Napoleon is quoted online as saying “If the earth were a single state, Istanbul would be its capital.” Is there any evidence of him actually saying this? or is this just a marketing ploy from the Turkish tourism industry?

by zekenitron

Basically the title, I've looked for a scholarly source for this quote, but all I find is the quote with no context.

General-Skin6201

A close but not exact quote.

Herold credits this to Las Cases, Mémorial (6 Nov. 1816):
“The Emperor again fell silent, measuring distances on the
map with his calipers and asserting that Constantinople was by its situation
the center and seat of universal domination, etc,

Herold, J Christopher. The Mind of Napoleon. (1961). P. 202.