Old Empire (Dune)
Encyclopedia
The Old Empire is a fictional galactic empire
in the Dune universe
created by Frank Herbert
. The term has been applied to two distinct eras in the fictional history of the Dune series.
, Frank Herbert notes that there are over 13,300 worlds under Landsraad
influence immediately after the Butlerian Jihad
, humankind's "crusade against computer
s, thinking machines
, and conscious robot
s." Over 10,000 years later, Paul Atreides
deposes the 81st and last Corrino
Padishah Emperor
Shaddam IV
. Paul's son, the God Emperor Leto II
, rules with an iron fist for over 3,500 years. His death effectively abolishes the Imperial throne, and throws humanity into chaos. The breakdown of Leto's empire, severe famine on many worlds and the introduction of Ixian
navigation machines causes trillions of people to leave the settled worlds, striking off into unknown space in an event known as The Scattering.
Beginning in Heretics of Dune
, 1500 years after Leto II's death, some of the people who had fled into the unknown begin to return. The originating universe, which still revolves around spice production on the planet Rakis
, is referred to as the "Old Empire" in comparison to the "Lost Ones" returning from The Scattering. In Heretics, Sheeana asks if the Honored Matres
will come to Rakis; Darwi Odrade responds, "I'm afraid so. They want to control the core of the Old Empire because they see us as an easy conquest." In Chapterhouse: Dune, Odrade has at her disposal "spies and agents throughout the Old Empire, [and] countless workers who looked to the Sisterhood to protect them from Honored Matres." In the same novel, the Honored Matres refer to the Old Empire as "The Million Planets."
prequel
trilogy
by Brian Herbert
and Kevin J. Anderson
, the original "Old Empire" is a Great Empire of Man which precedes the Butlerian Jihad and the Corrino-led Padishah Empire. The Old Empire stands for many thousands of years, ruled by emperors, of whom the last comes from the Boro family.
As established in the Legends series, this Old Empire is a feudal
regime. This differs from earlier indications by Frank Herbert that it is the lack of computers following the Butlerian Jihad which led to humanity entering a "second middle age
."
The people of the Old Empire in time come to depend on artificial intelligence
, which eventually leads to their overthrow by the Twenty Titans
. The Titans rule for some 100 years (called the Time of Titans) before they are overthrown themselves by the sentient
computer network Omnius. Omnius and his thinking machines remain in control of the universe for a millennium before humankind defeats them in the Battle of Corrin, ending the Butlerian Jihad.
Galactic empire
Galactic empires are a common trope used in science fiction and science fantasy, particularly in space opera. Many authors have either used a galaxy-spanning empire as background, or written about the growth or decline of such an empire...
in the Dune universe
Dune universe
Dune is a science fiction franchise which originated with the 1965 novel Dune by Frank Herbert. Considered by many to be the greatest science fiction novel of all time, Dune is frequently cited as the best-selling science fiction novel in history...
created by Frank Herbert
Frank Herbert
Franklin Patrick Herbert, Jr. was a critically acclaimed and commercially successful American science fiction author. Although a short story author, he is best known for his novels, most notably Dune and its five sequels...
. The term has been applied to two distinct eras in the fictional history of the Dune series.
The Padishah Empire
In the Appendix of DuneDune (novel)
Dune is a science fiction novel written by Frank Herbert, published in 1965. It won the Hugo Award in 1966, and the inaugural Nebula Award for Best Novel...
, Frank Herbert notes that there are over 13,300 worlds under Landsraad
Landsraad
The Landsraad is a fictional organization in Frank Herbert's Dune universe. It is the assembly of all noble Houses in the Imperium.-Overview:...
influence immediately after the Butlerian Jihad
Butlerian Jihad
The Butlerian Jihad is an event in the back-story of Frank Herbert's fictional Dune universe. Occurring over 10,000 years before the events chronicled in his 1965 novel Dune, this jihad leads to the outlawing of certain technologies, primarily "thinking machines", a collective term for computers...
, humankind's "crusade against computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
s, thinking machines
Thinking machines (Dune)
Thinking machines is a collective term for artificial intelligence in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. The Butlerian Jihad a human crusade against thinking machines is an epic turning point in the back-story of the Dune universe...
, and conscious robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
s." Over 10,000 years later, Paul Atreides
Paul Atreides
Paul Atreides is a fictional character in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. Paul is a prominent character in the first two novels in the series, Dune and Dune Messiah , and returns in Children of Dune . The character is brought back as two different gholas in the Brian Herbert/Kevin J...
deposes the 81st and last Corrino
House Corrino
Imperial House Corrino is a fictional noble family from the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. The Corrinos come to power after mankind's victory against the thinking machines at the Battle of Corrin , and rule until deposed by Paul Atreides approximately 10,000 years later during the events...
Padishah Emperor
Padishah Emperor
Padishah Emperor is the title given to the hereditary rulers of the Old Empire in the science fiction Dune universe created by Frank Herbert.-Original series:...
Shaddam IV
Shaddam Corrino IV
Shaddam Corrino IV is a fictional character in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. He is Padishah Emperor of the known universe in Herbert's 1965 novel Dune. Shaddam's accession to the throne is chronicled in the Prelude to Dune prequel trilogy by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson.Born...
. Paul's son, the God Emperor Leto II
Leto Atreides II
Leto Atreides II is a fictional character from the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. Born at the end of Dune Messiah , Leto is a central character in Children of Dune and is the title character of God Emperor of Dune . The character is brought back as a ghola in the Brian Herbert/Kevin J...
, rules with an iron fist for over 3,500 years. His death effectively abolishes the Imperial throne, and throws humanity into chaos. The breakdown of Leto's empire, severe famine on many worlds and the introduction of Ixian
Ix (Dune)
Ix is a fictional planet featured in the Dune series of science fiction novels written by Frank Herbert, and derivative works. In Dune it is noted that Ix is classed with the planet Richese as "supreme in machine culture," and that Ixian solido projectors "are commonly considered the best." In...
navigation machines causes trillions of people to leave the settled worlds, striking off into unknown space in an event known as The Scattering.
Beginning in Heretics of Dune
Heretics of Dune
Heretics of Dune is a 1984 science fiction novel by Frank Herbert, fifth in a series of six novels. It was ranked as the #13 hardcover fiction best seller of 1984 by The New York Times.-Plot introduction:...
, 1500 years after Leto II's death, some of the people who had fled into the unknown begin to return. The originating universe, which still revolves around spice production on the planet Rakis
Arrakis
Arrakis — informally known as Dune and later called Rakis — is a fictional desert planet featured in the Dune series of novels by Frank Herbert. Herbert's first novel in the series, 1965's Dune, is popularly considered one of the greatest science fiction novels of all time, and it is...
, is referred to as the "Old Empire" in comparison to the "Lost Ones" returning from The Scattering. In Heretics, Sheeana asks if the Honored Matres
Honored Matres
The Honored Matres are a fictional matriarchal organization in Frank Herbert's science fiction Dune universe. They are described as an aggressive cult obsessed with power, violence and sexual domination...
will come to Rakis; Darwi Odrade responds, "I'm afraid so. They want to control the core of the Old Empire because they see us as an easy conquest." In Chapterhouse: Dune, Odrade has at her disposal "spies and agents throughout the Old Empire, [and] countless workers who looked to the Sisterhood to protect them from Honored Matres." In the same novel, the Honored Matres refer to the Old Empire as "The Million Planets."
Pre-Butlerian Jihad
According to the Legends of DuneLegends of Dune
Legends of Dune is a prequel trilogy of novels written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, set in Frank Herbert's Dune universe.* Dune: The Butlerian Jihad * Dune: The Machine Crusade * Dune: The Battle of Corrin...
prequel
Prequel
A prequel is a work that supplements a previously completed one, and has an earlier time setting.The widely recognized term was a 20th-century neologism, and a portmanteau from pre- and sequel...
trilogy
Trilogy
A trilogy is a set of three works of art that are connected, and that can be seen either as a single work or as three individual works. They are commonly found in literature, film, or video games...
by Brian Herbert
Brian Herbert
Brian Patrick Herbert is an American author who lives in Washington state. He is the elder son of science fiction author Frank Herbert....
and Kevin J. Anderson
Kevin J. Anderson
Kevin J. Anderson is an American science fiction author with over forty bestsellers. He has written spin-off novels for Star Wars, StarCraft, Titan A.E., and The X-Files, and with Brian Herbert is the co-author of the Dune prequels...
, the original "Old Empire" is a Great Empire of Man which precedes the Butlerian Jihad and the Corrino-led Padishah Empire. The Old Empire stands for many thousands of years, ruled by emperors, of whom the last comes from the Boro family.
As established in the Legends series, this Old Empire is a feudal
Feudalism
Feudalism was a set of legal and military customs in medieval Europe that flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries, which, broadly defined, was a system for ordering society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labour.Although derived from the...
regime. This differs from earlier indications by Frank Herbert that it is the lack of computers following the Butlerian Jihad which led to humanity entering a "second middle age
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
."
The people of the Old Empire in time come to depend on artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
, which eventually leads to their overthrow by the Twenty Titans
Titan (Dune)
The Titans are a group of fictional characters in the Legends of Dune series of novels, written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson and set in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert...
. The Titans rule for some 100 years (called the Time of Titans) before they are overthrown themselves by the sentient
Sentience
Sentience is the ability to feel, perceive or be conscious, or to have subjective experiences. Eighteenth century philosophers used the concept to distinguish the ability to think from the ability to feel . In modern western philosophy, sentience is the ability to have sensations or experiences...
computer network Omnius. Omnius and his thinking machines remain in control of the universe for a millennium before humankind defeats them in the Battle of Corrin, ending the Butlerian Jihad.