User:Swisshelme/sandbox

= Nicolo Mare = Nicolo Mare was an Italian humanist and statesman. Born Nikola, he was the bastard son of Hamza Fâkih (a merchant in Constantinople) and Colleta da Chioggia of Venice. His father, expanded his merchant fleet to the extent that they were one of the most significant fleets along the silk road. Connecting Asia to all parts of the Mediterranean. Due to his indiscretion in Venice, Hamza rarely sent ships there. It was his father’s perpetual shame of him and Venice that prompted his travel to Venice. Nicolo Mare immediately fell in love with Venice - quite different from his home city of Constantinople - and stayed there.

Early Life
Nicolo Mare was raised as children of wealthy families do. He was tutored by the very best linguists and mathematicians that money could by. Though his father was ashamed of Nicolo, he still gave him a full education. The family business was the most important thing that his family had and even though Nicolo would never own the company, his father wanted him to be a quintessential part. A magnificent student, Nicolo leaned many languages of the Mediterranean and became proficient in his other studies. When he was old enough, he joined his father on many voyages to learn the family business. Nicolo became proficient in his dealing with the business and pressed upon his father so much that he was sent on many trading voyages by himself. However, no matter how much he was to impress upon his father, Nicolo would always be a bastard. His last voyage was to Venice. In Italy he stayed for the rest of his life.

A New Life
With the lighter complexion from his mother, Nicolo was able to fit right in as one of Venice’s own. It wasn’t easy at first. In fact, Nicolo spent the first year in Venice working odd jobs here and there to make ends meet. He was educated, but none of that seemed to matter without the connections to get anywhere. Though he was educated and hailed from a wealthy family in Constantinople, Nicolo was no stranger to hard work. His many years working aboard his father’s ships had built him into a sturdy young man.

A Break in the Storm
One day, while working the docks (of all places) he was observed speaking to many different people from may different places. His observer was the harbor master and Nicolo became the unofficial spokesman of the harbor. With his diverse knowledge of business and particularly Mediterranean languages, Nicolo was ideal for the job. This job paid much better then any he had previously posted and this new opportunity allowed Nicolo a much needed rise in living condition as well as time and opportunity to read. Nicolo loved to read. So much so that the majority of his pay went to purchasing new books. As books were fairly expensive, Nicolo devoted a lot of time to them. He was particularly intrigued by the works of Petrarch (the “Father of Humanism”). Humanism spread across Italy and captured the attention of Nicolo. Petrarch was only the beginning and he read more and more.

From Pages to Reality
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