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. 1Chrétien de TroyesChrétien de Troyes1135–1181 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers21 decades
  2. 2Marie de FranceMarie de France1101–1300 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers22 decades
  3. 3William IX, Duke of AquitaineWilliam IX, Duke of Aquitaine1071–1126 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers4 decades
  4. 4SugerSuger1080–1151 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers22 decades
  5. 5Bertran de BornBertran de Born1140–1215 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers8 decades
  6. 6MarcabruMarcabru1110–1150 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers6 decades
  7. 7Arnaut DanielArnaut Daniel1150–1210 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers7 decades
  8. 8Gregory VIIIGregory VIII1100–1137 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers22 decades
  9. 9CDConon de Béthune1150–1219 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers0 decades
  10. 10Azalaïs de PorcairaguesAzalaïs de Porcairagues1102–1102 · 🇫🇷 France · Writersnot measured—
  11. 11Guiraut de BornelhGuiraut de Bornelh1138–1215 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers0 decades
  12. 12Rabbeinu TamRabbeinu Tam1100–1171 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers21 decades
  13. 13Robert of TorigniRobert of Torigni1100–1186 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers3 decades
  14. 14Folquet de MarseilleFolquet de Marseille1155–1231 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers0 decades
  15. 15Isaac the BlindIsaac the Blind1160–1235 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers20 decades
  16. 16BSBernard Silvestris1085–1160 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers0 decades
  17. 17RRigorddied 1209 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers12 decades
  18. 18OOOdo of Deuil1110–1162 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers0 decades
  19. 19RDRaymond de Sauvetât1099–1152 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers1 decades
  20. 20GIGuigo II1114–1193 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers0 decades
  21. 21Aimery of LimogesAimery of Limoges1101–1196 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers0 decades
  22. 22CercamonCercamon1150–1200 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers0 decades
  23. 23RORalph of Caen1080–1120 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers0 decades
  24. 24JKJoseph Kimhi1105–1170 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers21 decades
  25. 25Henry of MarcyHenry of Marcy1136–1188 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers0 decades
  26. 26Hugh PrimasHugh Primas1095–1160 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers0 decades
  27. 27ABAbraham ben Isaac of Narbonne1110–1158 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers0 decades
  28. 28GAGuillaume Adam1101–1341 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers9 decades
  29. 29BlacatzBlacatz1160–1235 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers0 decades
  30. 30HOHugh of Flavigny1065–1114 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers0 decades
  31. 31ZHZerachiah haLevi of Girona1130–1186 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers22 decades
  32. 32OOOdo of Cambrai1100–1113 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers0 decades
  33. 33AOAdam of Perseigne1145–1221 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers0 decades
  34. 34AOAlberic of Ostia1080–1148 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers0 decades
  35. 35GDGautier d'Arras1135–1189 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers0 decades
  36. 36GDGilles de Corbeil1140–1224 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers0 decades
  37. 37Eberhard of BéthuneEberhard of Béthune1150–1212 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers0 decades
  38. 38Pierre de BarPierre de Bar1101–1253 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers19 decades
  39. 39Guiraudo lo RosGuiraudo lo Rosborn 1100 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers0 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.