Notes on Frank Herbert's Dune

Russell Bateman
2004
last update:


By chronology of action

The books tell the tale of an extended human line running over tens of thousands of years. Dates are expressed relative to the creation of the Spacing Guild. In bold, the books written by Herbert before his death in 1986. Brian Herbert (1947-) and Kevin Anderson (1962-) created all the additional novels using notes left by Frank.


  1. The Butlerian Jihad (2002)
  2. The Machine Crusade (2003)
  3. The Battle of Corrin (2004)
  4. Sisterhood of Dune (2012)
  5. Mentats of Dune (2014)
  6. Navigators of Dune (2016)
  7. House Atreides (1999)
  8. House Harkonnen (2000)
  9. House Corrino (2001)
  10. Princess of Dune (2023)
  11. The Duke of Caladan (2020)
  12. The Lady of Caladan (2021)
  13. The Heir of Caladan (2022)
  14. Dune (1965)
  15. Paul of Dune (2008)
  16. Dune Messiah (1969)
  17. The Winds of Dune (2009)
  18. Children of Dune (1976)
  19. God Emperor of Dune (1981)
  20. Heretics of Dune (1984)
  21. Chapterhouse: Dune (1985)
  22. Hunters of Dune (2007)
  23. Sandworms of Dune (2007) 

-14,255  Humanity demonstrates first atomic bomb

-10,000  Murder of Serena Butler's baby and the Butlerian Jihad

      0  (Establishment of CHOAM and the Spacing Guild)

         Etiology of the Bene Gesserit
         Etiology of the Mentats
         Etiology of the Guild Navigators

         History of (modern) House Atriedes
         History of (modern) House Harkonnen
         History of (modern) House Corrino


         Recent history of planet Caladan (House Atreides)



+10,200  Paul Muad'dib deposes Shadam IV

         The Jihad

         Concerning Jessica
         Leto II and Ghanima born; Alia's regence
         Leto II ascends to throne
         Leto II's plan to preserve humanity (the Scattering)

         Rakis hoard, publication of the Dune Encyclopedia
         Spice production relocated after Arakis' (Dune's) destruction

         Duncan (ghola) revealed as the real kwisatz haderach


By date of publication

Beginning in 1999, Brian Herbert, Frank's son, aided by Kevin J. Anderson, create sixteen additional works using Frank's notes.

  1. Dune (1965)
  2. Dune Messiah (1969)
  3. Children of Dune (1976)
  4. God Emperor of Dune (1981)
  5. Heretics of Dune (1984)
  6. Chapterhouse: Dune (1985)
  7. House Atreides (1999)
  8. House Harkonnen (2000)
  9. House Corrino (2001)
  10. The Butlerian Jihad (2002)
  11. The Machine Crusade (2003)
  12. The Battle of Corrin (2004)
  13. Hunters of Dune (2006)
  14. Sandworms of Dune (2007)
  15. Paul of Dune (2008)
  16. The Winds of Dune (2009)
  17. Sisterhood of Dune (2011)
  18. Mentats of Dune (2014)
  19. Navigators of Dune (2016)
  20. The Duke of Caladan (2020)
  21. The Lady of Caladan (2021)
  22. The Heir of Caladan (2022)
  23. Princess of Dune (2023)

A Chronology of Some Important Events in Human History

Ripped off decades ago from somewhere—with not a few enhancements.

BEFORE (SPACING) GUILD
19000-16500 Early civilizations on Terra.
circa 17400 Birth of Atreus (the Black), father of Agamemnon and Menelaus, the Atreides referred to by the poet, Homer, and the founders of the patronymic in the Terrean province of Greece. These latter successfully lead a small interprovencial war in an effort to regain Menelaus’ wife, Helen.
16500 Aleksandr creates FIRST EMPIRE.
16400-16000 ROMAN EMPIRE arises and conquers the known world, except for China, which resists until 14400.
15800 Imperial Seat moved to Byzantium in retreat before provincial rebellions and minor jihads.
14700-14608 THE GREAT STRUGGLE: The Century Without an Emperor.
14608 Discoveries in America allow Madrid to attain the status of the Imperial Seat.
14512 BATTLE OF ENGLICHANNEL. Seat of Empire moved from Madrid to London.
14500-14200 THE GOLDEN AGE OF INVENTION: Development of radio, television, atomics, rocketry, genetics, and the computer.
14255 First atomics demonstrated in an intraprovincial war. Seat of Empire moved to Washington.
14100-13600 THE LITTLE DIASPORA: The solar system is colonized, and the population of Terra is eventually outnumbered by 20 to 1.
13402 Ceres gains the Imperial Seat after a planetoid strikes Terra.
13402-13399 THE RESCUE OF THE TREASURES from Terra.
13360 Terra re-seeded and set aside (by Imperial edict) as a natural park.
13004 SUSPENSOR-NULLIFICATION EFFECT discovered.
12200 THE EMPIRE OF TEN WORLDS. Communications becoming strained.
11200 THE EMPIRE OF A THOUSAND WORLDS (an empire in name only, because Imperial power was so diffuse as to be nonexistent).
11105 AGE OF PRETENDERS begins when Ceres is destroyed by rebellion, and the Imperial Seat ceases to exist as a single entity.
11100-7562 THE AGE OF TEN THOUSAND EMPERORS (sometimes called “The Great Dark Ages”).
7593 I. V. Holtzman born on Liesco II.
7565 Holtzman disabled and cyborged.
7562 Holtzman reveals the “wave-effect” nature of the suspensor-nullification device.
7556 Holtzman severely damaged and thrown into a cometary orbit. Communications with him are lost.
7562-5022 THE WARS OF REUNIFICATION, consequent on the immediate communication made possible by Holtzman Effect.
5022 THE EMPIRE OF TEN THOUSAND WORLDS united under Ladislaus the Great.
5022-3678 THE FIRST GOLDEN AGE.
3832 Holtzman reappears at Liesco, and presents the theory for construction of the DEFENSIVE SHIELD.
3678 THE SILICON PLAGUE: the “Death of the Machines.”
3678-2000 THE LITTLE DARK AGES, ending with the development of plague-resistant conductors.
2000-1800 THE RETURN OF COMPUTERS (sometimes called “The Second Reunification”).
1970 Holtzman reappears, and presents his UNIFIED THEORY.
1800-400 THE SECOND GOLDEN AGE. Circa 700 the first anti-thinking machine (AI) pogroms occur.
711-200 Tensions increase between programmites and humanity-firsters, tensions which Jehanne Butler was to exploit.
   
Events covered in Dune: Butlerian Jihad, Dune: The Machine Crusade and Dune: Battle of Corrin, by Brian Herbert
200-108 THE BUTLERIAN JIHAD. In 108, Holtzman returns and is destroyed by forces of the Jihad.
ca. 100 Ixians, refugees from the Jihad, led by Aurelius Venport, discover TUPILE, the Sanctuary Planet(s).
88 THE BATTLE OF CORRIN.
86 FOUNDATION OF HOUSE ATREIDES when Demetrios Atreides is made Baron Tantalos in reward for aiding the Corrinos.
84 First MELANGE-guided journey through hyperspace, by Norma Cenva.
12 B.G. - 70 A.G. The Reign of SAUDIR I, “The Great.”
10 Corpus Luminis Praenuntiantis (the future Spacing Guild) begins negotiations with the Empire.
10-5 THE GREAT FINANCIAL SYNOD, on Aerarium IV, creates CHOAM.
0 THE LION THRONE, THE SPACING GUILD, and CHOAM (as an arm of the Landsraad) combine to establish the form of human society for the next ten thousand years.
AFTER GUILD
123-184 Reign of NEGARA II.
207 Thomas Atreides helps restore Elrood II, and is made Duke of Jaddua.
337 THE GREAT CONVENTION is ratified.
385-388 THE LISHASH REBELLION, the last significant armed resistance to the Empire.
388 Saudir III designates SALUSA SECUNDUS as PRISON PLANET.
390 Wallach I begins use of Salusa Secundus as a training ground for the SARDAUKAR.
1234 THE ORDER OF MENTATS is founded by Gilbertus Albans, originally on the planet Septimus, and moved to Tleilax a decade later.
1487 The Corrinos shift the Imperial Seat to Kaitain.
2800 Elrood V gives Poritrin, third planet of Epsilon Alangue, to House Maros. Siridar Charles Baron Mikarrol, planetary governor of Terra, sends two million ZENSUNNI to Poritrin, beginning the Zensunni Migration.
4492 Poritrin is given to House Alexin, and the Sardaukar are sent to remove the Zensunni, sending five million to BELA TEGEUSE and five million to Salusa Secundus.
5122 First FACE DANCERS appear as entertainers at the Court of Corrin XIV.
5295 Ezhar VII releases the Zensunni on Salusa Secundus, sending them to ISHIA, second planet of Beta Tygri.
6049 Zensunni on Bela Tegeuse are transported again, with the majority send to Harmonthep, and the remainder to ROSSAK, the fifth planet of Alces Minor.
ca. 6600 A Sayyadina on Rossak discovers a plant whose ingestion unlocks the “voices within.”
ca. 6800 Harmonthep, a satellite of Delta Pavonis, is destroyed by unknown causes.
7193 Zensunni on Rossak buy passage to ARRAKIS from the Spacing Guild. By this time, all Zensunni from both Ishia and Rossak have reached Arrakis.
8711 The Atreides family is awarded the Siridar-Dukedom of CALADAN.
9751 ELACCA drug in relatively common use.
9846 Invention of HUNTER-SEEKER.
ca. 10000 Invention of the DISTRANS on Ix.
10092 Semuta extraction process discovered.
   
Events covered in Dune: House Atreides, by Brian Herbert
10140 LETO ATREIDES (Duke Leto I) born.
   
Events covered in Dune: House Harkonnen, by Brian Herbert
10154 LADY JESSICA born.
10155-10165 GURNEY HALLECK is a Harkonnen slave on Giedi Prime.
10158 DUNCAN IDAHO (the human) born.
   
Events covered in Dune: House Corrino, by Brian Herbert
10175 PAUL ATREIDES born.
10179 First successful implant of the distrans in a human.
Events covered in Dune, by Frank Herbert
10190-10191 House Atreides moves to ARRAKIS.
10191 The Sardaukar attack on Arrakis kills Duke Leto; Paul and Jessica go into the desert with the Fremen. ALIA ATREIDES born.
10193 Paul regains control of Arrakis and its spice monopoly.
10196 SHADDAM IV abdicates; Paul, the Kwisatz Haderach, becomes Emperor.
THE UNIVERSE OF THE KWISATZ HADERACH
Events covered in Paul of Dune, by Brian Herbert
10196-10208 PAUL’S JIHAD.
10200 FARAD’N (KENOLA) born to Wensicia and Count Dalak Kenola.
10204 Count Dalak dies suspiciously in ’thopter accident; Farad’n’s last name is changed to Corrino.
10208 GHOLA HAYT (Duncan-10208) is created and presented to Paul.
Events covered in Dune Messiah, by Frank Herbert
10209 LETO II and GHANIMA born. CHANI dies. Paul goes into the desert, and Alia becomes regent.
10210 Alia dissolves the FEDAYKIN, Paul’s Death-Commandos.
Events covered in Children of Dune, by Frank Herbert
10218 Duncan-10208 delivers Lady Jessica to House Corrino.
10219 Leto II ascends to the throne.
10246 HARQ AL-HARBA born.
   
Events covered in God-Emperor of Dune, by Frank Herbert
10271 REVOLT OF THE FREMEN crushed, and its leader, Duncan-10235, is put to death.
10941 Duncan-10895 reveals the ritual of SIAYNOQ.
11745 THE ORDER OF MENTATS is suppressed by Leto II.
12335 The execution of THE NINE HISTORIANS.
12725 The Festival City of ONN is built according to the design of Duncan-12720.
13724 The death of LETO II.
14702 THE CROMPTON RUINS discovered.
   
Events covered in Heretics of Dune and Chapterhouse Dune, by Frank Herbert
15525 The finding of THE RAKIS HOARD.
15540 The publication of THE DUNE ENCYCLOPEDIA. Compiled by W. D. I. and W. E. M.
   
Events covered in Sandworms of Dune, by Brian Herbert
? Duncan revealed as the master KWISATZ HADERACH.