Louis XII of France

About Louis XII of France

Louis XII of France (1462–1515) ascended to the throne at the close of the 15th century, inheriting the French claim to the Kingdom of Naples and initiating the series of Italian Wars that would define his reign. As a key figure in early modern European politics, his historical importance is significant enough to place him at HPI Rank #959. His reign was characterized by significant military campaigns into Italy, including the conquest of Milan, and notable domestic reforms such as curbing feudal abuses and establishing local judicial bodies, earning him the title 'Father of the People.'

Despite this historical weight, Louis XII faces a considerable internet attention gap. His relatively high historical importance is starkly contrasted by his modern digital visibility, recording only 97K annualized Wikipedia views in 2025. This places him in a significant underattention bracket, lagging approximately 3x behind what his historical ranking suggests. For context, figures like David Ben-Gurion (#986 HPI) draw nearly ten times his traffic at 965K views, and even António de Oliveira Salazar (#981 HPI) sees five times the traffic.

The decline in contemporary interest is also evident: his viewership dropped by a substantial 40.0% year-over-year in 2025, and momentum between Q1 and Q3 fell by 31%, suggesting a continued erosion of his digital footprint relative to his established place in the historical record.