Angel I had evolved into a constitutional oligarchy that was governed by the Parliament, an elected matriarchy consisting of six Mistresses and an overall leader, called the Elected One. Society was established around the idea that males were second-class citizens. Women were the hunters and the soldiers. In 2364, the Elected One was Beata. Angel I made use of the death penalty to punish criminals, and it was carried out with a device described to be "swift and painless".