Beard tax

A Russian beard token from 1705, carried to indicate that the owner had paid the beard tax imposed by Peter the Great

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A beard tax is one of several taxes introduced throughout history on men who wear beards.

England

In 1535, King Henry VIII of England, who wore a beard himself, introduced a tax on beards. The tax was a graduated tax, varying with the wearer's social position. His daughter, Elizabeth I of England, reintroduced the beard tax, taxing every beard of more than two weeks' growth.^[1]

Russia

In 1698,^[2] Emperor Peter I of Russia instituted a beard tax to modernize the society of Russia following European models. Those who paid the tax were required to carry a "beard token".^[3] This was a copper or silver token with a Russian Eagle on one side and on the other, the lower part of a face with nose, mouth, whiskers, and beard. It was inscribed with two phrases: "the beard tax has been taken" (lit: "Money taken") and "the beard is a superfluous burden".^[4] Walter Hawkins published a paper in 1845 illustrating an example of the token from his own collection, and describing the history of the tax in Russia.^[5] Those who resisted the ban on beards were forcibly and publicly shaved.

See also

• Poll tax
• Sumptuary law

References