A closer look
Napoleon couldn't handle sharing the spotlight, especially with Thomas-Alexandre Dumas. Born in Saint-Domingue to an enslaved woman and a French nobleman, Dumas rose to become the first person of color to command a European army as general-in-chief. He was a 6-foot-tall wrecking ball of charisma who conquered territories and captured thousands, earning the nickname 'the Black Devil' from his enemies. Napoleon grew so intensely jealous of Dumas's popularity that he deliberately ruined his career, cut his pension, and erased him from official monuments. Fortunately, Dumas's son got revenge by basing 'The Count of Monte Cristo' on him.
