Lot of sources say he was actually somewhere between 5'5" and 5'7" (1.65 to 1.7 m)--a normal height for an aristocrat at the time and taller than the average peasant. They claim the confusion is due to the French yardstick being longer than the English one. Interpreting the measurement as English leads to a height of 5'2" (1.57 metres) but interpreting it as French gets him to a more respectable stature. Googling "how tall was Napoleon" returns the value 5'6".

But Wikipedia (at the moment) claims that 5'2" (1.57 metres) is the probable correct figure. The article says Napoleon would have been measured in metres not old French yards at death and this figure--1.57 metres--matches his measured height on St. Helena, a British possession which would therefore have used the British yardstick. The article cites Owen Connelly (2006). Blundering to Glory: Napoleon's Military Campaigns. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-7425-5318-7. Is Wikipedia up to date or behind the times on this claim?