Augustine of Canterbury was a 6th-century Benedictine monk and missionary who served as the first Archbishop of Canterbury. Originally a prior in Rome, he was selected by Pope Gregory I in 595 to lead the Gregorian mission to Britain. His primary objective was to convert the Anglo-Saxon inhabitants, specifically King Æthelberht of Kent, to Christianity. Following his successful arrival and the subsequent conversion of the king, Augustine established a foundation for the church in England, laying the groundwork for the ecclesiastical structure of the region.