Beard Tax
The Russian Emperor, Peter the Great decided that beards were out of style in Europe and enforced a beard tax to modernise his country’s society. This was introduced in 1698 and all men sporting facial hair had to carry around a token as proof of payment. The coin had engraved into it 2 phases; “the beard tax has been taken” and “the beard is a superfluous burden”.
Historic pictures show that Peter the Great sported quite an impressive moustache, so it seems strange that he then regarded beards as an unnecessary burden on men?
I will have Peter the not so Great know that beards are not a burden, but a magnificent work of art.
Some of the greatest men in history have sported beards, which brings me onto King Henry VIII.
King Henry VIII did introduce a beard tax in Britain before this in 1535. Henry VIII’s motivation was not a fashion based one as the great man himself sported a delightful beard, but more of a status symbol.
The tax was a graduated tax depending on the man’s social standing. Though I could never personally agree to a beard tax as I believe that any man of any social class should be able to embrace their facial hair, but I can understand the sentiment as it encouraged the wealthy to pay more tax.
This was dropped then reintroduced by his daughter Queen Elizabeth I. Now I can only think that her taste in men was particularly poor as she levied a tax on any man with at least two weeks beard growth. This is probably why she never married, nor deserved to with her appalling attitude to beards.
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