| Marco Garb | |
| Fictional Character | |
| 1632 series POD: May, 1631 | |
| Appearance(s): | Grantville Gazette XXII |
| Type of Appearance: | Direct |
| Nationality: | Italy |
| Religion: | Lutheranism, formerly Calvinism |
| Spouse: | Constanzia Turettini (deceased) |
| Children: | Johann Martin Luther Sulzer (stepson), Constanzia Garb, Jean Achille Garb |
| Relatives: | Johann Baptist Garb (cousin), Emanuel Sulzer (stepbrother), Potentiana (sister-inlaw), Catharina Sulzer (niece) |
Marco Garb, born Marco de' Gilbelli, was an Italian born German merchant. With the arrival of Grantville in the past, Garb immersed himself in political intrigue against the United States of Europe.
When he was a child, Garb's parents left their hometown of Turin for Geneva in the hope that they could freely practice their Calvinist beliefs there. As the Holy Roman Empire extented its reach to suppress Protestants of all faiths, Marco moved on to the Imperial City and ancient Roman outpost of Augsburg, a city proud of its historic tolerance of different faiths. He had even adopted his cousins' Germanized version of their family name (Garb) in order to fit in better with the local business people. There he became a wealthy merchant after one of his cousins, Johann Baptist, introduced Marco to the important financial leaders of the Imperial City.
He later fell in love and married widow Constanzia Turettini, a mother of six. As his new wife was a Lutheran, Marco agreed to convert. In a year the couple sired Jean Achille Garb. A year later they sired a daughter, but Constanzia died giving birth. Garb he named his daughter after her mother: Constanzia Garb. After some years of mourning, Marco reverted to his Calvinist faith, although he had kept his vow to raise all his children and step-children Lutheran as his wife had wished. He also remarried.
When Grantville first appeared, Garb dispatched his step-son Johann Martin Luther Sulzer there to become his eyes in this new place. However, it was soon apparent that Martin didn't have the guile to successfully obtain the information that Marco needed. Thus he asked Constanzia to visit her Aunt Potentiana in Badenburg, which was close to where the Ring of Fire had desposited Grantville. With help from Martin, Constanzia and her cousin Catharina each gained jobs teaching at Grantville High School. Constanzia became a partner in both the Barbie Consortium in Other People's Money. Garb himself had become a major player amongst Augsburg's investors in up-time technology. People following Garb's lead soon became so rich and influential, they were able to get Garb a seat on the Board of Directors of USE Steel to watch over their interests.
Garb later learned from Martin that Constanzia was romantically interested in radio preacher Pentecostal Dieter Fischer. After confronting his daughter about this, Garb grew very interested in meeting Fischer.
Subsequently in May 1634, Garb was questioned by the financial lords of Augsburg led by Wilhelm Fugger about his association with Fischer, who had grown quite popular with the German population of the United States of Europe. Fugger was very pleased to hear about Constanzia's interests in Fischer, seeing the relationship as a means of manipulating Fischer for the merchant community's ends, particularly the end of Swedish occupation of Germany.
Garb was given the task of swaying Fischer to the merchants' 'financial self interest'. After Fischer predicted the fall of Denmark to the USE, Garb met Fischer for the first time, and was concluded he was indeed worthy to wed his daughter. Almost immediately, Garb began Fugger's scheme by discussing with Fischer for German independence.
In June, Garb made an arrangement with merchants and industrialists that represented the State of Thuringia-Franconia. Garb promised to them of supporting their push for statehood for the occupied territories through the efforts of Fischer. After the meeting, Fischer asked him for his permission in marrying Constanzia. Garb enthusiastically agreed, but was still considering the implications of the betrothal.