Arrakeen governor's palace: the Residency of Arrakis
The Arrakeen governor's palace, known as the Arrakeen Residency, was the great house in Arrakeen from which Arrakis was governed. It passed from the Fenrings to House Atreides, fell to the Harkonnens in the Siege of Arrakeen, and was retaken by Paul Atreides.
The Arrakeen governor's palace, also known as the Arrakeen Residency, was a central landmark of Arrakeen, the old capital of Arrakis during the era of the Corrino Empire. It was built for the harsh conditions of the desert world, even within the sheltered country ringed by the Shield Wall mountains that protected Arrakeen. (Dune)
The Residency under House Harkonnen#
The Arrakeen Residency was the seat from which Arrakis was governed during the Corrino Empire. While House Harkonnen held the planet, the Harkonnens preferred to administer it from Carthag. Before the Atreides arrived, the Residency had been home to Count Hasimir Fenring, a close friend of the Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV, and his wife, the Bene Gesserit lady Margot Fenring. (Dune)
The Atreides seat#
When the stewardship of Arrakis was awarded to House Atreides, Duke Leto moved the capital back to Arrakeen and took up residence in the governor's palace. In the palace conservatory, Lady Jessica found a coded message left by Margot Fenring. The Fremen Mapes served as the household's housekeeper. The Atreides held a formal dinner at the Residency for local notables and Imperial representatives, among them the planetologist Liet-Kynes. (Dune)
The siege and the retaking#
When Doctor Wellington Yueh betrayed the Atreides, bargaining with Baron Vladimir Harkonnen over the fate of his captured wife, the city of Arrakeen and the governor's palace came under attack by Harkonnen troops and Sardaukar disguised in Harkonnen uniform during the Siege of Arrakeen. The city and the Residency fell into Harkonnen hands. They were held until the Battle of Arrakeen, when Fremen forces led by Paul Atreides, now known as Muad'Dib, defeated the assembled forces of Shaddam IV and House Harkonnen and retook both the city and the palace. (Dune)
Eclipsed by the Empire#
After the defeat of House Corrino at Arrakeen, Shaddam IV lost the Golden Lion Throne to Paul Atreides, who took Princess Irulan as his consort. (Dune)
The novels don't return to the old Residency after that. By the time of Dune Messiah, twelve years on, Paul rules from his Keep, a vast citadel in Arrakeen. (Dune Messiah)
Frequently asked questions
- What was the Arrakeen governor's palace?
- The Arrakeen governor's palace, also known as the Arrakeen Residency, was the great house in Arrakeen, the old capital of Arrakis, from which the planet was governed during the Corrino Empire. It stood in the sheltered country ringed by the Shield Wall.
- Who lived in the Residency under Harkonnen rule?
- While House Harkonnen held Arrakis, the Harkonnens preferred to administer it from Carthag. Before the Atreides arrived, the Residency had been home to Count Hasimir Fenring, a close friend of Emperor Shaddam IV, and his wife, the Bene Gesserit lady Margot Fenring.
- How did the palace become the Atreides seat?
- When the stewardship of Arrakis was awarded to House Atreides, Duke Leto moved the capital back to Arrakeen and took up residence in the Residency. In its conservatory, Lady Jessica found a coded message left by Margot Fenring.
- What happened to the palace during the Siege of Arrakeen?
- When Doctor Wellington Yueh betrayed the Atreides, Arrakeen and the Residency came under attack by Harkonnen troops and Sardaukar disguised in Harkonnen uniform. The city and the Residency fell into Harkonnen hands.
- How was the palace retaken?
- The Residency was held until the Battle of Arrakeen, when Fremen forces led by Paul Atreides, now known as Muad'Dib, defeated the assembled forces of Shaddam IV and House Harkonnen and retook both the city and the Residency. By the time of Dune Messiah, Paul ruled from his Keep in Arrakeen.
Gallery
Images via Dune Wiki
Sources
- BookDune, Frank Herbert, Chilton Books, 1965
- BookDune Messiah, Frank Herbert, G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1969
Spotted a factual error or a primary source we missed? Email a correction. Every flagged claim gets reviewed.
Followed from this entry
Arrakeen: the first city built on Arrakis
Sheltered by the Shield Wall near the northern pole, it held the Emperor's officials, House Atreides, then Muad'Dib's empire, then Leto II's festival city Onn.
Arrakis
Arrakis, known as Dune and later as Rakis, was a harsh desert world in the Canopus system and the only natural source of the spice melange. Home to the Fremen and the sandworms, it became the seat of the Atreides empire and the center of the known universe.
Battle of Arrakeen
The Battle of Arrakeen was the pivotal engagement of the Arrakis Revolt, fought between Muad'Dib Paul Atreides's Fremen and the Sardaukar of Padishah Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV. The Fremen routed the Imperial forces, and in the surrender that followed Paul won control of the known universe.
Carthag
Carthag was the capital of Arrakis during the rule of House Harkonnen, the larger and more populous of the planet's two great cities. When House Atreides took the fief in 10,191 AG, Duke Leto moved the capital to the more defensible Arrakeen.
House Atreides
House Atreides was a respected House Major of the Galactic Padishah Empire, ruled by a Duke and seated for twenty-six generations on the ocean world of Caladan. Through Paul Muad'Dib and his son Leto II, the Atreides line rose to rule the Known Universe before passing into a bloodline scattered across the millennia.
Lady Jessica: the concubine who bore a son
The Bene Gesserit ordered Jessica to bear Duke Leto a daughter. She had Paul instead, and that single disobedience broke the breeding programme.
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Lady Jessica: the concubine who bore a son
The Bene Gesserit ordered Jessica to bear Duke Leto a daughter. She had Paul instead, and that single disobedience broke the breeding programme.
Piter de Vries
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