Empress Matilda

About Empress Matilda

Empress Matilda (1102–1167) was a highly significant figure in Anglo-Norman history, ranking #808 globally in historical importance according to the Pantheon project. As the daughter of King Henry I of England, her primary contribution was her claim to the English throne following her father's death, which directly sparked The Anarchy—a devastating civil war against her cousin, Stephen of Blois. Though she never formally ruled, her protracted struggle cemented her role as a crucial figure in the succession crisis that shaped the future of the English monarchy.

Despite this substantial historical weight, Matilda receives relatively modest modern attention, drawing approximately 697K annualized Wikipedia views in 2025. This places her in an 'overattention' bracket, showing a +2x gap where her current internet visibility exceeds what her historical importance might suggest. Interestingly, this modest attention still vastly outpaces much more historically influential figures, such as Solon (#294 importance) or Pope Clement I (#330 importance), who garner fewer than 250K combined views.

Encouragingly for Matilda's legacy, the data shows robust current interest, with a strong +24% momentum shift between Q1 and Q3 of 2025, complemented by a significant year-over-year viewing increase of +26.5%.