In September 1298, the rival Italian republics of Genoa and Venice fought a fierce sea battle at Curzola off the rocky coast of southern Dalmatia. Against the odds the Venetians, led by Admiral Andrea Dandolo, son of the Doge, were defeated. Enraged and humiliated, Dandolo beat his brains out against the mast of his flagship rather than suffer execution at the hands of his enemies.
Among the thousands of Venetians captives was one Marco Polo, gentleman, merchant of Venice, and sometime traveller to East Asia. Imprisoned in a Ligurian fastness, he told his story to a fellow-prisoner, a writer of romances named Rustichello of Pisa. When Rustichello heard Marco's story, he realized he was hearing one of the most remarkable tales ever told.The account of his travels that Marco Polo dictated to Rustichello in captivity - Il Milione - would be exceptionally widely read and would stimulate European interest in the East and its riches.
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