Elrood Corrino IX
the eightieth Padishah Emperor
Elrood Corrino IX was the 80th and penultimate Padishah Emperor of the Corrino Empire, whose long reign ended in the slow poison of a chaumurky plot that raised his son Shaddam IV to the Golden Lion Throne.
Elrood Corrino IX was the 80th and penultimate Padishah Emperor of the Corrino Empire and one of the last Emperors of the Known Universe. His long reign over House Corrino from Kaitain ended when he succumbed to a slow poison, and the throne passed to his son Shaddam Corrino IV.
Reign#
Elrood Corrino IX was born in 9999 AG and held the Golden Lion Throne as the 80th and penultimate Padishah Emperor of the Corrino Empire, ranking among the last Emperors of the Known Universe. His court at Kaitain was managed in part by his Chamberlain, Aken Hesban, a sallow-faced man with long drooping mustaches who attended the Emperor's audiences, including those granted to royalty such as Earl Dominic Vernius, and who was by all indication intensely loyal to his master.
Over the course of his rule Elrood took several wives. His first was Barbara Mutelli, who bore his daughter Wensicia and a short-lived son. His second was Yvette Hagal, whose marriage in 10036 AG bound House Hagal to the Imperial line, and his third was Alexandra Ecaz, mother of Crown Prince Fafnir. He also kept Shando Vernius as a concubine before she left the court. Through these unions and his many children, the Corrino succession ran down to his heir, Shaddam.
The Ecazi Revolt and the rule of Arrakis#
Elrood's reign was marked by conflict with House Ecaz. The Ecazi Revolt drew Imperial forces and allies into a campaign to restore Archduke Ferdinand Ecaz to the Mahogany Throne, a war in which Duke Paulus Atreides of Caladan played a part and during which the young Earl Dominic Vernius lent Ixian forces to the Emperor's cause.
In 10153 AG, Elrood appointed the ecologist Pardot Kynes as Imperial Planetologist on Arrakis, a posting that would, in time, set in motion the secret transformation of the desert planet far beyond anything the Emperor intended.
The chaumurky plot#
In his final years, Elrood became the target of a patient and deadly conspiracy. His son Shaddam, impatient for the throne, schemed with his close confidant Hasimir Fenring to remove the aging Emperor. The two, together with Elrood himself in matters of policy, also developed secret plans concerning Ix, plans from which the loyal Chamberlain Aken Hesban was deliberately excluded.
Elrood was poisoned with N'kee, a chaumurky agent that worked slowly and could not be detected even by his physicians, who attributed his decline to old age. He died in 10156 AG. The frequently discredited Pirate History of Corrino preserved a curious account placing the blame for his death on Count Hasimir Fenring. With Elrood gone, Shaddam ascended the Golden Lion Throne as Shaddam Corrino IV, and the loyal Aken Hesban was removed from court.
Frequently asked questions
- Who was Elrood Corrino IX?
- Elrood Corrino IX was the 80th and penultimate Padishah Emperor of the Corrino Empire and one of the last Emperors of the Known Universe. Born in 9999 AG, he held the Golden Lion Throne from Kaitain until his death in 10156 AG.
- Who were the wives of Elrood Corrino IX?
- Over the course of his rule Elrood took several wives: his first was Barbara Mutelli, mother of his daughter Wensicia; his second was Yvette Hagal, whose 10036 AG marriage bound House Hagal to the Imperial line; and his third was Alexandra Ecaz, mother of Crown Prince Fafnir. He also kept Shando Vernius as a concubine before she left the court.
- What happened during the reign of Elrood Corrino IX?
- His reign was marked by the Ecazi Revolt, a campaign to restore Archduke Ferdinand Ecaz to the Mahogany Throne. In 10153 AG he appointed the ecologist Pardot Kynes as Imperial Planetologist on Arrakis, a posting that would later set in motion the secret transformation of the desert planet.
- How did Elrood Corrino IX die?
- Elrood was poisoned with N'kee, a slow chaumurky agent that could not be detected even by his physicians, who attributed his decline to old age. He died in 10156 AG as the target of a conspiracy by his son Shaddam and Hasimir Fenring, after which Shaddam ascended the throne as Shaddam Corrino IV.
Sources
- WikiElrood Corrino IX — Dune Wiki entry
- WikiAken Hesban — Dune Wiki entry
- WikiHasimir Fenring — Dune Wiki entry
Spotted a factual error or a primary source we missed? Email a correction. Every flagged claim gets reviewed.
Related entries
Hasimir Fenring
Count Hasimir Fenring was a deadly assassin and Mentat tactician, a genetic eunuch and failed Kwisatz Haderach, and the closest friend of Emperor Shaddam IV. Invisible to prescient vision, he served as Imperial agent on Arrakis before joining Shaddam in exile.
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.
Yvette Hagal
Yvette Hagal-Corrino was a Padishah Empress of House Corrino, second wife of Emperor Elrood Corrino IX, and through her daughter Edwina an ancestor of Paul Atreides.
Dominic Vernius
Dominic Vernius was the penultimate true Earl of House Vernius and ruler of Ix. A decorated military ally of the Emperor turned bitter renegade after marrying the imperial concubine Shando Balut, he lost his House to a Tleilaxu invasion and died detonating a stone burner against Sardaukar on Arrakis.
Hagal
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House Corrino
House Corrino was the imperial House of the Known Universe, ruling family of the Padishah Empire for ten thousand years from the Golden Lion Throne. Seated at Kaitain and rooted on Salusa Secundus, it fell to House Atreides after the Battle of Arrakeen.
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House Corrino
House Corrino was the imperial House of the Known Universe, ruling family of the Padishah Empire for ten thousand years from the Golden Lion Throne. Seated at Kaitain and rooted on Salusa Secundus, it fell to House Atreides after the Battle of Arrakeen.
Paulus Atreides
Paulus Atreides, the Old Duke, was the twenty-fifth Duke of House Atreides, father of Leto Atreides I, and grandfather of the man who would be Muad'Dib. A beloved and theatrical leader, he died in his own bullring, killed by a Salusan bull that had been secretly drugged.
Paulus Atreides' 10156 bullfight
The final bullfight of Duke Paulus Atreides, staged in the Plaza de Toros on Caladan in 10156 AG, ended in his death when his wife Helena conspired with the Harkonnens to leave his weapon undrugged. It was the last bullfight ever held on Caladan.
Paulus Atreides' 10156 bullfight
The final bullfight of Duke Paulus Atreides took place in the Plaza de Toros on Caladan in 10156 AG. It ended in his death when his wife Helena conspired with the Harkonnens to leave his banderilla undrugged, allowing the Salusan bull to gore him before the assembled crowd.
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.
Shando Vernius
Lady Shando Balut-Vernius was a former concubine of Padishah Emperor Elrood Corrino IX who left the Imperial Court to marry Earl Dominic Vernius of Ix. Mother of Tyros Reffa, Rhombur, and Kailea, she was hunted down and executed by Sardaukar when House Vernius fell.
Suboid Revolt
The Suboid Revolt was a rebellion in which the suboid lower class of Ix, secretly stirred up by the Bene Tleilax and backed by Imperial Sardaukar, rose against House Vernius over alleged violations of the Butlerian Jihad. It ended with the fall of Ix and the exile of the Vernius family.
Yvette Hagal
Yvette Hagal-Corrino was a Padishah Empress of House Corrino, second wife of Emperor Elrood Corrino IX, and through her daughter Edwina an ancestor of Paul Atreides.
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