Скачать или смотреть Peter the Great's Beard Tax...

On September 5, 1698, Russian men with beards faced an unusual new law from Tsar Peter I, better known as Peter the Great. In his sweeping effort to modernize Russia along European lines, he introduced a tax on beards. Unless you were a peasant or a member of the clergy, keeping facial hair now came with a price.

Peter had just returned from his travels in Western Europe, where he studied shipbuilding, military science, and the social customs of countries he hoped to emulate. He saw clean-shaven faces as a symbol of modernity and progress, a sharp contrast to the long, traditional Russian beards that he associated with old ways. To Peter, changing appearances was not just about fashion but about reshaping culture.

The beard tax was simple in principle. Men who wanted to keep their beards had to pay a fee and carry a small copper token as proof. One side of the token bore the image of a beard, while the other reminded the bearer that “the beard is a superfluous burden.” For nobles, merchants, and townsmen, this became both a nuisance and a visible mark of the new order. Refusing to comply risked punishment and humiliation.

The clergy and the peasantry were exempt, a sign that Peter was most concerned with influencing the elite and urban classes. He wanted Russia’s nobility to look like their counterparts in Paris or London, not like the traditional boyars of Moscow. The tax became one of many symbolic reforms, alongside changes to clothing and etiquette, aimed at forcing Russia into what Peter considered a modern European identity.

The beard tax lasted well into the eighteenth century, though it was deeply unpopular. Many saw it as an attack on both tradition and faith, since beards had long been associated with piety in Orthodox Christianity. Yet the policy reflected Peter’s determination to challenge old customs and push Russia into a new era.

Peter’s beard tax is remembered today as one of the most curious and striking examples of how rulers have tried to reshape society through everyday habits. What might seem trivial, like the style of one’s face, became a battleground for culture, identity, and the direction of a nation.

Subscribe for more daily history posts!

#PeterTheGreat #RussianHistory #BeardTax #CulturalChange #EarlyModernHistory #TsarPeterI