Shaddam Corrino IV
Encyclopedia
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
(1999-2001) by Brian Herbert
and Kevin J. Anderson
.
Born in year 10,134 A.G. (After Guild
), Shaddam is the son of Elrood IX and the 81st member of House Corrino
to occupy the Golden Lion Throne. Shaddam's closest friend is the assassin Count Hasimir Fenring
, a cousin and childhood companion. Shaddam has five daughters the Princesses Irulan, Chalice, Wensicia, Josifa, and Rugi and no legal sons. His wife Anirul, a Bene Gesserit
of Hidden Rank, died in 10,176 A.G.
Shaddam is described as "red-haired" by his daughter Irulan via epigraph
in Dune, and noted to be 72 years old yet looking no older than 35. He is portrayed by José Ferrer
in the 1984 David Lynch
film adaptation Dune
, and by Giancarlo Giannini
in the 2000 Dune miniseries
. In the 1984 film, Shaddam is said to be over 200 years old, as the Guild representatives remind him of the importance of the spice melange, which extends life.
temporary control of the harsh desert planet
Arrakis
, the only known source of the all-important spice. Though outwardly this seems like an opportunity for great wealth and power for House Atreides
, Leto recognizes it as a trap; Shaddam has become threatened by Leto's rising power, and somehow intends to diminish or destroy him. Avoiding an overt attack, Shaddam instead uses the centuries-old feud
between House Atreides and House Harkonnen
to disguise his assault, enlisting the brilliant and power-hungry Baron Vladimir Harkonnen
in his plan to trap and eliminate the Atreides. Shaddam's own power is secured by his fierce and seemingly unstoppable Sardaukar
army; the Baron's ambush on Leto and his forces is bolstered by Sardaukar troops disguised as Harkonnens, and the Atreides are crushed. Leto is killed, but his Bene Gesserit concubine
Lady Jessica and son Paul Atreides
escape into the desert. They find sanctuary with a tribe of the planet's native Fremen
.
Paul rises to power among the Fremen, whom he finds to be fierce fighters whose skills and numbers are underestimated by the Harkonnens. As the Fremen guerrilla "Muad'Dib
," Paul soon manages to lead the Fremen in a widespread challenge to the Harkonnens' control of Arrakis. With the spice trade threatened, Shaddam arrives on Arrakis with his court and an escort of Sardaukar, intending to quickly end the disruption. However the Fremen, enhanced by Paul's training in the Bene Gesserit weirding way, attack and manage to handily defeat the attendant Sardaukar forces. Making clear his ability and willingness to completely destroy all spice production should his terms not be met, Paul demands that Shaddam step down from the Imperial throne and install Paul in his place, with Irulan as Paul's consort. Shaddam has no choice but to concede, as an end to the spice supply would cripple the entire universe. In 10,196 Shaddam is effectively exiled to his ancestral planet of Salusa Secundus
, now a wasteland, prison planet, and training ground for the Sardaukar. According to Appendix IV: The Almanak en-Ashraf (Selected Excerpts of the Noble Houses) in Dune, Shaddam IV dies in 10,202 A.G. after 68 years of life.
with a supply of the spice and by arranging his own marriage to a Bene Gesserit. This union with the Lady Anirul Sadow-Tonkin results in five daughters, but no sons.
As the 1984 film inspired many of the visual elements of several of the Dune video games, the appearance and costuming of Emperor Frederick Corrino IV from the games Dune II
and Dune 2000
strongly resembles the José Ferrer representation from Lynch's Dune. In the storyline, the Emperor puts the three Great Houses of the Landsraad
— the Atreides, the Harkonnens
and the Ordos
— in a war for the supremacy of Arrakis. In the end, the Emperor is murdered by the Bene Gesserit Sister Lady Elara.
In a bid for the Sardaukar
's support in the War of Assassins during the period of Emperor: Battle for Dune
, the Ordos create a ghola of the now-deceased Frederick Corrino IV using genetic samples smuggled directly from the Imperial Capital, Kaitain
. Through mass propaganda
, they intend to convince the Imperium that the Emperor had escaped; once Ordos controls Dune, everything will be as it was before the War began, with the Ordos Executrix as the true leaders behind the puppet Emperor, an Illuminati
per se. (In a minor continuity error, the Ordos mentat explicitly refers to the Emperor as Shaddam IV—not Frederick—during the ending movie for that campaign.)
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...
. He is 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:...
of the known universe in Herbert's 1965 novel Dune
Dune (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...
. Shaddam's accession to the throne is chronicled in the Prelude to Dune
Prelude to Dune
Prelude to Dune is a prequel trilogy of novels written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, set in Frank Herbert's Dune universe....
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...
(1999-2001) 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...
.
Born in year 10,134 A.G. (After Guild
Spacing Guild
The Spacing Guild is an organization in Frank Herbert's science fiction Dune universe. With its monopoly on interstellar travel and banking, the Guild is a balance of power against the Padishah Emperor and the assembled noble Houses of the Landsraad...
), Shaddam is the son of Elrood IX and the 81st member of House 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...
to occupy the Golden Lion Throne. Shaddam's closest friend is the assassin Count Hasimir Fenring
Hasimir Fenring
Count Hasimir Fenring is a fictional character in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. He is featured in the science fiction novel Dune by Frank Herbert, and is also a key character in the Prelude to Dune trilogy by Brian Herbert and Kevin J...
, a cousin and childhood companion. Shaddam has five daughters the Princesses Irulan, Chalice, Wensicia, Josifa, and Rugi and no legal sons. His wife Anirul, a Bene Gesserit
Bene Gesserit
The Bene Gesserit are a key social, religious, and political force in Frank Herbert's science fiction Dune universe. The group is described as an exclusive sisterhood whose members train their bodies and minds through years of physical and mental conditioning to obtain superhuman powers and...
of Hidden Rank, died in 10,176 A.G.
Shaddam is described as "red-haired" by his daughter Irulan via epigraph
Epigraph (literature)
In literature, an epigraph is a phrase, quotation, or poem that is set at the beginning of a document or component. The epigraph may serve as a preface, as a summary, as a counter-example, or to link the work to a wider literary canon, either to invite comparison or to enlist a conventional...
in Dune, and noted to be 72 years old yet looking no older than 35. He is portrayed by José Ferrer
José Ferrer
José Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón , best known as José Ferrer, was a Puerto Rican actor, as well as a theater and film director...
in the 1984 David Lynch
David Lynch
David Keith Lynch is an American filmmaker, television director, visual artist, musician and occasional actor. Known for his surrealist films, he has developed his own unique cinematic style, which has been dubbed "Lynchian", and which is characterized by its dream imagery and meticulous sound...
film adaptation Dune
Dune (film)
Dune is a 1984 science fiction film written and directed by David Lynch, based on the 1965 Frank Herbert novel of the same name. The film stars Kyle MacLachlan as Paul Atreides, and includes an ensemble of well-known American and European actors in supporting roles. It was filmed at the Churubusco...
, and by Giancarlo Giannini
Giancarlo Giannini
Giancarlo Giannini is an Italian actor and dubber.Giannini was born La Spezia, Liguria, Italy. He studied at the Accademia Nazionale d'Arte Drammatica in Rome, and made his film debut in a small part in Fango sulla metropoli in 1965...
in the 2000 Dune miniseries
Frank Herbert's Dune
Frank Herbert's Dune is a 2001 3D video game based on the 2000 Sci Fi Channel miniseries of the same name. The game was not a commercial or critical success, and was the last product by Cryo Interactive, which went bankrupt shortly after the game's failure.As Paul, the son of the Duke Atreides's...
. In the 1984 film, Shaddam is said to be over 200 years old, as the Guild representatives remind him of the importance of the spice melange, which extends life.
Dune
During the events of the original novel Dune, Shaddam grants Duke Leto AtreidesLeto Atreides I
Duke Leto Atreides I is a fictional character in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. He features in the novel Dune by Frank Herbert and in the Prelude to Dune prequel trilogy by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson....
temporary control of the harsh desert planet
Desert planet
A desert planet is a single-biome planet on which the climate is mostly desert, with little or no natural precipitation. Desert planets are known to exist; Mars is often considered a prime example. Indeed, many terrestrial planets would be considered desert planets by this definition...
Arrakis
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...
, the only known source of the all-important spice. Though outwardly this seems like an opportunity for great wealth and power for House Atreides
House Atreides
House Atreides is a fictional noble family from the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. One of the Great Houses of the feudal interstellar empire known as the Imperium, its members play a role in every novel in the series. It is suggested within the series that the root of the Atreides line...
, Leto recognizes it as a trap; Shaddam has become threatened by Leto's rising power, and somehow intends to diminish or destroy him. Avoiding an overt attack, Shaddam instead uses the centuries-old feud
Feud
A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight between parties—often groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one party perceives itself to have been attacked, insulted or wronged by another...
between House Atreides and House Harkonnen
House Harkonnen
House Harkonnen is a powerful noble family in Frank Herbert's fictional Dune universe. The Harkonnens are featured prominently in the original 1965 novel Dune, and are also a major presence in both the Prelude to Dune and Legends of Dune prequel trilogies by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson...
to disguise his assault, enlisting the brilliant and power-hungry Baron Vladimir Harkonnen
Vladimir Harkonnen
The Baron Vladimir Harkonnen is a fictional character from the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. He is primarily featured in the 1965 novel Dune, in which he is the secondary antagonist, and is also a major character in the Prelude to Dune prequel trilogy by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson...
in his plan to trap and eliminate the Atreides. Shaddam's own power is secured by his fierce and seemingly unstoppable Sardaukar
Sardaukar
The Sardaukar are a fictional fanatical army from Frank Herbert's Dune universe, primarily featured in the 1965 science fiction novel Dune, as well as Brian Herbert and Kevin J...
army; the Baron's ambush on Leto and his forces is bolstered by Sardaukar troops disguised as Harkonnens, and the Atreides are crushed. Leto is killed, but his Bene Gesserit concubine
Concubinage
Concubinage is the state of a woman or man in an ongoing, usually matrimonially oriented, relationship with somebody to whom they cannot be married, often because of a difference in social status or economic condition.-Concubinage:...
Lady Jessica and son 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...
escape into the desert. They find sanctuary with a tribe of the planet's native Fremen
Fremen
The Fremen are a group of people in the fictional Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. First appearing in the 1965 novel Dune, the Fremen inhabit the desert planet Arrakis and are based on the desert-dwelling Bedouin and Kalahari Bushmen. In Herbert's novels, Arrakis is the sole known source...
.
Paul rises to power among the Fremen, whom he finds to be fierce fighters whose skills and numbers are underestimated by the Harkonnens. As the Fremen guerrilla "Muad'Dib
Muad'Dib
Muad'Dib is a desert mouse within Frank Herbert's Dune universe. It is also the name for a constellation of stars and is taken as a name by the first novel's hero, Paul Atreides.-Dune glossary:...
," Paul soon manages to lead the Fremen in a widespread challenge to the Harkonnens' control of Arrakis. With the spice trade threatened, Shaddam arrives on Arrakis with his court and an escort of Sardaukar, intending to quickly end the disruption. However the Fremen, enhanced by Paul's training in the Bene Gesserit weirding way, attack and manage to handily defeat the attendant Sardaukar forces. Making clear his ability and willingness to completely destroy all spice production should his terms not be met, Paul demands that Shaddam step down from the Imperial throne and install Paul in his place, with Irulan as Paul's consort. Shaddam has no choice but to concede, as an end to the spice supply would cripple the entire universe. In 10,196 Shaddam is effectively exiled to his ancestral planet of Salusa Secundus
Salusa Secundus
Salusa Secundus is a fictional planet appearing in Frank Herbert's Dune universe. With harsh conditions rivaling those of the desert planet Arrakis, Salusa is used as the Imperial Prison Planet, and is one of two planets on which shigawire is grown .-Dune:In "Terminology of the Imperium," the...
, now a wasteland, prison planet, and training ground for the Sardaukar. According to Appendix IV: The Almanak en-Ashraf (Selected Excerpts of the Noble Houses) in Dune, Shaddam IV dies in 10,202 A.G. after 68 years of life.
Prelude to Dune
In the Prelude to Dune prequel trilogy (1999-2001), Shaddam is eager to succeed his father Elrood as Padishah Emperor, but despite his advanced age Elrood shows no signs of ill health. Shaddam finally tasks his longtime friend and minion Fenring to administer Elrood with an undetectable, slow-acting poison. Elrood finally dies in 10,156 A.G.; Shaddam had previously been complicit in the murder of his elder brother, the Crown Prince Fafnir, and had secretly administered contraceptives to his own mother, Habla, so she could not conceive another son to rival him. Shaddam secures his throne by paying the Spacing GuildSpacing Guild
The Spacing Guild is an organization in Frank Herbert's science fiction Dune universe. With its monopoly on interstellar travel and banking, the Guild is a balance of power against the Padishah Emperor and the assembled noble Houses of the Landsraad...
with a supply of the spice and by arranging his own marriage to a Bene Gesserit. This union with the Lady Anirul Sadow-Tonkin results in five daughters, but no sons.
Computer games
Dune II
Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty is a Dune computer game released in 1992 by Westwood Studios...
and Dune 2000
Dune 2000
Dune 2000 is a real-time strategy video game, released by Westwood Studios in 1998 for Microsoft Windows, and later ported to the PlayStation. It is a partial remake of Dune II, which is also based on Frank Herbert's Dune universe. The story of the game is similar to Dune II, and is continued in...
strongly resembles the José Ferrer representation from Lynch's Dune. In the storyline, the Emperor puts the three Great Houses of the 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:...
— the Atreides, the Harkonnens
House Harkonnen
House Harkonnen is a powerful noble family in Frank Herbert's fictional Dune universe. The Harkonnens are featured prominently in the original 1965 novel Dune, and are also a major presence in both the Prelude to Dune and Legends of Dune prequel trilogies by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson...
and the Ordos
House Ordos
House Ordos is a mercantile House in the Dune universe as presented in the Westwood Studios Dune video games produced from 1992 to 2001. The House is listed in the non-canon Dune Encyclopedia by Willis E...
— in a war for the supremacy of Arrakis. In the end, the Emperor is murdered by the Bene Gesserit Sister Lady Elara.
In a bid for the Sardaukar
Sardaukar
The Sardaukar are a fictional fanatical army from Frank Herbert's Dune universe, primarily featured in the 1965 science fiction novel Dune, as well as Brian Herbert and Kevin J...
's support in the War of Assassins during the period of Emperor: Battle for Dune
Emperor: Battle for Dune
Emperor: Battle for Dune is a Dune video game, released by Westwood Studios on June 12, 2001. It is based in Frank Herbert's science fiction Dune universe....
, the Ordos create a ghola of the now-deceased Frederick Corrino IV using genetic samples smuggled directly from the Imperial Capital, Kaitain
Kaitain (Dune)
Kaitain is a fictional planet in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert.In Herbert's 1965 novel Dune, it is mentioned briefly as the seat of power of Padishah Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV, the Royal Court being previously located on the planet Salusa Secundus.The Prelude to Dune prequel trilogy ...
. Through mass propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
, they intend to convince the Imperium that the Emperor had escaped; once Ordos controls Dune, everything will be as it was before the War began, with the Ordos Executrix as the true leaders behind the puppet Emperor, an Illuminati
Illuminati
The Illuminati is a name given to several groups, both real and fictitious. Historically the name refers to the Bavarian Illuminati, an Enlightenment-era secret society founded on May 1, 1776...
per se. (In a minor continuity error, the Ordos mentat explicitly refers to the Emperor as Shaddam IV—not Frederick—during the ending movie for that campaign.)