Romefeller Foundation

The Romefeller Foundation (ロームフェラ財団, Rōmufera Zaidan) was a secretive aristocratic organisation founded in Vienna, Austria, around AD 1862 that manipulated world affairs for centuries. Consisting of European aristocrats and royalty, the Foundation secretly influenced global politics, economics, and military conflicts to suit their purposes. In the After Colony era, the Foundation sought to rule all Earth and space, using the Organization of the Zodiac (OZ) as its military wing and infiltrating the United Earth Sphere Alliance leadership to achieve de facto control of the Earth Sphere.

Overview

The Romefeller Foundation represented centuries-old aristocratic power adapting to the modern era. Its membership consisted of Europe’s most influential aristocratic families, who used their wealth, political connections, and strategic manipulation to shape world events. The Foundation’s activities were not explicitly known to the world at large, but the results of their manipulations were recorded throughout history, from inciting wars to controlling munitions factories and supply routes.

Unlike traditional governments or military organisations, the Foundation operated in the shadows. Its members held positions of influence across multiple nations and organisations, creating a web of control that was difficult to detect or resist. This made the Foundation extraordinarily dangerous—it could orchestrate events on a global scale whilst maintaining plausible deniability.

In the After Colony era, the Foundation’s ambitions escalated from mere manipulation to direct rule. By placing members in the upper echelons of the United Earth Sphere Alliance and using OZ as its military instrument, the Foundation positioned itself to control both Earth and the space colonies. However, this overreach ultimately led to its downfall when opposition from the Gundam pilots, the Sanc Kingdom, and internal divisions weakened its grip on power.

History

Founding and early centuries

According to Battlefield of Pacifists, the Romefeller Foundation was founded in the Austrian capital Vienna around AD 1862. From its inception, the Foundation’s membership consisted of aristocrats and royalty across Europe and possibly the world. The precise nature of the Foundation’s activities may not have been explicitly known to the world at large, but the results were recorded throughout history.

For over a century, the Foundation secretly manipulated world affairs, inciting conflicts, controlling munitions manufacturing, and managing supply routes necessary for nations to wage war against one another. This allowed the Foundation to profit from conflict whilst shaping geopolitical outcomes to favour its members’ interests. The true extent of their activities remained unknowable, hidden behind layers of legitimate business enterprises and political influence.

After Colony era manipulation

In the After Colony years, the Romefeller Foundation continued its manipulation of world affairs with the ultimate goal of ruling all Earth and space. When the United Earth Sphere Alliance was formed, the Foundation gladly supported it and began placing its members in the upper echelons of the Alliance’s leadership. This infiltration made the Foundation the de facto rulers of the Earth Sphere, controlling policy without direct accountability.

The Foundation gradually pushed the Alliance towards military action against the space colonies, seeking complete control over both Earth and space. The military wing of the Foundation—the Organization of the Zodiac (OZ)—became an integral part of the Alliance military, giving the Foundation de facto political and military control of the Earth Sphere.

OZ coup and Earth Sphere Unified Nation

By AC 195, the Foundation’s leader was Duke Dermail, step-grandfather of Treize Khushrenada and biological grandfather of Dorothy Catalonia. Duke Dermail engineered the overthrow of the Alliance by using the arrival of the five Gundams of Operation Meteor as justification for war with the colonies.

Whilst OZ became the prime target of the Gundam pilots, the Foundation continued to influence world politics from the shadows. It began consolidating control by bringing more nations into its fold. However, the restored Sanc Kingdom posed a threat to this consolidation by spreading the ideal of total pacifism at a time when some nations were becoming war-weary. The Kingdom’s message began drawing nations away from the Foundation.

Sanc Kingdom and Queen Relena

Duke Dermail realised that the leader of the Sanc Kingdom, Relena Peacecraft, was able to capture the attention of and persuade world leaders—she was someone the people would follow. Thus, the Foundation executed a plan that resulted in the invasion and surrender of the Sanc Kingdom. Relena was taken to the Foundation’s headquarters in Germany, where Dermail made her Queen Relena of the new nation the Foundation engineered: the Earth Sphere Unified Nation.

However, Duke Dermail’s plan worked too well. The Foundation members began listening more to Relena than to Dermail himself. Her persuasive advocacy for disarmament and pacifism swayed the majority of Romefeller’s members, undermining Dermail’s authority and the Foundation’s militaristic agenda.

White Fang conflict and dissolution

Simultaneously, a new armed group of colonial citizens retaliating against Romefeller’s dictatorship called White Fang started rising in space, determined to free the space colonies. With the situation spiralling out of his control, Duke Dermail, on the advice of his granddaughter Dorothy Catalonia, went to space to personally lead OZ space forces in restraining White Fang.

During his trip, Dermail’s shuttle was attacked and he was killed. With his death, the Foundation began to falter. The combination of his loss, Relena’s influence over remaining members, the war against White Fang, and the final battle in December AC 195 that ended with Treize Khushrenada’s death meant the Foundation ceased to exist. The post-war disarmament and formation of a truly representative Earth Sphere Unified Nation eliminated the power structures the Foundation had relied upon for over a century.

Organisation

Membership and structure

The Romefeller Foundation’s membership consisted of aristocrats and royalty across Europe and possibly the world. The exact organisational structure remained secretive, but the Foundation appeared to operate through a council of influential aristocratic families who made decisions collectively, though individuals like Duke Dermail could hold leadership positions.

Members owned or controlled munitions factories, supply routes, financial institutions, and held positions in governments across Earth. This distributed power structure made the Foundation resilient to individual member losses whilst enabling coordinated manipulation of world events.

Military wing: Organization of the Zodiac

The Foundation’s primary military instrument was the Organization of the Zodiac (OZ), which operated as the Special Mobile Suit unit within the Alliance military. OZ’s elite status and advanced mobile suits gave the Foundation military capabilities that complemented its political and economic influence.

Behind the scenes

Conception

The Romefeller Foundation was created as the shadowy power behind OZ in Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, providing a deeper layer to the antagonist forces. The concept of a secretive aristocratic organisation manipulating world events from the shadows added complexity to the series’ political narrative, moving beyond simple military conflict to explore themes of hidden power, class structures, and the tension between aristocracy and democracy.

The Foundation’s European aristocratic nature contrasted with the colonial independence movement, creating a conflict between old-world hierarchy and new-world democratic ideals. This thematic opposition enriched the series’ exploration of political philosophies and the nature of governance.

Appearances

The Romefeller Foundation appeared in the following works:

Mobile Suit Gundam Wing (anime series, episodes 8-49)
New Mobile Report Gundam Wing: Battlefield of Pacifists (novel, historical background)
Mobile Suit Gundam Wing Endless Waltz: Glory of the Losers (manga)
SD Gundam G Generation Cross Rays (video game)

External links

Romefeller Foundation on the Gundam Wiki