Marco Polo Venice

Marco Polo, a thirteenth century Venetian explorer, documented his expeditions with the aid of a writer named Rustichello in the novel The Travels of Marco Polo. The novel provides insight about the many places he traveled to in the Middle East and Asia as well as Kubilai Khan, a leader of the Mongol Empire. Although Polo describes places that are different from Venice in many ways, his observation of cities and government under Kubilai Khan reveal inherently Venetian ideals.
Good governance is essential to a city’s quality and the foundation of a good government is its leader. Having spent so many years in service to Kubilai Khan, Marco Polo saw firsthand what he believed to be a strong leader and “the mightiest man” (Polo 113). Not forcing
the readers to take his word for it, Polo recounts several instances in which Kubilai Khan proved to be a good leader. It is revealed that Kubilai Khan was a responsible and forethoughtful leader who would keep carefully preserved stocks of all types of grains so that his people would not go hungry. If need be, Kubilai Khan would supply “enough for all, so that everyone has plenty of corn to meet [their] needs” so that “none of his subjects need ever go short” (Polo 157). Not only does this show the Khan’s responsibility, it also shows that he was charitable towards his people. In addition to generously supplying his people with grain, he also gave impoverished families “enough to cover their expenses for a whole year” (Polo 157). The Khan was also generous with Polo’s father and his companions. He gave them “horses and provisions and everything needful, and that in great plenty” (Polo 44). Kubilai Khan’s ability to be so generous stemmed from his wealth, another important aspect that contributes to being a good leader and a good city.
Since Kubilai Khan was able to give away so many goods and resources to his people and to his Venetian diplomats, it is reasonable to say that the Khan was extremely wealthy.
This is likely related to his process of creating paper money, of which the Khan had “such a quantity made that with it he could buy all the treasure in the world” (Polo 147). This money was used through every part of the Khan’s empire and unable to be forged, which would provide the empire’s economy with profit. Wealth was a very important quality for Venice, as shown by the emphasis Martino da Canale put on it in Les Estoires de Venise. For the Venetians, their display of wealth showed outsiders their ability to be a successful city. Through this Venetian perspective, perhaps Polo viewed the Khan’s wealth and economy as indications of his ability to successfully rule a
region.
Perhaps the most important quality of a good leader achieving good governance is being an expert military leader. If a city or empire becomes successful, it is bound to have other regions wishing to overcome and seize it. For this reason it is imperative that a leader is able to protect their land and their people. Kubilai Khan not only effectively organizes his armies, having forces in each province, but he also ensures that he is fair and that his armies are uncorrupt. The Khan distributes power to his commanders and barons according to rank, giving barons “powers equivalent to his own” (Polo 121). In addition to the distribution of power among many members of his army to avoid corruption, the Khan also changes his armies and captains every two years (Polo 115). The Khan’s expert military tact once came into play when Nayan and his 400,000 horsemen rebelled against the Khan, who quickly assembled an army nearly the same size as Nayan’s and fought until he was victorious (Polo 114-116). By paying close attention to the Khan’s military, Polo may have revealed his belief that Venice, not known for its military prowess, would be better off with a similarly successful and organized military.
A strong military and strong leadership are not the only contributors to the protection of a city or a region. The location of a city may offer many advantages that make it a good city, including natural geographical defenses against attackers. Polo often commented on a city’s geographical features, noting the advantages they offered. Badakhshan is described as having “natural fortresses, so that the inhabitants are not afraid of any invader breaking in” and its cities are built on “sites of natural strength” (Polo 77). The importance of such natural defenses is shown in Georgia, a “province through which Alexander could not pass” because of the dangerous terrain comprised of the sea, high mountains, and impassable forests (Polo 49). Certain geographical features provide a good city and its people with protection. Marco Polo knew all about this, considering the fact that Venetian identity is rooted in the lagoon, which was originally a refuge when the Goths and the Huns attacked the mainland Veneto (Madden 11-14).
Natural defenses from hostile forces are not the only thing that location contributes to a city’s quality. The resources and opportunity for trade a city’s location provides helps determine whether or not it is a good city. Marco Polo views Baghdad as a “splendid city” because of the river flowing through it that leads to the Indian Sea on which travellers and merchants can pass through, perhaps to buy the pearls, fabrics of gold and silk, silver, gold, or precious stones that are found in the area (Polo 51-52). Polo identifies Tabriz as a “city where good profits are made by travelling merchants” because it is favorably located for trade with foreign lands for the cloth of gold and silk that is woven by its hardworking citizens, its precious stones, and fruit from its orchards (Polo 57). Polo also considers Hormuz a good city because of its location on the coast, which enables it to be “a great centre of commerce” where they trade many goods and produce date wine (Polo 66). Polo makes sure to note the agriculture of many regions throughout his documentation and this interest is probably because agriculture is something Venice lacks due to its unyielding environment. The ships in Hormuz are of poor quality, Polo notes, demonstrating his Venetian knowledge of ship making. The cities that Polo considers good have favorable location and profitable goods in common with Venice. Venice is a city that was “built upon the sea…its environment is a positive space, a sort of protective cocoon that sustains and defends its very existence” (Crouzet-Pavan 41) and owes its success to its location. Venetians were very aware of the importance of the lagoon’s geography, so it is probable that Polo pointed out geographic advantages of other places because of how rooted it is in Venice’s identity and therefore his own.
Although Polo never talks about Venice, what he says about other places reflects his beliefs about Venice and its identity.
Good governance comes from having a strong leader, like Kubilai Khan, and good governance is essential to keeping the people of a city content and cared for, which enables them to take advantage of the resources their land provides them with so they can trade. A city would not become wealthy without hardworking people living there and these people most likely would not be motivated to work to improve their city if they do not believe in their leader. Good governance and a good city are symbiotic; the factors of each must be present in order for a region to thrive. In the thirteenth century, Venice was thriving and Marco Polo knew Venice’s government and urban life were the root of its
success.