In 1698, Tsar Peter I, better known to history as Peter the Great, had just returned from a two-year tour of Europe, where he observed modern society and visited factories, arsenals, schools, and museums. Traveling incognito as Sgt. Pyotr Mikhaylov, the quirky tsar also worked at a shipyard to learn how modern ships were built. When he returned to Russia, he began westernizing the country, changing its economy, government, culture, and religious affairs. He even enacted a beard tax, so that his people would be encouraged to shave and adopt Western European fashions.
Growing the Russian economy:
- The tsar empowered police to forcibly and publicly shave those who refused to pay the tax, but resistance was widespread, mainly on religious grounds.
- The amount of the tax depended on a man’s status. Members of the Imperial Court, military, and government were charged 60 rubles annually if they wore a beard. Wealthy merchants had to pay 100 rubles a year.
- When you paid the tax, you had to carry a “beard token” at all times. The tokens were either copper or silver, and featured a Russian eagle on one side and a man’s bearded face on the other.