# How Tall was Napoleon? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 4, 2025, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-was-napoleon/1012540 "2025-01-04T00:31:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2025, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-was-napoleon/1012540/1 "2025-01-04T00:31:15Z")
Okay, he was cartooned by the British as being very short, and his nickname was “the Little Corporal” . So, for a century or more it was assumed he was fairly short. But recently I have seen many debunking articles that say he was actually a little taller than average- say 5’6"- when average was iirc 5’5 or 4. [Napoleon \> Did You Know?](https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/napoleon/facts-and-figures/did-you-know.html#:~:text=Napoleon%20was%20often%20described%20as,169%20centimetres%20%E2%80%93%20an%20average%20height). The new info was based upon his autopsy, which measured him at 5’2"- okay back then not _that_ short, like two inches shorter than average. But they have said they measured him in old Royal French feet and inches, not Imperial British. But why would they do so? His autopsy was done by four British doctors and one Corsican. None were french- why would they use a rather obsolete french measurement? ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2025, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-was-napoleon/1012540/2 "2025-01-04T00:34:20Z")
IIRC Napoleon was the boogeyman of that era. They wanted to slander him any way they could. His height was one way they they did that. Never mind the truth of it. Slander was the point. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2025, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-was-napoleon/1012540/3 "2025-01-04T00:43:32Z")
I can see that, and certainly, even if he was 5’2" he wasnt exceptionally short in those days (the French army required a man to be at least 4’11"). But generally a cartoon is based on something- then blown out of proportion. Then there was his nickname that his own men gave him. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2025, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-was-napoleon/1012540/4 "2025-01-04T02:10:42Z")
Another reason for the rumors could be that he was often depicted in painting with his imperial guard, who were chosen for their physique and so were far taller than typical men of the time (and wore bearskin hats to accentuate their height) ---
**Author:** ![Heracles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heracles/32/487_2.png) [@Heracles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heracles)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2025, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-was-napoleon/1012540/5 "2025-01-04T02:31:41Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > But they have said they measured him in old Royal French feet and inches, not Imperial British. > > But why would they do so? His autopsy was done by four British doctors and one Corsican. None were french- why would they use a rather obsolete french measurement? Per [Wikipedia](https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pied_(unit%C3%A9)#Le_pied_entre_1668_et_1799), the French _pied_ (foot) was equivalent to 324.8 mm in 1799, when it was abolished and replaced by the _mètre_. Napoléon himself reintroduced a slightly different _pied_ for commerce, at 333.3 mm, in 1812. In 1840, Louis-Philippe eliminated the _pied_ and made the _mètre_ mandatory again. The English foot was, apparently, already around 304.8 mm in that period. So, yeah, there can be some uncertainty on the type of foot used in the 1821 autopsy of a Corsican-born former French emperor, by one Corsican and four English doctors. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2025, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-was-napoleon/1012540/6 "2025-01-04T02:42:10Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > IIRC Napoleon was the boogeyman of that era. They wanted to slander him any way they could. His height was one way they they did that. Never mind the truth of it. Slander was the point. Sort of like Hitler’s testicular status. ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2025, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-was-napoleon/1012540/7 "2025-01-04T08:24:05Z")
I also wonder about it this way: Someone who is not “short” but fairly average could have height insecurities and be comparatively short/not tall in certain contexts. For example, a 5’9-5’10 man now would be fairly average. He would be short for a CEO/President/military leader (maybe?)/athlete in most sports any level past JV/little league. A lot of men think they have to be “at least 6 feet” (if not taller) to compete in dating/the workplace/etc. Some guys use lifts, even heightening surgery. So I think a 5’5 guy in the age of 5’5 men might still be insecure he’s not “tall” and he might be diminutive for a leadership position. ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2025, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-was-napoleon/1012540/8 "2025-01-04T13:07:37Z")
> [@Heracles](#): > > Per [Wikipedia](https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pied_(unit%C3%A9)#Le_pied_entre_1668_et_1799), the French _pied_ (foot) was equivalent to 324.8 mm in 1799, when it was abolished and replaced by the _mètre_. > Napoléon himself reintroduced a slightly different _pied_ for commerce, at 333.3 mm, in 1812. > In 1840, Louis-Philippe eliminated the _pied_ and made the _mètre_ mandatory again. > The English foot was, apparently, already around 304.8 mm in that period. “333.3 mm”? Napoleon had big feet then? So… big hands too? ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2025, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-was-napoleon/1012540/9 "2025-01-04T14:33:36Z")
> [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](#): > > He would be short for a CEO/President/military leader (maybe?)/athlete in most sports any level past JV/little league. Also the people who started and spread this rumor were not poor peasants and factory workers who were raised in the edge of malnutrition. They were the political and military elites who would actually encounter the emperor of France on a regular basis (or would hang out and gossip over a glass of wine with people who did). So their average height was likely close to the modern average, as they had good diets, so them he would be short. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2025, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-was-napoleon/1012540/10 "2025-01-04T14:38:32Z")
Info from Wikipedia on heights of Europeans in the 18th century: > [@](#): > > **18th century** > > In the first half of the eighteenth century, the average height of an English male was 165 cm (5 ft 5 in), and the average height of an Irish male was 168 cm (5 ft 6 in), according to a study by economist [John Komlos](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Komlos) and Francesco Cinnirella. The estimated mean height of English, German, and Scottish soldiers was 163 cm (5 ft 4 in) − 165 cm (5 ft 5 in) for the period as a whole, while that of Irish was 167 cm (5 ft 6 in). The average height of male slaves and convicts in North America was 171 cm (5 ft 7 in).[[66]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_height#cite_note-66) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2025, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-was-napoleon/1012540/11 "2025-01-04T15:56:25Z")
> [@md-2000](#): > > Napoleon had big feet then? So… big hands too? Are you really asking about [Napoleon’s penis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon%27s_penis)? (Link goes to Wikipedia article.) ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2025, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-was-napoleon/1012540/12 "2025-01-04T16:07:22Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > But they have said they measured him in old Royal French feet and inches, not Imperial British. > > But why would they do so? His autopsy was done by four British doctors and one Corsican. None were french- why would they use a rather obsolete french measurement? The story I have read is that they used the records from when he first joined the army, when the Royal French foot was still the official unit.