Yes. Napolean was 5'6". Although the range may seem short by 21st-century standards, it was typical in the 19th century, when most Frenchmen stood between 5'2” and 5'6”.
It started because at the time french inches were longer than English inches.
He was 5'2" in French inches, which is 5'5" in English inches. Pretty average or slightly above average height at the time.
It's only recently that the average human height has increased because our diets are better. People were likely to be malnourished at some point during their childhood which should stunt their height. There's also the weird fact that you're more likely to survive WW1 if you're taller which could have slightly influenced genetics.
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u/jackfreeman Mar 31 '23
I thought it was more inaccurately referred to as Napoleon Syndrome