ally of Duke Leto Atreides It took place m 10175-10181, WAR OF ASSASSINS 502 and ended with the total defeat of House Ginaz, after the Ginaz Duke and several of his family were poisoned The Comno Emperor's wanness concerning Duke Leto Atreides and his house was a great aid to House Montani m this affair Shaddam IV's favor also helped House Harkonnen immeasurably in its feud with House Atreides, culminating in the famous massacre of the Atreides on Arrakis in 10191 In this war the Harkonnens used Dr Wellington Yueh, the family physician of House Atreides, as their piece of treachery, and Piter de Vnes as their Mental Assassin Ac cording to the Oral History and other sources, Dr Yueh cut off the power, thereby lowering the shield defenses of the Atreides palace The Atreides residence was then overran by Harkonnen mercenaries and Imperial Sar-daukar, although theft was considerable re sistance and many casualties, including Duke Leto, Yueh, de Vnes, the famous Atreides warrior Duncan Idaho, and the equally re nowned Liet-Kynes, the planetoiogist of Dune Ironically, the Atteides Mental-Assassin Thufir Hawat, went over to the Harkonnens after their victory But the Atreides concubine, Lady Jessica, and die heir, Paul Atreides, escaped the Barton's troops and became allied to the Fremen, changing the political history of Arrakis and the Tmpenum irrevocably The war of assassins between House Harkonnen and House Atreides was the largest one in recorded history and had the most sweeping political consequences After the revolt on Arrakis, the nature of Imperial rule was changed when Paul Muad'Dib became emperor His reign was followed by the Regency of Alia Atreides and men bj the rule of Emperor Leto, during which the Great Houses declined Although Aha em ployed numerous assassins, she did not de clare any wars of assassination, for obvious reasons During Emperor Leto & long rule of nearly four millennia wars of assassins were virtually proscribed, although technically the Great Convention remained in effect During those years, the profession of assassin fell into some disrepute, and those who took up the craft were largely second rate There were numerous assassination at tempts in this period, most of them directed at the Emperor Leto all of them frustrated Siona Atreides ultimate success in destroying Emperor Leto has been seen by some stu dents of political assassination as a victory for amateurs It is held by some authorities that the best assassins in the Impenum during the reign of Leto were the gholas of Duncan Idaho, sever al of whom made senous efforts to murder Leto Perhaps there is some validity in this view since the last Idaho ghola did successfully conspire with Siona to kill Leto Some interesting effects of wars of assas sins entered the folklore of the Impenum It was customary, for instance, to speak of someone who was notorious for his rational! ty as being "logical as an assassin " And the hour before dawn when human biocycles are customarily at a low ebb was often called the "hour of assassins" because of the tendency of professional assassins to use it for their attacks E C Further references ASSASSINS HANDBOOK Zhautn Kuuraveer Political Homicide in the Leto Imperiion (Grumman Tern) V Cohvcoh p The Text of the Great Convention after the Materials from Arrakw (Placentia Santa Fe) WATERTUBE.