On This Day: Peter the Great imposes a beard tax in Russia

On September 5, 1698, Peter the Great imposed a tax on beards as he tried to give Russian society a more European appearance.

The measure formed part of reforms that followed his travels through Europe in 1697 and 1698. After returning, Peter moved to reshape state institutions and public behavior. He reorganized administration, created new legal codes and sought to make social standing depend on government service rather than noble birth.

His decrees regulated clothing, posture, speech and grooming. Beards presented a particularly sensitive issue because the Orthodox Church regarded them as reflecting the image of God. Removing one could therefore be seen in Russian society as abandoning a moral and religious duty.

Any man who wanted to keep his beard had to pay. Nobles and merchants paid substantial annual sums, while townspeople paid less, sometimes each time they entered through city gates. Craftsmen and lower-ranking soldiers often paid a single annual amount to avoid daily inspections. Rural peasants and clergy were generally exempt.

Those who paid often received a small copper or brass token stamped with a beard and the words “tax paid.” Without it, guards could shave them by force. Peter personally shaved several members of his court, brought foreign barbers to the capital and declared that men could not serve the state without adopting the new standards. For soldiers and officials, compliance could also affect their advancement in the imperial bureaucracy.