How tall was Napoleon, really?

Answer

That was average for a Frenchman of his era. The 'short' image came partly from unit confusion and British cartoons.

Context

Napoleon Bonaparte is often described as tiny, but evidence suggests he was about average for his time. Interpretations of his death records put his height between roughly 5 ft 2 in and 5 ft 7 in, and the spread is mostly explained by units. The French inch of the period was about 2.71 cm, compared with the modern 2.54 cm, so a measurement in French units that reads 5 ft 2 in is closer to 5 ft 6 or 5 ft 7 in in modern units, or about 1.68 to 1.70 m.

Most French men of the period were between 5 ft 2 in and 5 ft 6 in, so he was average or slightly taller. Other factors made him look small: his elite Imperial Guard were selected for height, and the nickname 'le petit caporal' was a term of affection among his soldiers, not a comment on his size.

The British caricaturists James Gillray and Isaac Cruikshank drew 'Little Boney' as a tiny, furious figure from about 1803, and this image spread widely in English-speaking countries. The later term 'Napoleon complex' for a supposedly short man's aggression derives from the stereotype rather than from evidence about him. The exact height is uncertain because the sources are few and measurements were taken after death.