Anne Boleyn

About Anne Boleyn

Anne Boleyn, ranked #306 in historical importance by MIT's Pantheon project, was the second wife of King Henry VIII and a pivotal figure in the English Reformation. Her execution in 1536, necessitated by her failure to produce a male heir, triggered Henry’s break with the Catholic Church and the establishment of the Church of England. As a companion during this tumultuous period, her influence far outstripped her brief lifespan of 1501–1536, cementing her place as a key historical figure.

Despite this high historical ranking, Anne Boleyn commands a significant, though relatively narrow, segment of modern internet attention, garnering 3.0 million annualized Wikipedia views in 2025. This level of interest places her in an 'overattention' category, indexed at +7x her relative historical importance. For contrast, modern celebrity Arnold Schwarzenegger ranks much lower at #618 in historical importance but achieves more than double her views at 6.3 million, highlighting a disconnect where contemporary figures attract greater search traffic than many truly foundational historical personalities.

Interestingly, her 2025 momentum shows a quarterly decline of -33% from Q1 to Q3, suggesting that while overall attention remains high year-over-year (+8.8%), the intensity of recent engagement has waned from its early-year peak.