Richard III of England

About Richard III of England

Richard III of England (1452–1485) was the final monarch of the House of York, reigning briefly but pivotally during the Wars of the Roses. As a politician and king, his historical importance stems largely from his controversial end at the Battle of Bosworth Field, which definitively concluded the Plantagenet dynasty and ushered in the Tudor era. MIT’s Pantheon project recognizes this significance by ranking him at #194 in overall historical influence.

In the modern digital age, Richard III garners 1.4 million annualized Wikipedia views in 2025. Relative to his high historical rank of #194, this level of attention suggests an overattention, quantified by a +3x Attention Gap. This indicates that the internet's focus on the late-medieval English monarch is disproportionately high compared to his objective global cultural impact score. For contrast, his attention exceeds that of William the Conqueror (#934 importance) who is also a key figure in early English history, though William still receives more traffic.

Despite the overall overattention, the recent data indicates a cooling interest: his 2025 Momentum shows a significant drop of -23% between Q1 and Q3, suggesting the peak interest following recent historical rediscoveries or media coverage may be waning.