Carthag
the Harkonnen capital of Arrakis
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.
Carthag was the capital of the planet Arrakis under the rule of House Harkonnen. Dune calls it the Harkonnens' new megalopolis, a cheap and brassy place some two hundred kilometres north east of Arrakeen across the Broken Land. When the fief of Arrakis passed to House Atreides by order of the Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV in 10,191 AG, the seat of planetary power was moved away from Carthag. (Dune)
The Harkonnen seat#
Carthag was the centre of House Harkonnen's rule of Arrakis during the long decades the house held the planet as its fief. It was a city the Harkonnens had built for themselves, newer than Arrakeen, where the great house had been the government mansion in the days of the Old Empire, when cost mattered less. (Dune)
Loss of the capital#
When Shaddam IV ordered the change of fief that transferred Arrakis to House Atreides, Duke Leto chose not to keep his seat at Carthag. He moved the capital to Arrakeen, the smaller, older city, which he judged easier to defend if the planet came under attack. (Dune)
The siege#
The Harkonnen attack, backed by the Emperor's Sardaukar, wasn't confined to Arrakeen. It fell on Atreides forces across the planet, and those who weren't killed or captured were scattered into the desert or went over to the smugglers. (Dune)
Frequently asked questions
- What was Carthag?
- Carthag was the capital of the planet Arrakis under the rule of House Harkonnen. Dune describes it as the Harkonnens' new megalopolis, a cheap and showy city some two hundred kilometres north east of Arrakeen across the Broken Land.
- How old was Carthag compared with Arrakeen?
- Carthag was the newer city. Arrakeen's great house had been the government mansion in the days of the Old Empire, before the Harkonnens built Carthag.
- Why did Duke Leto Atreides move the capital away from Carthag?
- When the fief of Arrakis passed to House Atreides in 10,191 AG, Duke Leto made the smaller, older city of Arrakeen his seat, judging it easier to defend than the Harkonnens' sprawling capital.
- What happened in Carthag during the Harkonnen attack?
- The Harkonnen and Sardaukar attack that destroyed House Atreides on Arrakis fell on the whole planet, not just Arrakeen, and the Atreides forces were killed or scattered.
Gallery
Images via Dune Wiki
Sources
- BookDune, Frank Herbert, 1965
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Followed from this entry
Arrakis
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House Harkonnen: the Baron's Giedi Prime
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Arrakeen: the first city built on Arrakis
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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.
Leto Atreides I: the Duke betrayed on Arrakis
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Shaddam Corrino IV
Shaddam Corrino IV was the 81st and final Padishah Emperor of the Corrino Empire. Threatened by the popularity of Duke Leto Atreides, he conspired with House Harkonnen to destroy him, only to be brought down himself by Paul Muad'Dib and the Fremen during the Desert War.
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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.
Shield Wall
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