. . "Marco Polo and His Travels." Silkroad Foundation. 2000. 11 Dec. 2008. . Tye. "Marco Polo." 11 Dec. 2008. . "Vasco da Gama: Explorer." Enchanted Learning. 11 Dec. 2008. . Read More