Interesting facts about Napoleon Bonaparte

The French Emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte, was one of the leading military leaders and geniuses of the world. He was a reformer, a lawmaker, and overall a powerful man in history. He ruled a part of Europe and France and his bravery is an enviable issue to many. Many books have been written about this great warrior and ruler. But there are many fascinating facts that are available about this great man and those are less known to people. Some of the interesting information is here and scrolling them down will give some new ideas about this man.

Dominating Attitude:

Since an early age, Napoleon was dominating in nature. He was skilled in education but he had a bossy attitude to his fellow children. He was nicknamed as Nabulio. His social skills were not up to the mark. Experiencing the bossy nature, his teachers suggested him to join the military.

Rejected in Military:

In his early life, he was rejected by the Russian military. He applied to join the force several times. But he was rejected being French.

French Civil Code:

This is alternatively known as the Napoleonic Code as well. After this code, Napoleon issued an order banning to name any pig after his name. Before issuing the law, pig owners used to name their pigs after this ruler.

A Corsican:

Napoleon was born to a Corsican family in Italy. So, it was natural that he would speak in the local tone of Corsica and he did so. He spoke French with a Corsican accent. But for this accent, he was the object of mockery when he was in the army. His fellow soldiers and students used to mock him with the accent.

British Tabloid Humiliation:

Napoleon once was humiliated across Europe and it was his wife who brought the shame for him. She was in an extramarital relationship with a lieutenant and Napoleon wrote a letter about the matter to his brother which got leaked to the newspapers. So, after publishing the news on the tabloids, he was really ashamed.

Father of an Expression:

We are familiar with the words, “A Picture is Worth A Thousand Words” and it is said that Napoleon introduced the expression. But there are some slight differences with the original quote that Napoleon used. He used to say, “A good Sketch is better than a long speech” which is almost similar in meaning of the formerly mentioned expression.

A Writer:

He was really a genius and had expanded his intelligence in different branches of daily life. He also wrote a novel but it was not published during his lifetime. The novel was published in 2008. It was a romance novel and the plot was based on his own experience which turned in to failure.

Height Propaganda:

During his lifetime, Napoleon Bonaparte became the victims of propaganda. There was an issue about his height. He was 5’7” which was an average height for the male members of the society. But there was British propaganda that he was shorter than what he claimed. Actually, he was surrounded by the tallest guards of his time that made him look shorter. Interestingly, the propaganda is still alive in the present era.

Worked for his Region:

As it is said before Napoleon was born in Italy, he had a deep sympathy for his fellow countrymen. He stayed in some parts of the country when he was in power and abolished various old systems and introduced some modern administrative processes for better performance.

Right-hand Traffic:

It is Napoleon who introduced the right-hand traffic in Europe. He had an intention to reduce the sword fighting sitting on horses.

Jew Emancipation:

Napoleon emancipated the Jews in France. He was considerate to them and also issued that he will never allow any order that will lead them out of France. In fact, he believed in equality. To him, the Jews were like the other people of his country. So, he would not be able to take any decision against them.

Attempt to Suicide:

The emperor, Napoleon, used to carry a bad of poison with him. He intended to use the poison in case of any defeat. But when he used the poison, he did not die rather became seriously ill. In fact, the poison had lost its capability of killing as it was not being used for a long time.

Inspired Canned Food:

Napoleon was fond of food and wanted to keep the food for a longer time. Even he rewarded people who could preserve the food for longer times. Consequently, canned food was introduced.

Judged his Popularity:

To know about his success as a ruler, Napoleon used to take disguise in ordinary dress and made trips in the streets. He asked questions to people about him and thus judged how popular he was to his countrymen.


Finally, it is evident that Napoleon Bonaparte, the French military leader became the controller of the fate of France with his ambition and strategy. He gave up the power after losing the battle of Waterloo and was exiled to Saint Helena. He died on the island at the age of 51.