How Tall Is Napoleon Bonaparte

You might have already heard of the legend that the great Napoleon Bonaparte is short. But was he really as short as the legend implies? Well, the answer is actually no. In fact, his height is actually average at the time. How Tall Is Napoleon Bonaparte? In the French pre-metric system measures, he was reportedly 5’2″.

However, we need to take into consideration that the French inch back in the day was 2.7 cm. which is relatively long compared to the standard inch we use today which is 2.54 cm. With this on the equation, it’s safe to say that Napoleon’s height is roughly 1.69 meters or over 5’6″.

Early Life

Known by his nickname Le Corse or Le Petit Caporal (The Little Corporal), Napoleon Bonaparte was with no doubt born to make history. This fearless man was born on August 15, 1769, on the island of Corsica. He was the second out of eight surviving siblings. His father was a lawyer named Carlo Buonaparte and his mother was Letizia Romalino Buonaparte. Napoleon was born in the era when Corsica had become a French colony. Because of this, Napoleon opted for the French spelling of his surname.

From the age of nine, Napoleon underwent French education on the mainland. He attended three schools which are Autun, Military College of Brienne, and Academy of Paris. He graduated at rank 42nd out of 58 students. At the age of 16 in 1785, Napoleon became a second lieutenant of an artillery regiment of the French Army.

Career

Bonaparte formally started his military career in April 1791. The first lieutenant rank of the 4th regiment of artillery at Valence was designated to him. Five months after, he went back to Corsica for three months. He failed to return to France so he was considered a deserter the following year.

In April 1792, the war between France and Austria took place. Therefore, Napoleon’s offense was forgiven and the French army sought his return as a captain of his regiment. However, Bonaparte didn’t rejoin his regiment and by choice, in October 1792, he returned to Corsica.

Corsica was under the dictatorial powers of Paoli at his return. Napoleon joined the Corsican Jacobins who fought against Paoli’s rules. The clash between the two groups resulted in a civil war in 1793. Paoli condemned the entire Buonaparte clan making them run off to France.

In June 1793, Bonaparte rejoined his regiment at Nice. Three months later, Bonaparte was promoted to major. Just a month after his promotion, he was appointed as the assistant general.

At age 24, he acquired the position of brigadier general because of his outstanding military decisions. Following this recognition, he was chosen as a commandant of the French army artillery. This news reached Nice and Bonaparte was deemed as a protege of Robespierre. He was charged with conspiracy and treason and was arrested. He was set free in September.

In 1796, Bonaparte headed the command to defeat the bigger armies of Austria. Succeeding that year, France and Austria came down to an agreement and both signed the Treaty of Campo Formio. In 1798, Bonaparte’s troops won over Egypt’s military rules, the Battle of Pyramids, and the Mamluks.

Bonaparte had to flee from Egypt to France in 1799 when his troops failed their siege in Acre. Bonaparte later became the first consul, which made him a leading political figure in France. In the 1800s, Bonaparte’s military tactics continue to defeat France’s enemies.

Bonaparte’s influence helped to reestablish France. He made the government centralized and initiated reforms in various areas such as education and science.

In 1802, Bonaparte cemented his position as the first consul for life. Two years later, he proclaimed himself the emperor of France.

With all these achievements remarkable contributions to military history, does it really matter if Bonaparte is short or not?

https://www.britannica.com/story/was-napoleon-short

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Napoleon-I

https://www.history.com/topics/france/napoleon

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