Napoleon was unusually short
Napoleon Bonaparte was not unusually short for his era. His recorded height at autopsy was approximately 5 feet 6 or 7 inches in modern measurement, which was average or above average for a 19th-century Frenchman. The myth was largely created and spread by British caricaturists during the Napoleonic Wars.
What we know
Napoleon's death certificate recorded his height as 5 pieds 2 pouces, using the old French measuring system. When converted to modern English inches, the French pouce (1.066 English inches) gives a height of roughly 5 feet 6 or 7 inches (168 to 170 cm). This was approximately average or slightly above average for Frenchmen of his time, who typically stood between 5 feet 2 and 5 feet 6 inches.
The myth of Napoleon's short stature was largely propagated by British political caricatures, particularly those by James Gillray, who depicted Napoleon as a tiny, petulant figure. Britain and France were at war for much of Napoleon's career, and British propaganda had clear motivation to mock and belittle the French emperor. These exaggerated images lodged in public memory and were repeatedly reproduced.
National Geographic and Encyclopedia Britannica both note that the confusion also stems from a unit translation error. When Napoleon's height was recorded in French measurements and later read or reported using English measurements without conversion, it appeared to be 5 feet 2 inches, which is genuinely short by any era's standards.
Napoleon was often seen in the company of his Imperial Guard, whose minimum height requirement was above average for the time. In this context, Napoleon appeared short relative to the unusually tall men around him, reinforcing the visual impression of smallness that cartoonists exploited.
Common claims
- Napoleon was around 5 feet 2 inches tallMeasurement conversion error - was actually about 5'7"
- Napoleon had a complex about his heightLikely myth - no contemporary evidence supports this
- British propaganda exaggerated Napoleon's smallnessWell-documented historical fact