Did you know…?
Peter the Great put a tax on beards.
In 1697, Tsar Peter 1, known as Peter the Great, embarked on an 18-month European tour to seek the aid of European monarchs, and to observe how other militias and armies were trained. Peter quickly learned that many European customs and styles were far superior to the antiquated ways in Russia. One of the first rulings he made upon his return was that all of his courtiers and officials shave off their long beards, as being clean-shaven was the European style. Anyone who kept their beard was subject to an annual Beard Tax of 100 rubles. Those who paid the tax were given a token; on one side was the Russian Eagle, and on the other, an image of the lower part of the face with a full beard. The coin was also inscribed with the phrases: “the tax has been taken” and “the beard is a superfluous burden.”
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