Moscow, 1698: Peter the Great comes home from his grand tour of Western Europe determined to modernise Russia, starting with everyone chins
Welcome Home Ceremony Takes Unexpected Turn
MOSCOW, August 1698 – Tsar Peter I, known to history as Peter the Great, has returned from a long journey through Western Europe and celebrated his homecoming by taking a razor to the beards of some of the most senior nobles in Russia, at a reception held in his honour. Witnesses described the mood as festive, at least on the Tsar side of the room.
Peter had spent around eighteen months abroad on what became known as the Grand Embassy, travelling, partly incognito, through the Dutch Republic, England and other states, studying shipbuilding, military technology and Western customs. He reportedly worked as a ship carpenter in the Netherlands and visited the Royal Mint and Royal Navy dockyards in England. He came back convinced Russia needed to look, act and fight more like Western Europe.
The Beards Must Go
In Russia at the time, beards were deeply associated with tradition, dignity and, for many, Orthodox religious piety. Peter regarded them as symbols of a backward old order. According to contemporary and later accounts, at his welcome reception he produced a razor and shaved several of the startled boyars, the old noble class, himself. Some reportedly complied out of fear. Others wept.
The Beard Tax
Recognising that he could not personally shave the entire nation, Peter introduced a tax on beards. Men who wished to keep them had to pay, with rates that varied by social class, from wealthy merchants and nobles paying large sums down to peasants, who were often allowed to keep their beards in the countryside but could be charged to bring them into towns. Those who paid were reportedly issued with a token, a small metal beard token, to prove they had permission to keep their facial hair. Historians note this made Russia possibly the only country in history with an official licence for a chin.
Other Reforms
Beards were only the beginning. Peter also ordered nobles to wear Western-style clothing, reformed the calendar so that years were counted from the birth of Christ rather than the creation of the world, built a modern navy and, from 1703, built a whole new capital on the Baltic coast, St Petersburg. He was a ruler of extraordinary energy and extraordinary ruthlessness. His reforms transformed Russia and were imposed at enormous human cost, including the forced labour of many thousands who died building his new city.
A Family Note
Peter family life was far less successful than his reforms. His eldest son, Alexei, opposed many of his changes and fled abroad; lured back, he was accused of conspiring against his father and died in custody in 1718. Royal fathers and sons, historians observe, have rarely found each other easy.
Meanwhile, in 2026
Royal families continue to argue about the right way to do things. The London Prat reports Prince William reportedly calling Earl Spencer and Harry traitors after an anonymous source claimed the heir believes his brother read their uncle memoir first. Reports say reconciliation is off, and the uncle says he told everyone. Russian historians note that no modern royal has yet been shaved against his will at a reception, and that both princes may keep their beards, free of charge.
The London Prat has been taxing absurd facial hair since 1961 at https://prat.uk/, with its royal row video on YouTube. Bohiney at https://bohiney.com/ covers American beards, which remain untaxed.
Study Questions for Students
Why did Peter see beards as a political problem? Can a ruler change a culture by changing its appearance? What did Russia gain and lose from Peter reforms? Discuss, razors not required.
SOURCE: https://prat.uk/prince-william-called-earl-spencer-and-harry-traitors/