Pope Alexander VI

About Pope Alexander VI

Pope Alexander VI, born Rodrigo Borgia in 1431, was a pivotal and controversial religious figure who reigned as the head of the Catholic Church from 1492 until his death in 1503. As the fourth Renaissance Pope, his historical importance stems significantly from his role during the early Age of Exploration and his deep entanglement in European political power struggles, which ultimately led to his ranking at #376 in MIT's Historical Popularity Index. His pontificate is perhaps most remembered for his nepotism and the scandals associated with the Borgia family, which fundamentally shaped the dynamics of the Church in the era leading up to the Reformation.

Despite his high historical placement, Pope Alexander VI currently experiences a notable online overattention, with an Attention Gap metric of +2x relative to his historical rank. His 925K annualized Wikipedia views in 2025 suggest a stronger modern interest than the data predicts for a figure of his specific historical weight. For comparison, Brigham Young, a religious figure ranked much lower at #947 importance, commands 2.7M views, demonstrating a significant divergence in modern digital focus within the same occupational category. However, this digital interest may be slowing, as his 2025 Momentum shows a slight -7% dip between the first and third quarters, even as his year-over-year growth remains strong at +71.5%.