Was Napoleon actually short?
British propaganda turned an average man into a punchline for two centuries.
The answer
Napoleon Bonaparte was approximately 5 feet 7 inches (170 cm) tall - average or slightly above average for a Frenchman of his era. The myth of his shortness originated from a combination of British propaganda cartoons (James Gillray's caricatures were devastating), confusion between French and English measurement units (the French inch was longer), and his nickname 'le petit caporal,' which was a term of endearment, not a comment on his stature.
Source: Smithsonian Magazine
- France
- myths
- Napoleon
- propaganda
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