Harald Hardrada

About Harald Hardrada

Harald Hardrada, a Norwegian king who lived from 1015 to 1066, holds the #440 rank in historical importance according to MIT’s Pantheon project. His significance stems from his extensive political and military career, which included serving as a Varangian Guard in the Byzantine Empire before ultimately claiming the Norwegian throne. His reign concluded dramatically with his death at the Battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066, a pivotal event closely preceding the Norman Conquest of England, cementing his role in medieval European history.

In the modern digital landscape of 2025, Harald Hardrada receives 793K annualized Wikipedia pageviews, resulting in an "overattention" score of +2x relative to his historical rank. This suggests a disproportionately high level of contemporary interest compared to his actual global cultural impact. For comparison, William the Conqueror, another key figure in the events immediately following Hardrada’s death, ranks #934 in importance but garners 3.0M views, indicating a significant difference in digital attention between the two medieval contemporaries.

Interestingly, while his overall attention is high for his rank, his Year-over-Year change shows a marked decline of -40.2% in views. However, recent interest, measured by the 2025 Momentum (Q1 vs Q3), is up by +24%, suggesting recent events or content have spurred a slight, recent resurgence in curiosity.