The Travels of Marco Polo Volume II Part 75

e (Illegitimate)

Fiordelisa || Felice Polo, called Cousins, 1280, 1300.

(II.) THE POLOS OF SAN GEREMIA.

The preceding Table gives the Family of our Traveller as far as I have seen sound data for tracing it, either upwards or downwards.

I have expressed, in the introductory notices, my doubts about the Venetian genealogies, which continue the family down to 1418 or 19, because it seems to me certain that all of them do more or less confound with our Polos of S. Giovanni Grisostomo, members of the other Polo Family of S. Geremia. It will help to disentangle the subject if we put down what is ascertained regarding the S. Geremia family.

To the latter with tolerable certainty belonged the following:--

1302. MARCO Polo of Cannareggio, see vol. i. pp. 64-67. (The Church of S. Geremia stands on the ca.n.a.l called Cannareggio.)

Already in 1224, we find a Marco Polo of S. Geremia and Cannareggio.

(See _Liber Plegiorum_, published with _Archivio Veneto_, 1872 pp.

32, 36).

1319. (Bianca, widow of GIOVANNI Polo?)[1]

1332. 24th March. Concession, apparently of some privilege in connection with the State Lake in San Basilio, to DONATO and HERMORAO (= Hermolaus or Almor) Paulo (Doc.u.ment partially illegible).[2]

1333. 23rd October. Will of Marchesina Corner, wife of Marino Gradenigo of S. Apollinare, who chooses for her executors "my mother Dona Fiordelisa Cornaro, and my uncle (_Barba_) Ser Marco Polo."[3]

Another extract apparently of the same will mentions "_mia cusina_ MARIA Polo," and "_mio cusin_ MARCO Polo" three times.[4]

1349. MARINO Polo and Brothers.[5]

1348. About this time died NICOLO Polo of S. Geremia,[6] who seems to have been a Member of the Great Council.[7] He had a brother MARCO, and this Marco had a daughter AGNESINA. Nicolo also leaves a sister BARBARA (a nun), a son GIOVANNINO (apparently illegitimate[7]), of age in 1351,[6] a nephew GHERARDO, and a niece FILIPPA,[6] Abbess of Sta. Catarina in Mazzorbo.

The executors of Nicolo are GIOVANNI and DONATO Polo.[6] We have not their relationship stated.

DONATO must have been the richest Polo we hear of, for in the Estimo or forced Loan of 1379 for the Genoese War, he is a.s.sessed at 23,000 _Lire_.[8] A history of that war also states that he ("Donado Polo del Canareggio") presented the Government with 1000 ducats, besides maintaining in arms himself, his son, and seven others.[9] Under 1388 we find Donato still living, and mention of CATARUZZA, d. of Donato:[10] and under 1390 of Elena, widow of Donato.[10]

The Testamentary Papers of Nicolo also speak of GIACOMO [or Jacopo]

Polo. He is down in the _Estimo_ of 1379 for 1000 _Lire_;[11] and in 1371 an inscription in Cicogna shows him establishing a family burial-place in Sta. Maria de' Servi:[12]

[MCCCLXXI. Die primo mensis ... S. Dni IACHOBI. PAVLI. DE CFINIO. SANCTI. IEREMIE. ET. SVOR. HEREDVM.]

(1353. 2nd June. Viriola, widow of ANDREA or Andrinolo Polo of Sta.

Maria Nuova ?)[13]

1379. In addition to those already mentioned we have NICOLO a.s.sessed at 4000 _lire_.[11]

1381. And apparently this is the NICOLO, son of Almoro (_Hermolaus_), who was raised to the Great Council, for public service rendered, among 30 elected to that honour after the war of Chioggia.[14] Under 1410 we find ANNA, relict of Nicolo Polo.[15]

1379. In this year also, ALMORO, whether father or brother of the last, contributes 4000 _lire_ to the Estimo.[11]

1390. CLEMENTE Polo (died before 1397)[15] and his wife MADDALUZIA.[15]

Also in this year PAOLO Polo, son of Nicolo, gave his daughter in marriage to Giov. Vitturi.[16]

1408 and 1411. CHIARA, daughter of Frances...o...b..lbi, and widow of ERMOLAO (or Almor) Polo, called of _Sta. Trinita_.[15]

1416. GIOVANNI, perhaps the Giovannino mentioned above.[15]

1420. 22nd November. BARTOLO, son of Ser ALMORO and of the n.o.bil Donna CHIARA Orio.(?)[17] This couple probably the same as in the penultimate entry.

1474, seqq. Accounts belonging to the Trust Estate of BARTOLOMEO Polo of S. Geremia.[15]

There remains to be mentioned a MARCO POLO, member of the Greater Council, chosen _Auditor Sententiarum_, 7th March, 1350, and named among the electors of the Doges Marino Faliero (1354) and Giovanni Gradenigo (1355).

The same person appears to have been sent as _Provveditore_ to Dalmatia in 1355. As yet it is doubtful to what family he belonged, and it is _possible_ that he may have belonged to our traveller's branch, and have continued that branch according to the tradition. But I suspect that he is identical with the Marco, brother of Nicolo Polo of S. Geremia, mentioned above, under 1348. (See also vol. i. p. 74.) Cappellari states distinctly that this Marco was the father of the Lady who married Azzo Trevisan. (See Introd. p. 78.)

We have intimated the probability that he was the Marco mentioned twice in connection with the Court of Sicily. (See vol. i. p. 79, note.)

A later Marco Polo, in 1537, distinguished himself against the Turks in command of a ship called the _Giustiniana_; forcing his way past the enemy's batteries into the Gulf of Prevesa, and cannonading that fortress.

But he had to retire, being unsupported.

It may be added that a Francesco Paulo appears among the list of those condemned for partic.i.p.ation in the conspiracy of Baiamonte Tiepolo in 1310. (_Dandulo_ in _Mur._ XII. 410, 490.)

[I note from the MS. of _Priuli, Genealogie delle famiglie n.o.bili di Venesia_, kept in the R'o. Archivio di Stato at Venice, some information, pp. 4376-4378, which permit me to draw up the following Genealogy which may throw some light on the Polos of San Geremia:--

ANDREA, of San Felice | +-------------+-------------+ | | | Marco Nicol Maffio of S. Grisostomo buried at S. Lorenzo.

| +------------+--------+---+------------+ | | | | Marco Steffano Giovanni Maffio (Milioni) | +-----------+--------+--+-----------+ | | | | Almor of Maffio Marco Nicol San Geremia | Nicol of San Geremia made a n.o.bleman, 4th Sept. 1381 | +----------------+----------------+ | | | Maffio Marco Marin | | Marco + 1418 Governor of Castel Vecchio, at Verona.

Sir Henry Yule writes above (II. p. 507) that Nicolo Polo of S. Geremia had a brother Marco, and this Marco had a daughter Agnesina. I find in the Acts of the Notary Brutti, in the Will of Elisabetta Polo, dated 14th March, 1350:--

BETA = MARCO POLO [MARCOLINO?]

of S. Grisostomo | +------------------+-----------------+ | | | Agnesina Christina Marina = Nicoleto. = Michaleto in the Monastery of S. Lorenzo.

The Maffio, son of Nicol of S. Giov. Grisostomo, and father of Pasqua and Fiordelisa, married probably after his will (1300) and had his four sons: Almor of S. Geremia, Maffio, Marco, Nicol. Indeed, Cicogna writes (_Insc. Ven._ II. p. 390):--"Non apparisce che Maffeo abbia avuto figliuoli maschi da questo testamento [1300]; ma per altro non e cosa a.s.surda il credere che posteriormente a questo testamento 1300 possa avere avuti figliuoli maschi; ed in effetto le Genealogie gliene danno quatro, cioe _Ermolao, Maffio, Marco, Nicol_. Il Ramusio anzi glien da cinque, senza nominarli, uno de'quali _Marco_, e una femmina di nome _Maria_; e Marco Barbaro gliene da sei, cioe _Nicol, Maria, Pietro, Donado, Marco, Franceschino_."--H.C.]

[Sig. Ab. Cav. Zanetti gives (_Archivio Veneto_, XVI. 1878, p. 110). See our _Int._, p. 78.

MATTEO, son of MARCOLINO | +--------------------+---------------------+ | | Maria? Marco married Benedetto died at Verona Cornaro in 1401, and in 1417, 1418, or 1425.]

Azzo Trevisan

[1] Doc.u.ment in _Archivio_ of the _Casa di Ricovero_, Bundle LXXVII., No. 209.

[2] _Registro di Grazie_, 4 c. Comm. by Comm. Berchet.

[3] _Arch. Gen. dei Giudici del Proprio_, Perg. No. 82, 1st July, 1342, cites this. (Comm. Berchet.)

[4] _Arch. dei Procuratori di San Marco_, with Testam. 1327, January, marked "N.H. Ser Marco Gradenigo." (Comm. Berchet.)

[5] Doc.u.ment in _Archivio_ of the _Casa di Ricovero_, Bundle LXXIV., No. 651.