Misreported historical facts are all too common, and many commonly accepted historical “facts” are anything but factual. Take the conventional wisdom that Napoleon was short. In reality, the man after whom the Napoleon complex is named was average or even a bit taller than average. Or take the conventional wisdom about medieval witch hunts. In reality, the Middle Ages had no such thing – witch hunts belong to a different era. Below are twenty four things about those and other misreported historical facts.
24. Misreported Fact: Napoleon’s Height
For many, one of the first things that come to mind when thinking about Napoleon Bonaparte is that he was short. Early in his career, even his own men referred to him as Le Petit Caporal – the Little Corporal. In his lifetime, and for centuries afterwards, L’Empereur was cruelly mocked – especially by his British foes – for being a ridiculously small, little man. Nowadays, the term “Napoleon complex” is commonly used in reference to short people who are pushy and overly aggressive to overcompensate for their lack of height. In reality, though, the notion that Napoleon was short is a myth – propaganda spread about by his enemies, based on misreported or misunderstood measurements.
French sources gave Napoleon’s height as around 5 feet 2 inches. However, that was measured in French feet. French measurements were not the same as the imperial or US customary units used in Britain and America. A British or American inch is 2.54 centimeters, but a French inch is 2.71 centimeters. In imperial units, L’Empereur stood about 5’6” or 5’7” – in the ballpark of 1.68 or 1.7 meters. That might be short by twenty first century standards, but the average height of French men at the time was in the ballpark of 1.58 to 1.68 meters. So Napoleon was average or even a bit taller than average. As to his nickname, the Little Corporal, it was not about his stature. It was a term of endearment and affection bestowed upon him by his admiring soldiers.
