Haakon VII of Norway

About Haakon VII of Norway

Haakon VII served as the King of Norway from 1905 until his death in 1957, establishing the modern Norwegian monarchy after the nation dissolved its union with Sweden. His historical importance stems significantly from his principled leadership during World War II, where he famously refused to endorse the Nazi puppet government, choosing instead to encourage Norwegian resistance and lead the government-in-exile from London. This crucial stance solidified his status as a symbol of national sovereignty, securing his #724 ranking in MIT's Historical Popularity Index.

Despite his foundational role in 20th-century Norwegian history, Haakon VII currently experiences a significant attention gap online. In 2025, his Wikipedia page garnered an annualized 136K views, resulting in an "underattention" score of -2x when benchmarked against his historical importance. For context, this is dramatically overshadowed by figures like Richard Nixon, a fellow politician ranked similarly at #748, who commands 4.2 million views. This disparity suggests a notable disconnect between Haakon VII's critical wartime leadership and contemporary internet engagement.

While overall interest is waning, as indicated by the -18.1% year-over-year change in views, there is a slight positive trend in immediate interest, with a +9% momentum observed between Q1 and Q3 of 2025.