Few historical figures are as widely imitated (and ridiculed) in movies and commercials as Napoleon Bonaparte. He is usually portrayed as a short, fiery, selfish, little man who constantly walked around with his hand stuck inside his shirt. Comedians make him look like a buffoon, a fool. In actuality, Napoleon was of average height for his time period (five foot six inches by British standards). Yes, he had a temper, but he was also known to be very calm and easygoing much of the time. His care and friendliness with his troops earned him their almost fanatical loyalty, and it was said that he was very approachable. Was he selfish? Probably, but no more so than most other world leaders of the era. And as for the hand in his shirt, it was merely a popular painting pose of the time. As for him being a fool, nothing could be further from the truth. Rather, he was considered by many of his contemporaries to be a genius. Yet there is a fine line between genius and madness, and that he stepped over that line into megalomania appears obvious in studying his later years.
Read more about the real Napoleon by following these links:
www.napoleon-series.org/research/napoleon/c_description.html
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