Rabadash
| Rabadash | |
|---|---|
| Narnia character | |
| Race | Human |
| Nation | Calormen |
| Gender | Male |
| Title | Prince (later Tisroc) |
| Birthplace | Calormen |
| Major character in | |
Prince Rabadash is a human character and the main antagonist in C. S. Lewis's fantasy novel The Horse and His Boy. Rabadash is the heir to the throne of Calormen, being the eldest son of the Tisroc. In The Horse and His Boy, he attempts to conquer Archenland, the neighbouring country of Narnia, but is thwarted by King Edmund and Queen Lucy of Narnia, with help from a boy named Shasta. His name seems to be derived from Rab adaşı, Turkish for the somewhat blasphemous title, "namesake of the Lord" or "namesake of God".
Rabadash goes to war because he is unsuccessful in courting Queen Susan of Narnia. We learn from the books that he and his retinue visited Susan at Cair Paravel, where he impressed the Queen. On Susan's return visit to Tashbaan, the capital of Calormen, accompanied by her brother King Edmund, she learns that Rabadash is a proud and cruel man, and fears (correctly) that he intends to take her by force if necessary. Susan, Edmund and their followers escape from Tashbaan. Rabadash, spoiled, angry, and with an injured masculine pride to nurse, seeks permission from his father to lead a small force of cavalry to Narnia, to abduct Susan when she returns to Cair Paravel. This is to be preceded by surprising and capturing Anvard, the capital of Archenland, which, if successful, will also give Calormen a forward base from which to later invade Narnia. The Tisroc does not publicly support Rabadash's move, reasoning that it would be diplomatically inconvenient to be seen to order an unprovoked attack on a neighbouring country, particularly a country patronized by a being as powerful as Aslan. He also sees that Rabadash's hot-headedness and ambition are dangerous to himself. The Tisroc would rather see Rabadash expend his energies and ambitions, and even be killed abroad than stay at home and plot to seize the throne from him before his time, as has happened to previous Tisrocs.
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