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Why was Marco Polo imprisoned in Genoa after returning from Asia?
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Marco Polo
Marco Polo, undated coloured woodcut.
Marco Polo was imprisoned in Genoa after being captured by the Genoese during a naval skirmish or battle in the Mediterranean.1
The Genoese and the Venetians were intense maritime rivals, and their long-standing conflict frequently led to open warfare at sea. Following his capture, Polo was held in a Genoese prison, where he famously dictated the account of his travels in Asia to a fellow prisoner, the writer Rustichello of Pisa.12