Who was Marco Polo's father?

Answer 1

Niccolo. He was in China with is brother, Maffeo, when the Great Khan asked them to go see the Pope and ask him to send one hundred missionary scholars to Cathay (northern China). Niccolo and Maffeo arrived at the crusader port of Acre (in modern Israel) in 1269 and in 1271 received commission from Pop Gregory X (reign 1271-1276) to return to China with two Dominican friars. The two friars quickly abandoned the expedition, afraid of the dangers that awaited them, but Niccolo's seventeen year old son, Marco, was made of sterner stuff. The three of them began a long trek back to northern China and the court of Kubilai (the emperor of China at the time), arriving there in 1274 or 1275. Here apparently Marco entered the service of the Great Khan, but it is impossible to say with certainty what offices he held. Whatever the truth about Polo's position, it is clear that for close to two decades he traveled extensively over much of Kubilai's empire, and he probably functioned, at least occasionally, as one of the many foreign officials serving the Mongol, of Yuan, Dynasty (1271-1368).

Answer 2

Niccolo Polo