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This article or section refers to elements from The Dune Encyclopedia |
Emperor Corrin IV[1] was Emperor of the Known Universe (r. 1701–1735 AG), the first to rule since the death of Henoor III in 1604, nearly a century prior.[1]
Background[]
Prior to his accession, Corrin IV was known as Prince Corrin bin Alman bin Henoor;[2] he was thus the son of an Alman and the grandson of an Henoor. Corrin's family were distant heirs of House Corrino,[2] descending from Emperor Corrin II (who ruled more than a millennium earlier, in 477–482).[1]
After the death of the previous Corrino emperor, Henoor III, without immediate heirs in 1604, the government of the Imperium was placed under a Landsraad-led Regency to sort out various claims to the imperial throne. The Regency collapsed in 1680, when regents Maria I Mustami and (two weeks later) Damiano Fulgencio resigned due to large amounts of unrest in the Imperium. This unrest was artificially stimulated through weapon sales by Iraklii Harkonnen. After 1680, the only Imperium-wide government was a loosely organized committee of different Houses Major. Iraklii eventually rooted out Prince Corrin and promoted his accession to the throne as a solution to the Imperium's ills. The Houses Major saw this hope in the midst of the chaos as an almost divine solution and thus elected the prince as Corrin IV in 1701.[2]
Reign[]
Corrin IV established a new ruling branch of House Corrino upon his accession, the First House of Corrin Corrino.[1] One of Corrin's first acts as emperor was to reward Iraklii Harkonnen. The emperor introduced House Harkonnen as a House Major and named Iraklii as Baron Saugus, in the Colton Sector. Corrin pressed the Landsraad to confirm his actions. The Landsraad confirmed the promotions of House Harkonnen in 1717.[2]
The chaos of 1680–1701 had forced many Houses Minor and several Houses Major into sharp economic decline. During this time, Count Achilleus Atreides sold his family estates on Chalcedony to invest in CHOAM shares of undeveloped worlds, developed their raw resources, and sold the processed goods back to the Houses at a huge profit. By 1701, Achilleus was the richest man in the entire Imperium. Achilleus used his economic ascendancy to reduce the power of the emperor, inaugurating the so-called "Era of the Princes", when House Atreides economically dominated the Imperial House.[3]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 The Dune Encyclopedia, "EMPERORS OF THE KNOWN UNIVERSE"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 The Dune Encyclopedia, "HARKONNEN, HOUSE OF"
- ↑ The Dune Encyclopedia, "ATREIDES, HOUSE, Prominent members"
| Preceded by Interregnum, previously Damiano Fulgencio (regent) |
Emperor of the Known Universe 1701–1735 AG |
Succeeded by Irulon I |