Was Napoleon Really Short?
Who is Napoleon? Was he really short? Why do we think he was? In this episode we discuss a little bit about Napoleon and why the myth that he was short is so widespread.
Transcript
Tzeela: Hi I'm Tzeela and I'm 17
Rina: Hi I'm Rina and I'm 15
Dalia: Hey, I'm Dalia and I'm 11
All: And this is Things You Thought You Knew About History!
Tzeela: Where we tell you the real story behind historical misconceptions.
Dalia: I'm thinking of a Napoleon!
Rina: Wait, who's Napoleon?
Tzeela: Napoleon was a French emperor
Dalia: He became a general in the French Republican Army at the age of 24 and won a series of victories in northern Italy
Rina: He was considered a conquering hero in France so when politicians in France staged a coup in 1799, they made Napoleon the First Consul. This new government appeared to be a republic but was really just controlled by Napoleon
Dalia: In 1802 Napoleon was voted Consul For Life and then in 1804 he was elected emperor. As leader, Napoleon established a legal system called the Napoleonic code and reshaped military organization and training
Tzeela: He fought many wars to conquer new land for France until his defeat and exile
Dalia: In France Napoleon was well admired and respected
Rina: Oh I think I’ve heard of him and he was short right?
Dalia: Actually Napoleon wasn’t short
Rina: He wasn’t?
Tzeela: Nope, he was actually average height
Rina: But I heard he was 5 ft. 2 in. and that’s pretty short
Tzeela: Well, we know from Louis Constant Wairy, Napoleon’s personal attendant, General Gaspard Gourgaud, and one of Napoleon’s doctors, Jean-Nicolas Corvisart-Desmarets, that Napoleon was around 5 feet 2 inches.
Rina: But the inch used in France at that time was 2.7 centimeters, as opposed to the 2.54-centimeter imperial inch, which is used today. So by today’s measurements, he would probably be around 5’6’’ or 1.69 meters, which wasn’t considered short at the time at all!
Dalia: Yes, but the confusing thing is that in Napoleon's autopsy by French doctor François Carlo Antommarchi it also says he was five foot two. This autopsy is signed by many English doctors making some people wonder if the measurements are in the imperial inch which was used in Britain.
Tzeela: But overall when combined with other sources it still seems Napoleon was probably around 5’6’’
Rina: So why do so many people think he is short? The misconception was popular during his lifetime and it still is now.
Tzeela: It could be in part because of his nickname. He was affectionately called Le Petit Caporal, meaning The Little Corporal, by his soldiers but this name didn’t refer to his height.
Dalia: It’s also likely that he was in fact shorter than his guards. The Imperial Guards had height requirements and were taller than the average Frenchmen.
Rina: And then there’s James Gillray
Dalia: Who?
Rina: James Gillray was a famous English cartoonist. He made popular graphic satires and caricatures including many of Napoleon Bonaparte.
Tzeela: James Gillray first satirized Napoleon in 1800 in a piece titled “Buonaparte leaving Egypt''. Napoleon led a military operation in Egypt in 1799 and escaped from a battle. His escape was considered a betrayal by some. Gillray depicts French soldiers who don’t yet know about the escape hurrying toward Napoleon who looks smug and deceitful. Can
Dalia: He continued making mocking depictions of Napoleon for the next few years but he doesn’t show him as short yet
Rina: In 1803, Napoleon gathered 100,000 troops in Boulogne, a city on the north coast of France facing Britain. In response to this threat, Gillray invented ‘Little Boney.’ He portrayed Napoleon as very short in clothes too big for him to show him as childish, spoiled, and arrogant. Little Boney tries to make up for his lack in height by being overly aggressive and ambitious.
Tzeela: In reality, Gillray never saw Napoleon, but he portrayed him as short over and over again until it became iconic
Rina: Towards the end of his life Napoleon said that Gillray, “did more than all the armies of Europe to bring me down.”
Dalia: This was really interesting and all but I was talking about the Napoleon dessert. Do we have any?
Rina: No. And now for some Trivia. Let's see how well you know Napoleon Bonaparte!
Tzeela: Here’s how it works, we’ll ask a question and count down from ten to give you a chance to think of the answer. You can pause if you need more time.
Dalia: When was Napoleon born?
10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1
August 15, 1769
Rina: Who was Napoleon's first wife?
10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1
Josephine
Dalia: Who was Napoleon's second wife?
10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1
Archduchess Marie Louise of Austria.
Tzeela: When was Napoleon exiled the first time?
10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1
April 11, 1814
Dalia: When was he exiled the second time?
10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1
February 26, 1815
Rina: What relative of Napoleon ruled France?
10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1
Napoleon’s nephew Napoleon III or Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte
Dalia: Thanks for listening!! We hope you enjoyed!
BYE!