Vanura Centrella

Vantura Centrella
Vantura Centrella
Character Profile
Born 2712[1]
Affiliation House Centrella
Title(s) Duchess of Canopus
Position Magestrix
Profession Noble
Parents Jehan Centrella (mother)[1]
Children Janina Centrella

Vanura Centrella was the Duchess of Canopus and the Magestrix of Canopus.

History[edit]

Vanura Centrella became Magestrix of the Magistracy of Canopus early, and at a difficult time. The Magistracy had become subject to predatory business practices at the hands of interests in the Inner Sphere while an unfair tax regime imposed by the Star League crippled businesses in the Magistracy and badly damaged the economy. Vanura's mother, Jehan, had to give up the responsibilities of being Magestrix[2] in early spring[3] 2738[3][2] to seek treatment for her alcoholism,[3] leaving Vanura to rule - on a temporary basis initially, and then permanently six months later.[2] Having been in the midst of giving birth to her daughter Janina[3] on the 16th of March[4] when Jehan abdicated power temporarily, Vanura was confirmed as Magestrix on the 1st of August 2738.[3]

Vanura had not been well-prepared to rule; in a time of enduring financial crisis for the Magistracy, the nation found itself with a ruler whose training in economics and finance was particularly lacking.[2] Although great efforts had been made to prepare Vanura for ruling one day, her own nature had worked against her; Vanura was introverted and reserved for a Canopian - and particularly for a member of the Centrella family - and soft-spoken. Her greatest weakness was an inability to make sound judgments about the character of others, leading her to appoint numerous advisors on the basis of ability or experience without consideration to their other characteristics - particularly trustworthiness, personal ambition or politics. Vanura also possessed a strong stubborn streak that was difficult to provoke but unshakable when woken, and that stubborn streak ruled her actions and decisions once it had been evoked.[3] Vanura acted on recommendations from her advisors, but her advisors were motivated by interests other than what was best for the realm; as a consequence, by the mid-2740s the Magistracy was in the grip of a full-blown recession.[2] Vanura's intentions had been sound, and the measures she had passed had been intended to improve the economy, but they had increased costs for the average citizen and really only succeeded at lining the pockets of her economic advisors.[3]

Canopian education institutions also suffered during Vanura's rule; Vanura prioritized funding for the arts in the belief that this would also support other areas of education, but only ten percent of the funds allocated actually reached those other programs, while the medical and biology programs that had always been a particular strength of the Magistracy showed increasing signs of underfunding. Compounding the educational problems was an ongoing brain-drain that saw the best and brightest people abandon the Magistracy for employment elsewhere.[2] The increase in funding to the arts had managed to allow the Canopian entertainment sector to expand in foreign markets and led to new, record levels of profits within the sector.[3]

Vanura's treatment of the Magistracy Armed Forces was equally misguiding. Responding to the suggestions of those at court rather than the advice of career military officers, Vanura engaged in a series of boondoggles and counterproductive measures such as mandatory rotations of military personnel through militia units and forced retirements that reduced the MAF to a neutered shell of what it had once been. The population of the Magistracy had skyrocketed during the Star League era, and by 2750 the Inner Sphere was in the midst of a technological renaissance while across the various nations military recruitment had increased sharply, yet the MAF had regressed to a level that predated that of the Reunification War-era MAF.[2] In comparison to the MAF that Vanura had inherited, the MAF of 2750 had more reserve and militia forces, which were generally ill-prepared, and the number of experienced soldiers in service had dropped by almost a third.[3]

Legacy[edit]

Although Vanura's reign was not a success story for the Magistracy, she did leave an enduring legacy as a conservationist; during her reign Vanura created more than five hundred wildlife preserves across the Magistracy and a similar number of national parks as she worked dedicatedly to preserve the Magistracy's natural wonders for future generations.[3]

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Era Report: 2750, pp. 87–88: "Vanura Centrella profile"
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Era report: 2750, p. 63: "Magistracy of Canopus"
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 Era Report: 2750, pp. 87–88: "Vanura Centrella Profile"
  4. Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 65: "Janina Centrella"

Bibliography[edit]