20 WEIRD Facts You Never Knew About Napoleon

Napoleon Bonaparte, despite popular myths, was of average height, had a highly speculated death, a bizarre post-mortem journey for his preserved organs, and a complex personal life with both romantic and ruthless aspects.

• Napoleon's perceived short stature was a result of British propaganda and measurement differences.

• His death involved conspiracy theories, and his preserved remains, including his penis, had bizarre post-mortem journeys.

• Napoleon was both a ruthless leader, responsible for massacres and reinstating slavery, and a romantic figure in his personal life.

Napoleon Bonaparte's life was filled with bizarre facts and contradictions, from the myth of his short stature—debunked by historical measurements—to the controversial removal and journey of his penis after death. He was a ruthless tyrant in his campaigns, as seen in the massacres in Jaffa and his actions regarding slavery in Haiti, yet he displayed deep romanticism towards his wife, Josephine. His eventual death in exile sparked conspiracy theories, while his public image was heavily manipulated by both British propaganda and American admiration.

Napoleon's Height Myth

• 00:00:23 The 'Napoleon complex' is named after the Emperor, who was popularly depicted as short, but this was largely British propaganda due to different measurement systems. Standing at 1.67 meters (just under 5'6"), Napoleon was of average height for a Frenchman in the early 1800s, though British newspapers intentionally portrayed him as diminutive to mock him.

His Death and Remains

• 00:01:21 Napoleon died on May 5, 1821, on St. Helena Island, with his heart and stomach preserved in silver vases. His boots sold for $128,000, and his physician, François-Carlo Anthomanchi, controversially removed his penis, which embarked on a bizarre journey through various owners, eventually being owned by an American urologist's daughter, and reportedly measured an inch and a half by a 2014 British report. His death also sparked conspiracy theories due to traces of arsenic found in his hair during a 20th-century exhumation, suggesting possible poisoning or exposure to toxic wallpaper chemicals.

Controversial Actions

• 00:03:55 Napoleon reversed France's abolition of slavery and sent troops to crush the rebellion in Haiti, leading to immense death tolls and alleged atrocities like gassing enslaved people with sulfur from volcanoes. Another dark point was the massacre at Jaffa in 1799, where he ordered the execution of 2,500 to 3,000 Ottoman soldiers who had surrendered on the promise of spared lives, a decision historians struggle to defend. British reports also claimed he ordered plague victims poisoned with opium during his retreat from Cairo, though this remains debated and could be attributed to British propaganda.

Public Image and Personal Life

• 00:07:34 After his defeat at Waterloo, Napoleon escaped exile from Elba and was welcomed back as a hero in France due to his Napoleonic Code and military victories, though conscription and taxes were unpopular. His public image was heavily shaped by propaganda, with the British portraying him as a demonic 'boogeyman' to frighten children, while in places like New Orleans, he was a cult hero. Personally, Napoleon was deeply romantic with Josephine, writing passionate letters and even a novel reflecting his fears of her infidelity, despite his own numerous rumored affairs.