William III of England

About William III of England

William III of England, a pivotal figure in European history, is ranked #210 by MIT’s Pantheon project for his profound influence. As Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic and later King of England, Scotland, and Ireland alongside his wife Mary II, his reign fundamentally shifted the balance of power. His most significant contribution was securing the English Protestant succession through the Glorious Revolution of 1688 and subsequently fighting Louis XIV of France in the Nine Years' War, which heavily influenced the subsequent British global posture and the structure of constitutional monarchy.

Despite this high historical importance, William III’s online footprint in 2025 is modest, registering 1.3 million Wikipedia views. This level of attention results in an overattention score of +3x relative to his HPI rank, suggesting that relative to his historical standing, the modern internet pays more attention than expected. For contrast, the much lower-ranked politician Dwight D. Eisenhower received 3.5M views in 2025, while the far more influential Louis XIV (#42 HPI) garnered only 213K views, highlighting a peculiar skew in modern historical consumption.

His downward trend in online visibility is notable, with views declining by 14.4% year-over-year, and his Q1 to Q3 momentum showing a further 21% drop. This suggests that even the current level of attention is waning, making him an interesting case study of a high-impact figure whose relevance fades in the digital age.