Freelance
Traveller
Teresa Bridgeete d'Entrecastaux
Born -2220, reigned -2162 to -2151, died -2151
Born on Prometheus to working class parents, Teresa won a scholarship to the prestigious Geelong Grammar school on Terra, and from there entered the newly formed Rule of Man Naval Academy in -2202.
As a naval officer of considerable ability and personal charisma, Teresa worked closely with loyal Vilani forces to subdue the last pockets of resistance to the Rule of Man. She earned the respect and admiration of the Vilani, despite her dislike of their social system and its restrictive nature.
As military governor of the Expanses Province (later known as the Old Expanses) from -2175 to -2164, Teresa introduced substantial reforms aimed at loosening the caste structure among the Vilani under her rule. Backed by powerful elements within the Council of Noble Officers (mainly native Terrans), she pledged to make these reforms empire-wide when she ascended the throne in -2162.
Her reform efforts were tempered by calls for caution amongst more conservative elements (both Solomani and Vilani) as well as the massive inertia of Vilani society. Lasting change, while significant, proved to be less signifcant than she had initially hoped, particularly in the coreward provinces of the Rule of Man where Vilani customs and culture held sway. Nonetheless, the reform process that Teresa started would continue to some extent throughout the later history of the Rule of Man.
Teresa died unexpectedly in -2151 when her flagship suffered a catastrophic jump failure enroute from Dingir to Hub/Ershur. No trace of the ROMS Pericles was ever found, giving plenty of fuel for conspiracy theorists over the next few centuries.