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. It was the larger, newer, and more densely populated of the desert world's two principal cities, lying roughly two hundred kilometres to the north east of Arrakeen. 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.
The Harkonnen seat#
Carthag was the centre of House Harkonnen's administration of Arrakis during the long decades the house held the planet as its fief. Of the two major cities of Arrakis, Carthag was the larger, the newer, and the more densely populated. Among its notable installations were a Guild Bank and the Harkonnen Palace, from which the house governed the spice trade and the people of the desert world.
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 instead moved the capital to Arrakeen, which he assessed would be easier to defend if the planet came under attack. Leto also reasoned that, because Carthag was the more densely populated of the two cities, it was likely to harbour a greater number of Harkonnen agents who could subvert Atreides rule from within.
The siege#
During the Siege of Arrakeen, the Harkonnens did not confine their assault to the new capital. They also carried out a cleansing in Carthag, and every Atreides trooper stationed in the city was slain.
Frequently asked questions
- What was Carthag?
- Carthag was the capital of the planet Arrakis under the rule of House Harkonnen. It was the larger, newer, and more densely populated of the desert world's two principal cities, lying roughly two hundred kilometres to the north east of Arrakeen.
- What notable installations stood in Carthag?
- Carthag held key installations including a Guild Bank and the Harkonnen Palace, from which the house governed the spice trade and the people of Arrakis. It served as the centre of House Harkonnen's administration throughout the decades the house held the planet.
- 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 moved the capital to Arrakeen, which he assessed would be easier to defend if the planet came under attack. He also reasoned that the more densely populated Carthag was likely to harbour a greater number of Harkonnen agents who could subvert Atreides rule from within.
- What happened in Carthag during the Siege of Arrakeen?
- During the Siege of Arrakeen, the Harkonnens did not confine their assault to the new capital. They carried out a cleansing in Carthag, and every Atreides trooper stationed in the city was slain.
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Related entries
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.
House Harkonnen
House Harkonnen was a Great House of the Landsraad seated on the industrial world of Giedi Prime and the historical enemy of House Atreides. Ruled by a Siridar-Baron, it built its power on the brutal exploitation of Arrakis before being shattered as a political force at the Battle of Arrakeen.
Siege of Arrakeen
The Siege of Arrakeen was the night assault in 10191 AG in which House Harkonnen, backed by Imperial Sardaukar disguised as Harkonnen troops, destroyed House Atreides on Arrakis. Duke Leto Atreides was killed and his heir Paul fled into the desert.
Arrakeen
Arrakeen was the first settlement on Arrakis and its seat of power, a city near the northern pole sheltered by the Shield Wall. It served as the governor's seat under the Corrino Empire, the capital of Muad'Dib's empire, and later the festival city Onn before becoming Keen.
House Atreides
House Atreides was a respected House Major of the Galactic Padishah Empire, ruled by a Duke and seated for twenty 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
Leto Atreides I was the twentieth Duke of House Atreides, father of Paul Atreides, and one of the most respected leaders of the Landsraad. Known as Leto the Just, he was betrayed and killed soon after the Emperor ordered him to take the spice fief of Arrakis.
Mentioned in2 entries
Arrakeen governor's palace: the Residency of Arrakis
The Arrakeen governor's palace, known colloquially as the Arrakeen Residency, was the largest building in Arrakeen and the seat of planetary power on Arrakis. 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
The Shield Wall was a towering mountain range in the northern reaches of Arrakis that sheltered a small region from the planet's coriolis storms and kept the sandworms from human settlements. Paul Atreides breached it with the Family Atomics during the Battle of Arrakeen.
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