Willehad of Bremen was an 8th-century missionary and Catholic bishop who played a significant role in the evangelization of Frisia and Saxony. Born in the Kingdom of Northumbria, he likely studied in York and was a contemporary of Alcuin. After continuing the work of Boniface in Frisia, he was tasked by Charlemagne to preach to the Saxons. Following various periods of exile and missionary activity, he was consecrated as the Bishop of Bremen in 787, where he established his see and built a cathedral.