“Chauvinism” comes from the name of Nicolas Chauvin, one of Napoleon’s most zealous and vocal supporters, even long after the Napoleonic Wars concluded. However, he may have been an entirely fictional, blindly nationalistic Bonapartist character who appeared in vaudeville and stories from the mid-1800s.

The word chauvinism is defined today as excessive and aggressive nationalism, or blind and exaggerated patriotism. It is often associated with the phrase “male chauvinism,” used to describe a masculine-centric worldview, but it did not earn this gendered connotation until it was appropriated by members of 1960s feminist movements.

The word originally arose in the 1830s and comes directly from the French chauvinisme, which was eponymous with a fellow named Nicolas Chauvin.

Chauvin was said to have been one of the most loyal soldiers in Napoleon’s Grande Armée. Purportedly born in Rochefort c. 1780, Chauvin enlisted at age 18 and served with such dedication…