5 Frustrating Mistakes in Ridley Scott's Napoleon That Twist History

5. Napoleon Didn’t Owe His Austerlitz Win to Ice

The Battle of Austerlitz is one of Napoleon’s most famous military wins — but Ridley Scott took quite some liberty with it. In the movie, as the Austrian and Russian armies begin their retreat across the lake, most of them fall victim to the thin ice. Many soldiers fall through to their watery graves and the ice shatters the retreat.

In reality, the Battle of Austerlitz was won thanks to Napoleon’s strategic genius and smart use of disinformation.

Napoleon ensured his enemies severely underestimated the number of his troops on location, allowing his main forces to crush the Austrian and Russian armies. The pond was almost drained before the battle…by Napoleon.

4. Napoleon Didn’t Leave Egypt for Josephine

Ridley Scott’s Napoleon was a bit more emotional than his historical counterpart. In the movie, the French warlord abandoned his campaign in Egypt immediately after learning about Josephine, his wife, cheating on him back home. The movie Napoleon was infuriated and went back to France to confront Josephine first thing.

The real Napoleon was far more rational. When he learned about his wife’s adultery, he only found himself a mistress in Egypt out of spite and continued his campaign. The reason Napoleon returned to France was purely rational: France was in chaos then, and the future Emperor saw it as a great opportunity for career advancement.

3. Napoleon Didn’t Return to France Until Josephine’s Death

For reasons dramatic more than anything, in the movie, Josephine is still alive when Napoleon returns from his exile to Elba. Her health is steadily declining, but knowing that her beloved will come for her soon, Josephine tries to hang on. She still learns about Napoleon’s return to France but still doesn’t live long enough to see him.

Truth be told, it was Napoleon who didn’t make it in time. Josephine was stuck in her château and she was gravely ill, but by the time she died, the famous warlord was yet to escape from Elba. In fact, Josephine’s death occurred shortly after Napoleon’s exile, and the Emperor was devastated by the news. He only escaped next year.

2. Napoleon and Wellington Didn’t Know Each Other

In Ridley Scott’s version of Napoleon’s life, the French Emperor was personally acquainted with the Duke of Wellington. They interacted both before and after the legendary Battle of Waterloo, and it was Wellington who broke the truth about his final exile from France to the island of St. Helena to Napoleon. So, were they close?

The real Napoleon and Wellington never met in person. During the Battle of Waterloo, their units were dramatically far from each other, and throughout most of their lives, the two famous generals were almost always separated by great distances. There is no proof of them having ever encountered each other in person.

1. Napoleon Didn’t Shoot at the Egyptian Pyramids

The Battle of the Pyramids saw Napoleon’s forces shoot powerful shells at their enemies and greatly damage the Great Pyramids in the process. It was, indeed, a captivating scene, showing Napoleon’s disregard for anything standing between him and victory — but the French warlord had too much respect for ancient history.

Back in those days, there was no cannon powerful enough to land a shot at the top of the Pyramid. Like, at all. If this isn’t enough, it’s also worth noting that the Battle of the Pyramids happened miles away from the great monuments themselves. Counterintuitive, we know, but there was no Pyramid in range of Napoleon’s fire.