Zemo barony
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The Zemo barony is a fictional barony that refers to the line of barons in the Zemo family of Marvel Comics. Two prominent members of the barony are Baron Heinrich Zemo and Baron Helmut Zemo who are the 12th and 13th barons in the line.
Harbin Zemo, the progenitor of the Zemo line was first seen, via flashback, in the Avengers/Thunderbolts limited series. The backstory of the eleven barons before Heinrich and Helmut was later touched upon in the limited series Thunderbolts Presents: Zemo - Born Better. So far it seems that every baron is succeeded by their son. According to Wendell Volker's notes Harbin had other children before Hademar who did not survive to adulthood; Herbert had two sons who died of illness prior to Helmuth.
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[edit] Zemo lineage
- Baron Harbin Zemo (1st Baron Zemo)
- Marries unnamed woman.
- Baron Hademar Zemo (2nd Baron Zemo)
- Married unnamed woman. Appears to also have fathered a daughter.
- Baron Heller Zemo (3rd Baron Zemo)
- Marries unnamed woman.
- Baron Herbert Zemo (4th Baron Zemo)
- Marries unnamed woman. Has at least three sons but the first two die of illness.
- Baron Helmuth Zemo (5th Baron Zemo)
- Marries unnamed woman.
- Baron Hackett Zemo (6th Baron Zemo)
- Marries unnamed woman.
- Baron Hartwig Zemo (7th Baron Zemo)
- Married Baroness Isla Zemo
- Baron Hilliard Zemo (8th Baron Zemo)
- Married Baroness Gretchen Zemo
- Fathered an illegitimate child with Elsbeth Kleinenshvitz.
- Baron Hoffman Zemo (9th Baron Zemo) [1]
- Marries unnamed woman.
- Baron Hobart Zemo (10th Baron Zemo)
- Marries unnamed woman.
- Baron Herman Zemo (11th Baron Zemo)
- Married unnamed woman.
- Baron Heinrich Zemo (12th Baron Zemo)
- Married Baroness Hilda Zemo
- Baron Helmut Zemo (13th Baron Zemo)
- Married Baroness Heike Zemo
[edit] History
The Zemo barony started in Zeulniz, Germany in 1480 when Harbin Zemo, the granary charge man and ministerialis of the town borrowed a suit of armor and stood alone against an invading horde of Slav raiders. Harbin slew the entire horde and so impressed the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire that he was elevated to nobility and awarded Zeulniz. As time went on Harbin Zemo became irritated and tired of the demands of the barony. Harbin died of old age in 1503 and was succeeded by his son Hademar. Hademar was a weak man who had never seen battle but who was all too eager to become the next baron. Shortly after Harbin's death Hademar was made baron. Hademar's twelve year old son Heller plotted to kill his father and soon became the next baron thanks to the help of his time travelling descendant Helmut Zemo. History looks upon Heller as the most progressive of all the 13 barons in the Zemo line.
Helmut's next few trips in time involved him going into battle in 1556 alongside Heller's son Herbert Zemo who was a proud warrior, assassinating Herbert's son Helmuth Zemo in 1640 and narrowly escaping death at the hands of Helmuth's son Hackett Zemo in 1710.
Helmut later arrived at Castle Zemo in the 1760s around the time the seventh baron, Hartwig Zemo died in battle during the Seven Years War. Helmut began to observe Hartwig's son Hilliard as he romanced Elsbeth Kleinenshvitz, the daughter of a Jewish merchant whose family had worked for the Zemo family from the inception of the barony. After Hartwig died Hilliard became the eighth baron and was forced to turn against Elsbeth and her family. Men loyal to the barony murdered Elsbeth's family to keep them from becoming too powerful. A pregnant Elsbeth was saved by Helmut Zemo, who was still travelling in time. Hilliard would later go on to marry an Austrian girl named Gretchen.
Helmut is next seen in 1879 as a member of the travelling guard of the tenth Baron Zemo, Hobart. Helmut had worked for Hobart for several weeks and routinely had to defend Hobart from civilian assassination attempts. Unrest had broken out in the German Empire after William I, German Emperor passed legislation to curb socialism following attempts on William's life. The commoners grew angry with the noblemen including Hobart despite the fact that Hobart fought for their rights. Helmut Zemo leaped to another time and was unable to save Hobart from being killed.
Helmut next arrived during World War I to meet his grandfather Baron Herman Zemo. Herman was defending Germany against a battalion of British soldiers led by the original Union Jack. Helmut witnessed his grandfather employ his own concoction of mustard gas against the British troops and watched as they died in agony (Union Jack hed fled the battle by this time). Helmut went with Herman and his men back to Castle Zemo to find it devastated. Helmut leaped to his next time period to see his father's role in Nazi Germany.
[edit] Notes
- A recurring theme in Zemo's family history seems to be the role of the Imperial Diet (aka Reichstag) and the pressure they place upon the barons throughout the centuries. It was fear of their policies on Jews that led to the Kleinenshvitz family being slaughtered by the barony.
- Hartwig and Hoffman were not actually seen in the Zemo: Born Better series.
[edit] Sources
- Zemo Born Better #1-3
- Avengers/Thunderbolts #1-6
