Top 10 Things Napoleon Gets Factually Right and Wrong

Right
When Joaquin Phoenix got cast, some questioned if he was too tall to play Napoleon. The so-called “Little Corporal” is often portrayed as cartoonishly short, contributing to the term “Napoleon complex.” While Napoleon wasn’t the tallest man on the battlefield, his short stature has been grossly exaggerated. Napoleon was said to be 5 feet, 2 inches, but those measurements predated the metric system. Going by modern measurements, Napoleon was closer to 169 centimeters, around 5 feet, 6.5 inches. Phoenix is only slightly taller at 5 feet, 8 inches, making him an appropriate height to play the average-sized corporal. Although the size is accurate, Phoenix notably started shooting the film in his late 40s, which is closer to how old Napoleon was when he died.

Wrong
The Last Queen of France notoriously met her end at the guillotine on October 16, 1793. While the film’s depiction of the execution is mostly faithful, Napoleon is among the crowd, which doesn’t add up with the timeline. From August 29 to December 19 that year, Napoleon was engaged in the Siege of Toulon, which marked the first major turning point in his military career. Toulon, France is roughly 840 km away from Paris where Marie Antoinette was executed. There’s no way that Napoleon could’ve been at the Place de la Concorde when the former queen lost her head. Napoleon’s presence here emphasizes the transfer from one controversial leader to another, but the filmmakers definitely try to have their cake and eat it too.

Right
Throughout the Napoleonic Wars, the Battle of Austerlitz just might have been Bonaparte’s proudest achievement. Although the film fast-forwards through much of the battle, it highlights one of the most infamous moments. With Napoleon solidifying his victory, enemy soldiers began to retreat across the frozen lakes. Napoleon nonetheless ordered 25 cannons to fire upon the icy battleground, causing fleeing soldiers to fall into the shallow yet freezing water. The exact number of casualties from this move is up for debate. Napoleon claimed it was 2,000, but he was known to exaggerate. Historians argue that the real number of drowned men could be anywhere between two and 200. In any case, this scene captures Napoleon at his most merciless.

Right
Not every victory is as fulfilling as one initially assumes. The film sees Napoleon and his troops arrive in Moscow to find that it’s already been abandoned. Napoleon was indeed surprised as the French invaded the practically empty Russian city, anticipating a fight. Shortly after, any hope that Alexander I would be forced to negotiate a peaceful resolution went up in literal flames. Rather than surrender to the French, Russia opted to burn down its sacred city. While there are varying accounts of how the fires started, it’s generally believed that Count Fyodor Rostopchin made the orders. This is among the few moments in the biopic where Napoleon appears legitimately unsettled, which coincides with the real-life military leader’s disturbed reaction.

Wrong
The Battle of the Pyramids took place on July 21, 1798. With a name like that, one might jump to the conclusion that Napoleon attacked the Egyptian pyramids, as the film suggests. When naming the battle, Napoleon actually drew inspiration from the Great Pyramid of Giza. Alas, the title was misleading. The battle took place roughly nine miles away from the pyramids near a village called Embabeh, which is located across the Nile River with Cairo on the other side. Although the pyramids were visible from the battlefield, they were hardly within firing distance. Napoleon’s forces did stumble upon artifacts like mummies when the French invaded Egypt. However, if Napoleon had taken a shot at any of the pyramids, the damage would’ve been noticeable.

Wrong
With rumors regarding his wife’s infidelity circulating, Napoleon abandons his post in Egypt and returns home. It’s true that Joséphine had an affair with a French officer named Hippolyte Charles, but the film distorts the timeline. Napoleon first heard rumors of the affair before France invaded Egypt. Joséphine convinced her infuriated husband that such gossip wasn’t true. The rumors resurfaced during Napoleon’s time in Egypt. Rather than rush home in a rage, though, Napoleon wrote to his brother, asking him to arrange a divorce. Although this wasn’t the end of their marriage, Napoleon and Joséphine continued to drift apart. While in Egypt, Napoleon gained a mistress in Pauline Fourès, who was nicknamed his “Cleopatra.” The film mentions Napoleon’s affairs, but figures like Fourès are absent.

Right
The affairs by no means helped their marriage, but it was Joséphine’s inability to deliver an heir that ultimately drove Napoleon away. Confirming that he wasn’t infertile, Napoleon had illegitimate sons with Eléonore Denuelle de La Plaigne and Marie Walewska. Despite still having feelings for Joséphine, Napoleon argued it would be in France’s best interest if he had a legitimate heir, asking for a divorce. Joséphine reluctantly agreed, and the marriage ended with a public ceremony on January 10, 1810. Within two months, Napoleon married Marie Louise of Austria. Another four months later, Marie Louise was pregnant with Napoleon II. The film doesn’t delve deep into Napoleon’s second marriage, focusing on the devotion he felt towards Joséphine even after divorcing.

Wrong
The film shows Napoleon returning home to find out that his beloved Joséphine died during his absence. Although they had been divorced for almost four years, this revelation still crushed the real Napoleon. The emotion displayed in the scene might be authentic, but the setting is wrong. The news first reached Napoleon during his exile on the island of Elba. Napoleon didn’t receive the grim news from another person either. Rather, he read about Joséphine’s passing in a French journal. Devastated, Napoleon locked himself in a room for two days, refusing to converse with others. While this plays out differently in the film, it does convey Napoleon’s grief and vulnerability, setting the stage for what would be his biggest defeat.

Wrong
When people think of battles that Napoleon fought in, Waterloo immediately comes to mind, albeit not for the most flattering reasons. Three months after Napoleon regained control in Paris, his reign officially came to an end with this fateful battle. While the film gets a fair deal about Waterloo right, it goes full Hollywood when one of the enemy soldiers fires a shot at the fleeing Napoleon. The ammunition just misses Napoleon’s skull, instead leaving a sizable hole in his hat. If you want evidence that this didn’t happen, look no further than the actual hat that Napoleon reportedly dropped at Waterloo. Sold at auction in 2018 for more than $400,000, the hat possesses some wear, but no gaping holes.

Right
That hat might’ve been Napoleon’s most iconic article of clothing, but it was a crown that he desired above all else. At his coronation in the film, Napoleon snatches the crown and places it on his head, much to everyone’s shock. Historians have debated exactly how this played out. A legend suggests that Napoleon grabbed the crown from Pope Pius VII, demonstrating his newfound power as emperor. The movie reflects this myth, although in reality, the Pope knew what Napoleon intended to do with the crown. Thus, this wasn’t as radical as the film makes it out to be. That said, Napoleon did crown himself and Joséphine Emperor and Empress. Napoleon held the position for nearly a decade, being exiled twice with the latter sticking.