Grooming Trivia: The Beard Tax

Here at MÜHLE, the history of wet shaving never fails to fascinate.

The importance of a beard—or lack of one—has often held a significance beyond mere personal choice. Whether associated with status, fashion, or mandate, beards have a uniquely rich history of meaning.

Perhaps one of the strangest moments in this history is Peter the Great’s tax on beards. Introduced in 1698 by the Tsar of Russia, Peter the Great decreed that all his subjects (except clergy and peasants) must be clean-shaven.

Previously, beards had long been associated with holiness and religious devotion. Some priests even refused to bless beardless men altogether. Thus, when Peter the Great introduced this bizarre—and in some ways, blasphemous—tax, he did not receive enthusiastic support from the Russian Orthodox Church.

To add insult to injury, Peter the Great assembled his Grandees and forcibly shaved them with his own barber’s razor, then held a banquet in honor of the Orthodox New Year. During the banquet, a jester was sent around the hall, shaving anyone who had not yet conformed.

Empowered with the authority to shave anyone they encountered with a beard, Peter the Great’s officials took this decree to the public.

Over time, however, the regulations were relaxed, and those who wished to keep their beards could do so—provided they paid a hefty tax. After payment, the taxpayer received a bronze medallion with a picture of a beard and the words “tax paid” inscribed upon it. The medallion could be worn on a chain or as a brooch, as proof of payment and a defense against the Tsar’s razor-wielding officials.

After a brief period of zealous enforcement, enthusiasm for the decree eventually waned, and so ended the beard tax.

A bizarre moment in history—and while here at MÜHLE we can appreciate Peter the Great’s enthusiasm for wet shaving, we don’t think we’ll be imposing our own tax anytime soon. Promise.