Richard I of England

About Richard I of England

Richard I of England, often known as Richard the Lionheart, stands as a titan of the medieval era, securing the #299 spot in MIT's Historical Popularity Index. As a king who reigned from 1189 to 1199, his historical significance is overwhelmingly tied to his role as a crusader and a fearsome military leader, most notably during the Third Crusade, where he famously clashed with Saladin. His near-constant absence from England while campaigning abroad, and his subsequent captivity, cemented his legendary, yet complex, political legacy for centuries.

Despite this high historical ranking, Richard I's modern internet footprint is moderate. In 2025, his Wikipedia page accrued 1.3 million annualized views, placing him in a distinct category of historical overattention relative to his importance. His Attention Gap score is calculated at +3x, indicating that the attention he receives is three times what would be expected based on his global cultural impact score (#299 HPI). For context, he garnered significantly fewer views than modern figures like Bob Dylan (12.0M views) or even less historically important contemporary politicians in our dataset like Pol Pot (#710 importance, 2.3M views).

Interestingly, the momentum suggests a slight upward trend in contemporary interest, as his pageviews saw a +3.6% year-over-year increase and a +2% growth between Q1 and Q3 of 2025, suggesting that the Lionheart still commands a dedicated, and perhaps growing, share of the digital spotlight.