Debunked Myths

The legend of the small, insecure conqueror is so potent that it birthed the 'Napoleon complex.' For two centuries, he has been the punchline of short jokes, immortalized in political cartoons as a tiny tyrant throwing tantrums. This image of diminutive rage has shaped his legacy far more than his legal reforms or military genius, reducing a world-shaping figure to a symbol of overcompensation.

The truth is a tale of measurement and manipulation. Napoleon's autopsy recorded his height as 5 feet 2 inches, but these were *French pouces*, which were longer than English inches. Converted, he stood at about 5 feet 6 inches—perfectly average for an 18th-century Frenchman. His British adversaries, engaged in a protracted war, seized on this confusion. The brilliant caricaturist James Gillray depicted him as a comically tiny, petulant child, and this propaganda spread like wildfire. The image was strategic: it diminished his accomplishments and made his vast ambitions seem like the ridiculous posturing of a small man.

The myth was further cemented by his nickname, 'le Petit Caporal' (The Little Corporal), which was a term of endearment reflecting his camaraderie with soldiers, not his stature. Additionally, he was often surrounded by the towering soldiers of his Imperial Guard, making him appear shorter by comparison. The persistence of this falsehood demonstrates the enduring power of visual propaganda and our love for a simple, psychological explanation for complex historical events. It shows that in the battle for historical memory, a clever cartoon can sometimes outweigh a thousand facts.