Marco Polo died on 8 January 1324 in Venice, aged 69. A Venetian merchant and traveller, Marco Polo went with his father and uncle on a journey across Asia to the court of the Mongol ruler Kublai Khan, and spent about seventeen years in China and the Mongol Empire. He returned by sea around 1295 and was captured in a conflict between Venice and Genoa, and during his imprisonment he dictated an account of his travels to Rustichello of Pisa. This book, known as the Travels or Il Milione, gave Europeans a vivid picture of Asia and inspired later explorers. Some scholars have doubted that he saw everything he described, but most accept that he went to China.
Before and after
- 14 September 1321Death of Dante Alighieri
- c. 1323Origins of Vilnius
- from 1324 to 1861Kingdom of Sardinia
- 1324Mansa Musa's pilgrimage to Mecca
- 8 January 1324Death of Marco Polo
- 1325Construction of Khotyn Fortress
- 1325Birth of Hafez
- 1325Origins of Templo Mayor
- 13 March 1325Founding of Mexico City
More in Society, economy & sport
- 7th centuryOrigins of chaturanga
- 1024The Song dynasty issues the first government paper money
- 1086William the Conqueror's survey: the Domesday Book
- from c. 1120s to 1390sRise of Guelphs and Ghibellines
- 12th centuryRise of Waldensians
- 1209Founding of University of Cambridge
The era
This moment belongs to the Medieval world (500 CE to 1500 CE), kingdoms, faiths and trade routes. You can also browse everything in the 14th century.