Claim profile
1100–1199

The 12th century

Whose working lives fell in the 12th century. Books are measured from 1800 and readers from 2015, so for this period we can say who lived then, not who was talked about then.

Lived then

The most notable people whose working lives fell in the 12th century, ranked where Wikipedia coverage and readership agree.

CountryAll🇫🇷 France🇯🇵 Japan🇩🇪 Germany🇬🇧 United Kingdom🇳🇴 Norway🇮🇹 Italy🇪🇸 Spain🇸🇪 Sweden🇨🇳 China🇹🇷 Turkey
FieldAllHistorical FiguresWritersPoliticiansReligious FiguresAcademicsModelsActorsArtistsMusiciansDoctors
  1. 1Frederick I, Holy Roman EmperorFrederick I, Holy Roman Emperor1122–1190 · 🇫🇷 France · Politicians20 decades
  2. 2Beatrice I, Countess of BurgundyBeatrice I, Countess of Burgundy1143–1184 · 🇫🇷 France · Politicians0 decades
  3. 3AOAlice of France1150–1190 · 🇫🇷 France · Politicians6 decades
  4. 4Peter I of CourtenayPeter I of Courtenay1126–1183 · 🇫🇷 France · Politiciansnot measured—
  5. 5Philip of FrancePhilip of France1116–1131 · 🇫🇷 France · Politicians22 decades
  6. 6Sibylla of AnjouSibylla of Anjou1112–1165 · 🇫🇷 France · Politicians0 decades
  7. 7Margaret of BloisMargaret of Blois1164–1230 · 🇫🇷 France · Politicians0 decades
  8. 8Ermengarde of AnjouErmengarde of Anjou1068–1146 · 🇫🇷 France · Politicians0 decades
  9. 9Eleanor, Countess of VermandoisEleanor, Countess of Vermandois1152–1214 · 🇫🇷 France · Politicians0 decades
  10. 10Elisabeth, Countess of VermandoisElisabeth, Countess of Vermandois1143–1183 · 🇫🇷 France · Politicians0 decades
  11. 11William of ChamplitteWilliam of Champlitte1160–1209 · 🇫🇷 France · Politicians0 decades
  12. 12James of AvesnesJames of Avesnes1152–1191 · 🇫🇷 France · Politiciansnot measured—
  13. 13Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of LeicesterRobert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester1104–1168 · 🇫🇷 France · Politiciansnot measured—
  14. 14BDBertha, Duchess of Brittany1114–1156 · 🇫🇷 France · Politicians0 decades
  15. 15MIMatthieu I of Montmorency1100–1160 · 🇫🇷 France · Politicians0 decades
  16. 16Ralph I, Lord of CoucyRalph I, Lord of Coucy1134–1191 · 🇫🇷 France · Politicians0 decades
  17. 17William des BarresWilliam des Barres1160–1234 · 🇫🇷 France · Politicians0 decades
  18. 18MCMatilda, Countess of Rethel1091–1151 · 🇫🇷 France · Politiciansnot measured—
  19. 19AOAndré of Brienne1135–1189 · 🇫🇷 France · Politicians0 decades
  20. 20HOHawise of Brittany1102–1118 · 🇫🇷 France · Politicians0 decades

How this is measured

  • Placing people in time. Each person belongs to the century in which they were most active — around age 35, and never after their death.
  • Who ranks highest. Within a century, people are ranked where two independent signals agree: how many of the world’s Wikipedia language editions cover them, and how many people actually read about them. Article counts alone can be lifted by a person’s own circle; readers cannot.
  • Fame in print. The curves count how often a name appears in Google Books from 1800 to 2019, as a share of all the words printed each year, in the person’s own language wherever that corpus exists. Those decades are over, so each measurement is made once and kept.
  • What is left out. A lifetime is measured only from 1820, when there is enough print to judge; the five years after a death are skipped as obituaries; and a name shared with someone equally notable is credited to neither.