Why Did Paul Marry Princess Irulan? | Dune Lore

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"Why would Paul marry someone he didn't love for political reason?" checks all of history for the answer

I always thought the marriage was so he could solidify his place on the throne more than anything else.

He still needs a legitimate claim to the throne. He can only get that through Irulan, even in Villeneuve's version.

Irulan remind me a lot of Anna Komnene, the byzantine princess. Both firstborn daughter of the powerfull ruler of a great empire in decline, both brilliant and well educated women, both historian. The historical parallel is interesting.

Recall that, by the end of Dune, Paul had seen countless possible futures, and one can reasonably surmise that the futures with the least destruction probably involved him “marrying” Irulan, in part to quell at least some of the objections to his assuming the Lion throne by obeying the “forms”. Also, Irulan plays a key role in “Messiah” and especially in “Children of Dune”, a good deal of both Paul has probably seen, or at least the broad outlines.

In other words, he still had to marry royalty to make his position valid. Like Henry the 7th, marrying his opponents daughter, to bring both houses together. You can really feel the 'War of the Roses', in Frank Herbert's books.

Frank Herbert really knew how to sell the concept of the side chick back then

He married Irulan to legitimize his claim on the imperial throne. The great houses didn't all immediately reject his claim in the book. As the new emperor he also took command of the Imperial Sardaukar and with the Fremen and the Sardaukar combined he extinguished any resistance to his rule. Paul's main goal in the first book and to an extent in subsequent books was to minimize the destruction of the Jihad his existence has set in motion and he could not stop. In later books that changed into finding a path for the survival of humanity. Remember too that the reason Jessica was a concubine and not Leto's wife was to leave open the prospect for a political marriage for Leto. Paul fulfilled that ambition, but his real motive was to make the transition of power as legitimate and easy as possible.

The main reason that Paul marries Princess Irulan, that people may not have seen coming. In the Book, the Bene Gesserit were never secret about wanting a sample of Paul's genetic material in order to perfect their Kwisatz Haderach for future generations. Paul specifically stated to the Fremen that the Bene Gesserit wanted some part of himas a way of controlling the outcome for the future of humanity. However, Paul firmly stated that he would refuse to grant any genetic material or to serve the Bene Gesserit's future plans. In later books, we see that what the Bene Gesserit was afraid of was the Honored Matres gaining control of the Spice; believing that the Spice would give the Honored Matres supreme power of the Imperium. But, what ends up transpiring? The Kwisatz Haderach became something that not even the Honored Matres could have expected. If fact, the Kwisatz Haderach of Duncan Idaho; the loyal Stuart of the Atreides, learned to use the Honored Matres' own powers against them. The reason behind the marriage of Princess Irulan and Paul was that the Bene Gesserit was desperate for any advantage in keeping control of the Kwisatz Haderach, but even Paul stated near the end of the book that he would refuse to serve the Bene Gesserit for future generations. It was because of what the Bene Gesserit had allowed to happen to Lady Jessica; a woman of careful breeding, became something that couldn't be controlled in their genetic manipulation of countless generations. Lady Jessica and by extension Paul, became variables that resisted any attempt at being manipulated in the future of humanity.

If I remember reading is that Paul not only married Irulan just to position himself for the thrown but, through his prescient abilities see conspiracies and plots against him through her.

My view of Paul’s marriage to Irulan was to inherit shadams Choom shares. With no other legal heir upon his death they would likely go Irulan and Paul

This is one of the things that upset me most about the Villeneuve movie. Chani understood the need for Paul to marry Irulan. Irulan in an interesting and rather tragic character.

Paul marry Princess Irulan to let the Atreides take the throne but all love still belong for Chani

Chani & Paul showed almost zero emotion, attraction, and love in DUNE2 2. Chani spent more time doubting Paul than loving him.

Paul having a child with the brillian Irulan would have been the correct move as she knows politics and is very smart and attractive.

...So, am I the only one that found Irulan more charming and likeable than Chani in the film??

Princess Irulan always gets the most attractive actresses.

Paul can see the future and he saw that Chani would die giving birth to Leto and Ghanima. Therefore he allows Irulan to extend Chani's life by a couple of years by making her consume contraceptives. I feel so bad for Irulan, even though she was aiding in conspiracy against Paul.

Such a good video. Have just recently finished God Emperor of Dune and it's interesting to see where it all ends up, especially things that were set up early on. Ultimately, I feel very sorry for the Atreides as a whole and the choices nor just Paul had to male but also Leto, who was such a tragic character all things taken into account.