Marco Polo was a Venetian merchant who, along with his father and uncle, traveled from Europe to Asia in the 13th century.

Their journey took them across the Silk Road to the court of Kublai Khan, the Mongol emperor of China.

Marco Polo spent 17 years in China, where he served as an official in Kublai Khan's government.

His service gave him the opportunity to travel extensively throughout the Mongol Empire.

After returning to Venice, he was captured during a war with Genoa and imprisoned.

In prison, he dictated the story of his travels to a fellow inmate, Rustichello da Pisa.

The resulting book, 'The Travels of Marco Polo,' provided Europeans with their first detailed account of China and the Far East.

His descriptions of the great wealth of Kublai Khan's court, the use of paper money, and vast cities amazed his European readers.

For a long time, many Europeans believed his stories to be exaggerations or outright fantasies.

His book had a profound influence on later explorers, including Christopher Columbus, inspiring them to seek new trade routes to the East.