Marco Polo Book Report

Marco Polo’s book was more widely read. It was both believed and doubted. Some called him the ‘great liar.’ And some of what he said is made up or exaggerated. Marco spent seventeen years in the Orient serving the Great Khan, the ruler of the Mongols and Chinese. He easily learned new languages making him useful to the Mongol ruler. Later in life, Marco was taken prisoner during a war. He told the tale of his adventures to fellow prisoners and one of them wrote it down. His tale of the riches and wonders of the east inspired people to seek an easier sea route to China and other eastern lands. They wanted a direct route that would avoid the Arab traders who insisted on being intermediaries. There were no trains or cars or highways. Trade with
Some believed distant seas boiled or that there were killer fogs and whirlpools that sank ships. Arab sailors called the Atlantic Ocean “the Green Sea of Darkness.” Some thought there were monsters big enough to sink a ship and eat its crew. It would be hard to convince superstitious sailors to explore, no matter how many riches they might find.

Prince Henry

Henry (1394-1460) was the fourth son of King John I of Portugal. In Portuguese his name and titles are Infante Dom Henrique de Avis, Duke of Viseu, but we know him best as Prince Henry the Navigator. He spent most of his life studying geography and seeking a shorter trade route to Asia. He started a school for sailors and collected all the maps and travel books he could find. He wrote to ship masters and travelers asking what they had seen.
Henry sent ships down Africa’s west coast, encouraging each ship to go further than the last. The Azores and Madeira Islands were rediscovered. The ancients knew of them, but the route to them was forgotten. Near the equator the heat was oppressive and, some were reluctant to sail further. Eventually they came to lands of heavy rains and thick forest.

Prince Henry by Nuno Gonçalves – National Museum of Ancient Art,
He shortened the route around Africa. Instead of hugging the African coast, he “struck boldly into the ocean.” He passed Cape Verde Islands, only about seven hundred miles from South America. Rounding the Cape of Good Hope, he traveled up the east coast. He found guides who knew the route to India, and cut across the Indian Ocean to Calicut, India. He lost a ship on the way. The journey from Lisbon to Cape of Good Hope was nearly 6000 miles, the longest sea journey by Europeans to that date. Like other European explorers, da Gama was sometimes deceptive and violent. He spent nearly the whole month of March 1498 anchored near Mozambique Island. Fearing for his life and that of men, he pretended to be a Muslim. He was not well received and had to flee. As he left, he fired his cannons into the city. Along the way he looted unarmed Arab merchant ships. He reached India in May 1498. Not all went well there, but his journey opened direct trade with India. After one hundred years of exploration, the Portuguese made Prince Henry’s dream come true, and the Arab trade monopoly was