Jerome VI

Jerome VI, born Adrian de Wett, was Archbishop of the Church of the Holy Light, reigning from 408 F.A. to 427 F.A according to the Aderician Calendar.

Born around ~370 F.A. as the son of a wealthy merchant in Gilneas City, Adrian de Wett forgoed a career as an entrepreneur in favor of one as a man of the Church. Official records place his ordination as a priest in 391 F.A. An exemplary theologian, de Wett's understanding of scripture and virtue was seen as being unparalleled at the time.

His skill as an orator and a preacher did not go unnoticed in Gilneas, and upon recommendation of several nobles he was appointed the royal chaplain by Aerin Greymane I in 395 F.A. He quickly rose through the ranks of the clergy, becoming a fast favorite of the queen and one of her most prominent counsellors. In 402 F.A, Adrian de Wett was appointed to the Diocese of Gilneas on the crown's recommendation, becoming Bishop of Gilneas.

In 408 F.A, the Church of the Holy Light elected Bishop Adrian de Wett to the archiepiscopal seat, largely due to the influence of Queen Aerin on the conclave. He would be one of the few Gilneans to achieve this position - a position typically held by men of Lordaeron alone. Taking the regnal name of Jerome VI, his rule of the Church was characterized by a marked increase in the clergy's temporal and political power, however often at the cost of the spiritual. It is for this reason that he is commonly condemned by the priesthood today.

Eager to avoid the mistakes of his distant predecessor, Landren I, Jerome VI saw the Church attain a status as a secular force to be reckoned with, far from the 'puppet clergy' of old. Upon donated land, he oversaw the construction of several fortresses and abbeys in Lordaeron, Alterac, Stromgarde and Gilneas. He created several military orders answerable foremost to the archiepiscopal throne, providing his successors with a reliable

It was often whispered that despite his knowledge of canon law, Jerome VI rarely practised what he preached. To a point this was true - he had one known bastard daughter, Matilda de Wett, who was wed to the second son of Queen Aerin, Teran Greymane, who would later rule as King Teran II of Gilneas.