Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte led the French Empire into many wars following the French Revolution and, as well as being regarded as one of the most brutal dictators and most-accomplished military leaders in history, he is remembered as having been extremely short.
Now, although it is true that Napoleon only stood at a mere 5ft 7ins tall, this was not an uncommon height for men in early-19th-Century Europe – and, in fact, it was above average for French nationals at the time (5ft 5ins).
Part of the confusion about his height may have arisen from the fact that in the early-1800s Napoleon was registered as being 5ft 2ins – but that was still using pre-French Revolution units, which differ from modern-day measurements.
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