Ilban Richese
Count of House Richese
Count Ilban Richese was the head of House Richese, husband of Edwina Corrino, father of Helena Richese, and grandfather of Duke Leto Atreides. His neglect of the family business hastened the decline of a once great industrial House.
Count Ilban Richese was the head of House Richese, the father of Helena Richese, and the grandfather of Duke Leto Atreides. Through his marriage into the Imperial line and the children it produced, he became an ancestor of the Atreides Dukes who would later rule on Caladan and Arrakis. (Dune: House Atreides)
Marriage and family#
Ilban married Edwina Corrino, a daughter of the Imperial House. The union linked House Richese to the throne and produced a large family. Besides their daughter Helena, the couple had four other daughters and six sons, eleven children in all. Ilban took far more interest in his offspring than in the affairs of his House, spending his time among his children rather than tending the family business. (Dune: House Atreides)
Decline of House Richese#
Under Ilban's inattentive rule, the fortunes of House Richese diminished. His children were raised pampered, and the House came to be only a shadow of its former strength. The chief cause of its ruin was House Vernius of Ix, which trounced House Richese in all-out economic warfare and outpaced it in industry. In response, Ilban spoke against House Vernius in an appeal to the Landsraad, raising objections critical to the secrecy under which the Ixians conducted their research and manufacturing. (Dune: House Atreides)
Injury and artificial eyes#
Ilban's eyes were burned out during a Sardaukar attack on one of the Richesian moons. In their place he was fitted with artificial Tleilaxu eyes, which gave him a gray-eyed appearance. Through his daughter Helena, who married into House Atreides, Ilban became the grandfather of Duke Leto Atreides and an ancestor of the line that would later contend for control of Arrakis. (Dune: House Atreides)
Frequently asked questions
- Who was Ilban Richese?
- Count Ilban Richese was the head of House Richese, a once powerful industrial House that declined under his rule. He was the father of Helena Richese and the grandfather of Duke Leto Atreides.
- Who did Ilban Richese marry?
- Ilban married Edwina Corrino, a daughter of Emperor Elrood IX and a member of the Imperial House. The union linked House Richese to the throne and produced eleven children, five daughters and six sons.
- Why did House Richese decline under Ilban Richese?
- Ilban took far more interest in his children than in the affairs of his House, raising them pampered while the family fortune dwindled. The chief cause of the ruin was House Vernius of Ix, which defeated House Richese in all-out economic warfare and outpaced it in industry.
- What happened to Ilban Richese's eyes?
- Ilban's eyes were burned out during a Sardaukar attack on one of the Richesian moons. He was fitted with artificial Tleilaxu eyes in their place, which gave him a gray-eyed appearance.
- How is Ilban Richese related to the Atreides line?
- Through his daughter Helena, who married into House Atreides, Ilban became the grandfather of Duke Leto Atreides. He was also the great-grandfather of Paul Atreides.
Gallery
Images via Dune Wiki
Sources
- BookDune: House Atreides, Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, 1999 (expanded books)
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