Charlemagne

About Charlemagne

Charlemagne, whose name means Charles the Great, was a towering political figure of the early Middle Ages, reigning as King of the Franks and later as the first Holy Roman Emperor starting in 800 AD. His reign unified much of Western and Central Europe for the first time since the fall of the Western Roman Empire, laying foundational structures for what would become France and Germany. MIT’s Pantheon project justly ranks him as the #113 most historically important figure for establishing the Carolingian Empire and fostering the Carolingian Renaissance, a period of intellectual and cultural revival.

Despite this profound historical weight, Charlemagne's modern internet attention appears relatively light. He garners 2.4 million annualized Wikipedia views in 2025, placing him in a clear category of underattention. To put this in stark contrast, modern political figures like Joe Biden (#329 importance) command 11.0M views, and even the far less historically consequential Saddam Hussein (#336 importance) receives 4.3M views, meaning Charlemagne is viewed less than twice as often despite being ranked over 200 places higher in historical influence.

While his absolute view count suggests a gap, his 2025 Momentum data shows a minor decline, with interest dropping by 19% between Q1 and Q3, suggesting that while still relevant, his relevance is not currently surging.