The road to Asia: A Semi-fictional reflection of Marco Polo’s travels on Columbus through Martin Pinzon’s point of view.
The road to Asia: A Semi-fictional reflection of Marco Polo’s travels on Columbus through Martin Pinzon’s point of view.
All views are based on readings of Marco Polo’ and Columbus’ accounts of their travels; I apologize for any historical inaccuracies or misrepresentations of particular people or cultures
Martin Pinzon immortalized in stone in Palos de la Frontera, from where Cristopher Columbus sailed
(Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/MartinAlonsoPinz%C3%B3n_P.jpg)
Night has fallen on the three ships, but no one can sleep. For days now, there have been signs that you are near the end of your journey. The sea is calm and a steady wind propels your ship as it did on the 3rd of August, 1492 when you sailed from Grenada, trying to find a path to the Indies.
Someone even saw a light on the horizon earlier this evening, although no one is sure if that did indeed herald the legendary land that you have heard so much about.
Admiral Cristobel Colon has been in his quarters all evening, probably buried in the letters and maps that have inspired him to undertake this voyage. He is sure that India is finally close by, its famed riches ready to trade with your Spanish sponsors. His Carrack and the caravel captained by your brother Vincente sail close behind your own caravel.
The Italian City-States including the Admiral’s native Genoa have long controlled shipping around the Mediterranean and are well regarded as sailors, cartographers, and navigators. Many of their records now fill the Admiral’s quarters, and he meticulously pours over them to chart the course that your ships now sail on.
Admiral Cristobel Colon (Spanish for Christopher Columbus)
Portrait of a Man, Said to be Christopher Columbus (born about 1446, died 1506) by Sebastiano del Piombo (1485–1547)
Metropolitan Museum of Art (https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/437645)
(Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/66/Portrait_of_a_Man%2C_Said_to_be_Christopher_Columbus_2.jpg/741px-Portrait_of_a_Man%2C_Said_to_be_Christopher_Columbus_2.jpg?20150108165000)
Columbus's copy of The Travels of Marco Polo, with his handwritten notes in Latin written in the margins
Bibliotheca Colombina, Sevilla
(Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ce/ColombusNotesToMarcoPolo.jpg/1200px-ColombusNotesToMarcoPolo.jpg?20071123212745)
Toscanelli, one of the Admiral’s Florentine friends, wrote of a meeting in 1444 with the Pope and another Italian who had just returned from Cathay by sea. The Admiral claims that accounts of the latter man, a certain De Conti, have confirmed that it is indeed possible to reach the Orient by sailing around Africa. De Conti said that in the early 1400s, the Kingdom of Cathay dispatched several naval expeditions; fleets comprising the largest ships known to man and captained by a maverick admiral who sailed the seas more than ten times, going to India, the Levant, and as far as Africa. The Venetians have already created a map based on his accounts that Toscanelli has sent to the Admiral, and that the Portuguese are using to navigate their expedition to India.
However, Admiral Colon’ most treasured source is a diary that another Venetian wrote of his journey to Cathay and India more than two centuries ago, and whose writings the Admiral has often discussed with you.
The Fra Mauro Map of 1460, which may have been based on Nicolo Conti’s travels to the Orient, and inspired various Europeans to sail around the tip of Africa.
(Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1b/FraMauroDetailedMap.jpg/326px-FraMauroDetailedMap.jpg)
The Travels of Marco Polo contains most of the information that Admiral Colon knows about the East and the court of the Great Khan that he plans to establish a Spanish embassy in. The Admiral has read Marco Polo’s accounts several times, recounting the events to you several times.
Mosaic of Marco Polo from the Palazzo Doria-Tursi, Genoa, Italy
(Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b0/Marco_Polo_Mosaic_from_Palazzo_Tursi.jpg/800px-Marco_Polo_Mosaic_from_Palazzo_Tursi.jpg)
As a fellow Italian, Marco Polo’ adventures in Asia as an envoy of the Tartar leader Kublai Khan have always fascinated the Admiral, who has often told you of his aim to hold a similar position in the court of the Great Khan of the Indies. Having spent over two decades in the court of Kublai Khan, Marco Polo returned to Venice a rich man; his accounts were then appropriately known as El Millione, The Million being a title that Polo was himself known by. His prestige allowed him to become a leading citizen of the Venetian state, on whose behalf he equipped a galley to fight the Genoese in 1295. Marco Polo was captured in battle and imprisoned in a Genoese prison, where he dictated accounts of his travels to Rustichello, fellow prisoner who became the author of El Millione. He was released a few years later, and remained an influential figure in Venice until his death in 1323.
Route of Marco Polo’s Journey
(Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/Route_of_Marco_Polo.png?20180129002336)
Marco Polo came from a Venetian family of merchants who had been trading in the Mediterranean for several decades. In 1260, his father Niccolo and uncle Matteo who were based in Constantinople during the Crusades and the reign of King Balwin II, decided to expand their trade into the region of the Euxine, thus coming into contact with the Tarter rulers of the region, through whom they met the Great Khan, Kublai. The Khan appears to have been on good terms with the two Italian merchants, who he appointed as his ambassadors, trying to establish connections with the Pope and Byzantium through them. It is evident that the Khan also recognised the superior nature of Chrisitianity, and asked the Polo brothers to bring monks and holy relics from Jerusalem back to his kingdom.
Portrait of Kublai Khan by Araniko c. 1294 displayed in National Palace Museum, ROC
(Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1b/YuanEmperorAlbumKhubilaiPortrait.jpg/800px-YuanEmperorAlbumKhubilaiPortrait.jpg)
The Admiral hopes to play a similar role, bringing the Spanish Church to the pagans of the Orient and as captain of one of the ships accompanying him, you hope to gain some of the merit from spreading the word of God to the pagans of the Orient
Nicolo and Maffeo Polo journeyed to Italy in 1269 as emissaries of Kublai Khan, aiming to return with priests to the Khan’s capital in Clemenifu. Unrest along the Silk Road however, meant that the missionaries abandoned the expedition, although the letters from the Pope and the holy Oil of Jerusalem were duly presented to the Khan.
19- year old Marco who had grown up in Venice while his father was in the service of Kublai Khan, also came to the Tartar court on this second expedition.
Like his father and uncle, young Marco found favor with the Khan who - once the boy had learnt to speak the language of the Tartars and other Asian peoples - appointed him as a courtier responsible for representing the Tartar court in the kingdoms of India and Nanyang, and recounting their customs to the Khan.
Over a tenure of 24 years in the service of Kublai, the Polos visited much of the Orient, including Cathay, Persia, Cipangu, and India, playing an important role in the foreign policy of Kublai Khan. The Khan’s grandfather, Chinggis united much of the region through his military conquests, bringing about an age of peace that allowed for travelers like the Polos to conduct their business across much of Asia by both land routes through Persia and by sea from the Mediterranean to the Indies. However, the Turks have now blocked both routes, forcing the Kingdoms of Europe to find a longer sea route to India and Cathay.
The Portuguese have made some headway in this venture; you heard in the Spanish court that the Admiral’s voyage was necessitated after the Portuguese under Dias discovered a way to sail around Africa, possibly finding the route sailed by the Chinese fleet in De Conti’ accounts.
However, you are still not completely certain of what you will find when you sail to India. Marco Polo has described fantastically wealthy kingdoms and cities like Kanbalu, Mein, Kin-Sai, Zelian, Maabar, and Guzzerat. Among the primary commodities of this region are said to be ivory, precious textiles, and most importantly spices, a product valued most in the European markets. Polo described the large ships of Cathay, India, and Chipang as having multiple masts, over 13 bulkheads that can carry more than 6000 baskets of pepper and crewed by 300 sailors.
The kingdoms of the Orient have a flourishing trade with each other and those of Africa, where ambergris, ivory, frankincense and exotic animals can be found. These trade networks bring together people from various nations and cultures including Christians, Mohemmadans, Tarters, Armenians, Indians, Abyssinains, and Persians. However, many of the non-christian groups are described by Marco Polo as strange in both customs and appearances; human sacrifice and cannibalism are a recurring trait of many nations described in Marco Polo’s journey .
Although rich, the lands of the Orient are also described in The Travels of Marco Polo as violent, with kingdoms constantly clashing to dominate one another.
The people of the Orient are also known for their violent and heathen ways that you don’t know if your men will be able to resist.
They fight in a number of different ways including from the backs of elephants; an animal that you have never seen before, but from Marco’s descriptions know to be a fearsome beast of war.
The army of the Khan attacks the King of Mien with a war elephant. Marco Polo, Il Milione, Chapter CXXIII and CXXIV, page from the Book "The Travels of Marco Polo" ("Il milione"). Published c.1298 - 99
(Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/29/Marco_Polo%2C_Il_Milione%2C_Chapter_CXXIII_and_CXXIV.jpg/623px-Marco_Polo%2C_Il_Milione%2C_Chapter_CXXIII_and_CXXIV.jpg?20041222002325)
The Orient has many terrible creatures like tigers, serpents, and even dragon-like beings, griffins, and the Roc known to you only through legends. Although you have faith in God, the King and Queen, the Admiral, and the promise of great wealth and opportunity in India, some of the accounts in The Travels of Marco Polo, make you question the need for such an expedition.
Even the Polos wished to return home, fearing the enemies of the Khan after his death. Although Kublai was reluctant to give them leave, they finally left Cathay in 1291 as part of their final mission; escorting the Khan’s daughter to her betrothal with a Persian king.
Having accumulated much wealth and fame in their travels, the Polos finally reached Venice in 1294, after a journey of more than 15,000 miles. Although they would continue to trade overseas, Marco Polo and his relatives did not travel east again.
Caught up in your thoughts, you fail to notice the passing of time. Suddenly you are pulled out of your contemplations by someone calling your name. It's the look-out Rodrigo de Triana.
He’s spotted land…
References
Alonso, Martín, and Alonso Gallego. n.d. “Martín Alonso Pinzón.” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mart%C3%ADn_Alonso_Pinz%C3%B3n.
Cartwright, Mark, Krzysztof Golik, A. Omer, and Marco Polo. 2019. “Marco Polo.” World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/Marco_Polo/.
Coleridge, Samuel T. 2015. “The Life and Adventures of Marco Polo.” Ancient Origins. https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-famous-people/life-and-adventures-marco-polo-002635.
Columbus, Christopher. 1989. The Journal of Christopher Columbus. Translated by Lionel C. Jane. New York: Bonanza Books. https://archive.org/details/thejournalofchristophercolumbus/mode/1up.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. n.d. “Martín Alonso Pinzón and Vicente Yáñez Pinzón | Spanish explorer.” Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Martin-Alonso-Pinzon.
Mark, Joshua J., and Sebastiano del Piombo. 2020. “Christopher Columbus.” World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/Christopher_Columbus/.
Ollivier, Chester. 2022. “5 Things Marco Polo Discovered on His Travels.” TheCollector. https://www.thecollector.com/marco-polo-discoveries/.
Polo, Marco. 1926. The Travels of Marco Polo. Edited by Manuel Komroff. Translated by William Marsden. New York: The Modern Library. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uva.x000065298&view=1up&seq=7.
Rosenberg, Matt. 2019. “Biography of Marco Polo, Merchant and Explorer.” ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/marco-polo-geography-1433536.
Tarducci, Francesco. 1890. The Life of Christopher Columbus. Vol. 1. 2 vols. Detroit: H.F. Brownson. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc2.ark:/13960/t2h70838x&view=1up&seq=9.
Tarducci, Francesco. 1890. The life of Christopher Columbus. Vol. 2. 2 vols. Detroit: H.F. Brownson. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc2.ark:/13960/t7xk8539r&view=1up&seq=7.
