The Merchant:

Marco Polo : 7 of Clubs

Marco Polo was a merchant from the Venetian Republic who wrote “Il Milione”, which introduced Europeans to Central Asia and China. He learned about trading whilst his father and uncle, Niccolo and Maffeo, travelled through Asia and met Kublai Khan. In 1269, they returned to Venice to meet Marco for the first time. The three of them embarked on an epic journey to Asia, returning after 24 years to find Venice at war with Genoa; Marco was imprisoned, and dictated his stories to a cellmate. He was released in 1299, became a wealthy merchant, married and had 3 children. He died in 1324, and was buried in San Lorenzo.