While fake news might seem like a very recent phenomenon, it has been a thing for years. The term usually refers to facts that were purposefully distorted to suit someone’s opinion. This is exactly what happened with one of the most common historical misconceptions: the assumption that Napoleon was short.
The truth is that he stood at 5 feet and 7 inches, which was actually taller than an average Frenchman back in the day. The reason he looked short might have been the fact that his other troops were even taller than that. So, when standing beside his personal guards, he might have looked shorter in comparison.
Another thing that might have contributed to the misunderstanding is the fact that he was nicknamed Le Petit Caporal or The Little Corporal by French soldiers. However, this name was not related to his stature. They referred to him like that because they liked him and it was their way to express their fondness.
Those two things, though, were enough for the British media who wanted to villainize him. They portrayed him like a child who’s hungry for the world, throwing tantrums all over the place when things don’t go his way. They painted him as entitled, short, and mean, while everywhere else he was feared and revered as a brilliant tactician.
The image of another important historical French figure, Marie Antoinette, has also been tainted by false claims. People have attributed the quote “let them eat cake” to her while there’s no real evidence that she ever said it. However, this misattribution supposedly isn’t as malicious or intentional. Instead, it all simply seems like a bad game of telephone.
Firstly, the original quote is not about cake—it’s about brioche. Sure, that’s sweet, enriched bread, but one has to reiterate that no one here is talking about a dessert layered with cream.
Another thing is that variations of the quote have been around for years. It was first put in writing the way it is quoted now by Jean-Jacques Rousseau where he attributed it to “a great princess.” Marie Antoinette at the time was 9 years old, so the chances that he was talking about her are minimal.
People think that the quote was purposefully attributed to Marie Antoinette by French revolutionaries that were giving their all to villainize the monarchy. After all, Rousseau’s writing inspired many of them. However, there’s no real evidence out there that they did it either—no trace of the fictitious Antoinette quote in revolutionaries’ papers or pamphlets.
Interestingly enough, the first time the quote was attributed to Marie Antoinette in writing was… to deny that she said it! And that was done 50 years after the revolution rippled through the country. So, it appears to be that this misunderstanding is just a rumor that’s traveled to us all the way from the 18th century.
