JiJi Plotka
Journal Entry 1:
As
I gather my things to embark on this journey to the Far East, with my father
and our trading company, I cannot fathom the differences of Venice and where I
find myself heading that will come to light during my travels. Though I have no
doubt our services will be necessary, I do not know how business will be
conducted. As of now, the tales I have heard of these cultures vary from
terrible to awe-inspiring. There is a group of nomads that call themselves the
Mongols that have managed to claim an outrageously large empire stretching from
the edge of the ocean, all the way through Russia. These Tartars, how they are
known to some, bring peace and religious tolerance, though at a costly price.
Some cities, if they do not submit to the Tartars, are burnt to the ground with
few survivors kept only to be used as slaves.
I am
nervous, to say the absolute least. Their ruler seems to be called Kublai Khan.
He is a descendant of Genghis Khan, who conquered most of the land they now
control. Cities have been built and burned at both of their hands. However, I
have also heard tell of beautiful cities and dynasties spanning centuries. The
cities have at least a thousand people in each of them! My father tells me not
to worry, but there is so much we do not know! How far does the land stretch?
How do they rule? Do they fear God? Perhaps this trip may end up being
beneficial for our family’s wealth. I pray we return to Venice with riches and
many stories to tell.
-Marco
Polo
Journal Entry 2:
My, what an adventure these years
have been! The tales my father and uncle had told me of Cathay before we had
left initially did nothing to prepare me for the rich culture and beauty of the
East. There was such grace and dignity I scarcely can believe the accounts of brutality
and murder that I had only ever known. However, the honest truth? They were
diligent and in control of the trade all throughout the vast empire. They have
many massive ships that carried goods from Cathay to the Mediterranean,
obtained new goods, and then returned to Cathay! The Tartars were good leaders
as well. The people in Cathay revered Kublai Khan. He was a magnificent leader
who took care of Cathay as if it had always been his home. He took great care
to improve infrastructure. There is no doubt in my mind that if the Tartars had
not come in to power, the world would be less connected than it is today. Since
the Tartars and the Great Khans connected the east and the west with their
trading routes and acceptance of other cultures. From this point forth, I can
no longer view the world as only a bustling merchant city from whence I came.
The world is much larger now and Genghis Khan and the leaders of the other
Khanates: the Golden Horde, the Chaghadai, and the Khanate of Persia, are the
cause of this. As a born and bred merchant myself, the prospects of the trade
benefits are immense! Now Venetians and Britons can have silk and spices, which
was unheard of before my expedition to the Mongolian east,
-Marco Polo
Historians Perspective:
Looking
back at all cultures and all empires, nothing is black and white. Everything is
gray. Nothing changes when one takes a look back at the Mongol empire. They
were ruthless conquerors, yet had religious and cultural tolerance to those
they conquered. Their trade system was rich and immense, yet that may have
helped spread the Black Plague to Europe. The Mongols knew that forcing someone
to share your beliefs was not an intelligent way to control a land. There are
many great empires that did achieve their greatness without the help of
widespread tolerance. When the early Roman Empire obtained new territory, they
would absorb aspects of certain religions into their own religion. Before
Christianity was popular in the Roman Empire, they killed those who practiced
it. The Mongols were ruthless and terrifying, yet their tactics worked. The
trade was important and very successful. Unless the territory refused to submit
or did not pay tribute to their Mongol leaders, life was peaceful. The Mongols
protected their subjects and information traveled easily through the empire
with a Pony Express-like system. There is no definite answer to the question of
if the Mongols were inherently good or inherently bad. They wanted power and
they did what they could to obtain it and they did what they could to hold on
to it. Though their methods were morally questionable, the results were
beneficial to the regions the Mongols conquered. Trade flourished and cultures
spread in each direction. Kublai Khan was interested in Christianity, and that
was one of the reasons he invited the Polos to China. The Mongol Empire was not
good or bad. The Roman Empire was not good or bad. It is all a gray area. The
Mongols did kill a lot of people, but they were not doing it to be bad, they
were doing it for power, which is what all empires do.
"Marco Polo in China
(1271-1295)." Marco Polo in China (1271-1295). N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2014.
<http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/mongols/pop/menu/class_marco.htm>.
Szalay, Jessie. "Marco Polo: Facts, Biography & Travels." LiveScience.
TechMedia Network, 27 Feb. 2013. Web. 17 Jan. 2014.
<http://www.livescience.com/27513-marco-polo.html>.
Rugoff, Milton. Marco Polo's Adventures in China. New
York: American Heritage Pub.; Book Trade and Institutional Distribution by
Harper & Row, 1964. Print.
Letts, Malcolm. The Geographical Journal (n.d.):
n. pag. Print.
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