Napoleon Bonaparte changed the map of Europe forever. Most people know him as a short, angry emperor who lost at Waterloo. However, his life was far more complex than the history books suggest. He was a romantic writer, a science lover, and a military genius. Consequently, his legacy still influences laws and culture today. Let’s explore the man behind the famous hat.
Napoleon Bonaparte
Everyone thinks Napoleon Bonaparte was short, but this is a historical misunderstanding. In reality, he stood about 5 feet 6 inches (1.68 meters) tall. This was actually average height for a Frenchman during his time.
During his campaign in Egypt, his soldiers discovered the famous Rosetta Stone. However, a popular myth claims his troops shot the nose off the Sphinx. Historians confirm the nose was gone long before he arrived.
Before he conquered Europe, he tried to conquer the literary world. Surprisingly, he wrote a romance novella titled Clisson et Eugénie. It was a brief story about a soldier’s doomed love affair.
Ludwig van Beethoven originally dedicated his Third Symphony to Napoleon Bonaparte. However, the composer angrily scratched out the dedication when the leader declared himself Emperor. He felt the general had become a tyrant.
He often dressed in simple clothes to walk among his subjects. He wanted to hear what the common people really thought of him. Consequently, he roamed the streets of Paris incognito at night.
His military campaigns directly led to the invention of canned food. He offered a massive cash prize to anyone who could preserve food for his army. A French confectioner won the prize 15 years later.
Some historians suggest the great general suffered from Ailurophobia. This means he had a terrifying fear of cats. However, other scholars argue this is just a rumor started by his enemies.
His wife Josephine owned a pug named Fortune. On their wedding night, the dog bit Napoleon Bonaparte on the leg. The pug refused to leave the bed, causing quite a scene.
After his first exile to Elba, he didn’t stay quiet for long. He escaped the island with 1,000 men and returned to France. Amazingly, the army sent to arrest him joined him instead.
Scientists have debated the cause of his death for decades. Samples of his hair showed high levels of arsenic. This led many to believe someone slowly poisoned him on St. Helena.
He sold a massive amount of land to the United States in 1803. The Louisiana Purchase covered 828,000 square miles (2.14 million square kilometers). He needed the money for his upcoming war with Britain.
He was a terrible driver when it came to horse-drawn carriages. Once, he lost control and almost killed himself and his wife. After that incident, he let his professional coachmen drive.
The Emperor was famous for his ability to nap anywhere. He could sleep on his horse during active battles. Reportedly, he only needed four hours of sleep a night.
His famous pose with one hand in his vest wasn’t about stomach pain. It was actually a standard posture for gentlemen in portraits at that time. Painters used it to make subjects look dignified.
In a bizarre twist, a horde of rabbits once attacked Napoleon Bonaparte. His chief of staff organized a rabbit hunt, but the animals swarmed the Emperor. He had to flee to his carriage to escape.
