Marco Polo, Kublai Khan, and the Pope

from this website: The Travels of Marco Polo by Marco Polo (approx. 1254 - 1324)
(as told to Rusticiano da Pisa and edited by Francis R, Gemma; originally titled A DESCRIPTION OF THE WORLD)
Type of Work:Autobiographical adventure
Setting:
Venice, Italy and overland to Eastern China (Cathay)
Principal Characters
Marco Polo, a young nobleman, traveling merchant and adventurer
Niccolo Polo, Marco's father, also a merchant
Maffeo Polo, Niccolo's brother and business partner
Kublai Khan, Emperor of China, descendent of Ghenghis Khan
Historical Overview:
Prologue: (The book contains the story of Marco Polo's life and his
travels from his home in Venice, Italy across Eastern Europe, the
Middle East, and Asia to the court of Khan, located in the area now
known as Beijing, China. Marco was much liked by the Emperor, who made
him his ambassador. The explorer describes his many adventures during
his 26-year absence from home. An introduction outlines the
biographical events (each that he himself personally witnessed
or "heard tell by persons worthy of faith"), and sets us on our way
with Marco en route to China.)

Two wealthy Venetian gentleman-merchants, Niccolo and Maffeo Polo,
sailed eastward from Venice about 1254, leaving Niccolo's infant son,
Marco, in the care of his aunt. The travelers journeyed as far as the
court of the great emperor Kublai Khan, where they became highly
favored. After learning a little about the exotic Catholic religion of
his guests, the Khan dispatched envoys to return with them to Italy to
meet with the Pope. His desire was that the Pope should lend the
services of as many as a hundred scholars to come to his court and
prove that the Law of Christ was "most agreeable." If they succeeded,
he vowed that he and all his subjects would become Christians.

The Polos sailed into Acre, Italy in April of 1269, to the news that
Pope Clement had died. Then the brothers journeyed on to Venice to
await the anointing of a new pope. But after several years they tired
of waiting and began to make their way again to Kubtai's court, this
time accompanied by young Marco.

Again in Acre, after some backtracking, the three finally met up with
the newly-named Pope Gregory of Piacenza. He reluctantly agreed to
cooperate with the Khan's commission, but sent only two ambassadors to
accompany them. However, these priests soon became discouraged.
Unwilling either to endure the privations the journey would require or
to sacrifice their lives in the service of pagans, both eventually
turned back.

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compare the last paragraph above with this - from Lonely Planet's "China"  Sept 2000, p. 76:

In the middle of the 1st century AD, Buddhism gained the interest of the Han emperor Ming. He sent a mission to the west, which returned in AD 67 with Buddhist scriptures, two Indian monks and images of the Buddha. Buddhism developed in China from the 3rd to 6th centuries.
....Chinese monks like Xuan Zang journeyed to India and returned with Buddhist scriptures that were then translated .....Buddhist monasteries and temples sprang up everywhere in China, and played a similar role to the churches and monasteries of medieval Europe - functioning as guesthouses, hospitals and orphanages for travellers and refugees