Lubrication, Not Taxation

At the turn of the 18th century, the Emperor of the Tsardom of Russia decided he would battle the bearded. Peter the Great personally shaved the faces of his bearded subordinates, then instructed that the police do the same to scruffy men on the streets (Peter actually doesn't sound that great).

Members of the Russian Orthodox Church challenged him, in fact, Ivan the Terrible has been credited as saying that shaving the beard would "mean blemishing the image of man as God created him" (Ivan actually doesn't sound that terrible).

Peter decided that instead of having the policemen shave men in the streets, he would impose an annual beard tax on the hairy. The cost of the tax depended on how much money the man had, and after it was paid he would receive a coin made of copper that indicated payment. Some accounts say that certain prints of the token read "the beard is a superfluous burden" in Russian on its edge.

The tax was in place in the Russian Empire until 1772, which was nearly 50 years after Peter died. Nate Hennemann's Beard Oil is dedicating the first #WhiskeryHistory blend of beard oil to all those men that were shaved or taxed during this time, with the limited-time "Superfluous Burden" blend.

Buy some today!

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Massie, Robert K. Peter the Great: His Life and World. Head of Zeus, 2013.

Taylor, and Walton. The Numismatic Chronicle, and Journal of the Royal Numismatic Society. Edited by John Yonge Akerman, vol. 7, Hardpress Ltd, 2013.

The Pillar and Ground of the Truth: an Essay in Orthodox Theodicy in Twelve Letters, by Florenskiĭ P. A., Princeton University Press, 1997, p. 535.

“The Time Peter the Great Declared War on Facial Hair.” Mental Floss, 29 Mar. 2014, www.mentalfloss.com/article/55772/time-peter-great-declared-war-facial-hair.