Why is Napoleon Buonaparte depicted as short?

Question

My friend gave me a quote: "...he grew to just under 1.7 m as an adult, around average height for a Frenchman at the time."

So if he was of average height, why is he always depicted as short in the media?

Answer 1

He was about equal and a leader should be taller than average. How can you take the lead if you are so small a man. Just like Washington was 6' 3", I would be more likely to respect him than Napoleon.

Answer 2

he was actually slightly taller than the average Frenchman in his time.

The reasons he is depicted as short are:

-his height was stated in French imperial units; i.e. 1 French inch was more than 1 British inch

-his portraits always showed him surrounded by taller bodyguards

-the British and his enemies wanted to portray him as short - propaganda

Answer 3

By todays standards Napoleon was no giant but during the early 19th century he was slightly taller than the average Frenchman.

The rumors that he was short come from three things:

1. The British viciously attacked him politically with caricature depicting him as a very small tyrant.

2. Napoleon was almost always surrounded by soldiers in his Imperial Guard Grenadiers which had a height requirement of 6 feet.

3. During the Italian Campaign some of his soldiers called him la petite corporal, which is an affectionate term given to him because of how he treated his soldiers.

Answer 4

Napoleon's height was determined post mortem. He died in St Helena, which was under British rule. Why on earth would British personnel have used French measurements to determine his height? And what propagandist advantage was there to be gained vis a vis a dead man?

You want sensation?  Check out out the height of Hollywood stars over the decades. It didn't matter to them any more than it mattered to  Napoleon. They were damned good at their jobs, and so was Napoleon.

Answer 5

because he wasnt very tall

Answer 6

Because his wife was taller than he was.

Answer 7

People thought he was a n00b so they pwned him with insults.

Answer 8

maybe because of his attitude

Answer 9

I think your friend got the number wrong.  Its more like 5 foot 1.   Check a history book.

Answer 10

this explains it pretty well, i thought =)

http://ask.yahoo.com/20030724.html

Answer 11

because we wish to demean his abilities, so we make him short. he is about as tall as Tom Cruise