Yes, but no.
Napoleon is believed by many to have been a shorty. Perhaps so by today’s standards, but he was above average height for the period in which he lived.
During the Napoleonic wars, the British Tory press depicted Napoleon as shorter than average. This perception took hold and persists to this day. Napoleon complex is a supposed inferiority complex where short people compensate for lack of height with over-aggressive behavior. The clichéd image of Napoleon in popular culture is of a comically short petty tyrant.
The misunderstanding over Napoleon’s height arose over the differences between the English and French systems of measurement. The French Revolutionary government established the first legal basis for the metric system in 1795. Implementation was poorly managed and the system was widely unpopular.
By imperial decree, in 1812, Napoleon instituted a revised system. Under it, the pied (foot) was 1/3 metre, with 12 pouce (inches) in each pied.
While the French system of metre, pied and pounce were similar in concept to the English Imperial yard, foot and inch, the French units were actually 9.3% larger.
Under the 1812 French units, if Napoleon was about 5 pied (feet), 2 pouce (inches) in height, he would be just under 5 feet, 8 inches by the English system. The average height of European men at the time was about 5 feet, 3 inches.
Perception misconception.
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I am descended from a generation of 6-footers. None of my brothers would match either my father or their uncles in height. My paternal Grandfather was born at the beginning of the
Irish Potato famine 1845-1852. Looking at houses or cottages from that time, they were low roofed with short doors and small windows. Ireland was under English Rule at the time and there was a tax on the size and quantity of windows. Doors may have been the same. When you opened a door from the street you immediately stepped down into the parlour. I also noticed how small the beds were, maybe the people were shorter… or they just slept closer for heat.
I wrote one such cottage from Northern Ireland called
Pogue’s Entry, it is a good example of what I mean.
My parents were both short as are all or my siblings. Four of my siblings are 5’2″ to 5’5″. One is about 5’8″, but even he is seven inches shorter than my 6’3″. It’d make one wonder where they found me — except for the similarity of features, including the green eyes that five of us inherited from our dad.
While that is an interesting piece of information about Napolean, I must say that the complex is often funny when perceived by tall people. I am tall compared to most Indians and I have had some hilarious encounters, particularly with bosses much shorter than I, and small minds in big jobs of similar height. I knew on particularly vain man who had a special platform built in his room and he would sit and get up to greet tall visitors, who were made to sit at the lower level thus forced to look up at him during discussions.
I’ve run into some like that, too. Makes me wonder what those people might have been like in a larger body.
Hi Mike .. I liked the historical aspects of the measurements .. had often wondered – but had not heard this story before .. interesting. Now your family – amazing that you’re so tall and the rest of the family are smaller .. but you have green eyes from your Dad. Height changes doesn’t it .. my father was the tallest, yet his elder brother had one very tall son, while my brothers are at the 6 foot or over level … the girls are all relatively small … and at school I was middle height – 5′ 4″ .. but now (some!) years later I’m small. The kids that are around today are enormous -some of them!! As Grannymar says – small doorways and ceilings … while the Victorians raised their ceilings – the house I used to live in had 12′ ceilings and the doors were wide and tall too … societal changes ..
Cheers Hilary
Yeah, some of the youngsters of today are big. Some even make me feel short. Unfortunately, there are a lot of others who are not necessarily tall that make me feel thin — and I’m not.
Hi Mike – largeness too … and it’s costing loads … everyone (well almost!) weighs too much – but there are a great number of people weighing in at way too much … I see it at the Nursing Home sometimes .. and when we’re in the hospital … my understanding is Las Vegas is the worst?!
Cheers .. Hilary
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