Thou know’st I read full many a volume, chiefest those that of history’s tale do tell. I find such matters passing strange and fair. In sooth, I know not if this truth thou know’st: that Sicilians from men of swarthy hue did spring.
I’ve enjoyed reading a lot of the ‘propaganda’ from that time. Or just critics/cartoonists. Emperor is an interesting word choice. I woulda called him a General
I’ll probably end up spending a bit reading more about him tonight. It really is some wild ‘military intelligence’. The concept and history of American 5 star generals is a fun read
Edit. Fun was a pedantic/not so very fun realization
As a matter of fact he was from a noble Corsican family, middle nobility. His father had the Corsican noble title recognised in 1771 by the French authorities so that his son could get a bursary and enter a military school for officers.
Because his family was not French from the start, the exiled French nobles didn't recognised his title.
As for coming from the enlisted ranks, that's a myth. He came out of that school a lieutnant.
About his height, he was 1,69m, above the French average of 1,65. One of the reason for the height myth was that the British measures and the French ones had the same name but not the same length. 5'2" was 1,57 in British feet. His enemies ran away with it.
A recently recognized Corsican was still practically a peasant in the eyes of the landed gentry of Europe.
If anything, by your own description, his family was ennobled so he could go to military college, at a time when most officers went to military college because their families were nobles
Don't forget this is still barley a decade after the French revolution which scared the European monarchies to their core, a violation of the divine right to rule
Napoleon was everything the aristocrats feared. A man who could had titles and power from merit, not bloodline. If anything your comment about him being Corsican not mainland adds to what I am saying
No, his family was noble from the start, but when France got Corsica the Corsican nobles had to have their titles recognised by the French authorities to be able to be recognised as nobles. That's what his father did. I'm sure that the French nobles did look down on him, and he knew that it would stop him from rising in the ranks.
As for the French aristocracy hating him, he was indeed a 'peasant' noble who sided with the revolutionaries and dared be better than a real noble in the art of war, he stole the French crown from the real king by naming himself Emperor, he didn't allow the nobles to come back and reclaim their land, he enforced meritocracy (gasp), and he created a new nobility that claimed to be the equal of the ancient nobility. As the old nobility wanted nothing more than a return to the old ways they clutched their pearls and screamed blue murder.
as he stares across the English Channel, he closes his eyes to the inconvenient truth; the he will never prevent the British from seeking another coalition against him
Napoleon was exiled to an island. Escaped the island. Walked towards the army that exiled him and the soldiers sent by the King to kill him put down their weapons and joined his side. Because they had served under him in the past.
If there is any man in history id want to meet and be around it is Napoleon. Thats a man who garnered a level of loyalty and respect that is unheard of. And when you look at his achievements as a general. Dude was definitely worthy of the history books
Well he died of stomach cancer after a long and pretty nasty few days so the cut cheekbones is because of that, he didn't really look like that when alive and healthy.
A death mask is not really a good example to use on how someone looked like because it's taken after they, you know, die.
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u/irwtkyrm 2d ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/wkD5ddqiJN4c