1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:02,000 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:14,440 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hello and welcome to This Day in History Class, 3 00:00:14,920 --> 00:00:18,000 Speaker 1: a show that proves there's more than one way to 4 00:00:18,120 --> 00:00:23,079 Speaker 1: make history. I'm Gabe Blusier, and today we're talking about 5 00:00:23,160 --> 00:00:26,560 Speaker 1: one ruler's quest to bring his old fashioned country up 6 00:00:26,600 --> 00:00:30,600 Speaker 1: to date by compelling his subjects to shave their whiskers. 7 00:00:38,080 --> 00:00:44,400 Speaker 1: The day was September five, six. Czar Peter the First 8 00:00:44,560 --> 00:00:48,360 Speaker 1: imposed an annual tax on Russians who wished to keep 9 00:00:48,440 --> 00:00:52,680 Speaker 1: their facial hair. Peter the First, better known as Peter 10 00:00:52,800 --> 00:00:56,640 Speaker 1: the Great, made it his mission to gradually modernize Russian 11 00:00:56,680 --> 00:00:59,920 Speaker 1: culture so that it better aligned with the European super 12 00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:03,640 Speaker 1: powers of his day. The beard tax was one of 13 00:01:03,680 --> 00:01:08,960 Speaker 1: the quirkier components of this ambitious ongoing project, as beards 14 00:01:09,040 --> 00:01:11,880 Speaker 1: and other forms of facial hair had fallen out of 15 00:01:11,920 --> 00:01:16,520 Speaker 1: favor in Western Europe during the seventeenth century. Before Peter 16 00:01:16,720 --> 00:01:20,560 Speaker 1: rose to power at age twenty two, Russia had very 17 00:01:20,640 --> 00:01:24,800 Speaker 1: little association with Europe. Nations such as England and the 18 00:01:24,840 --> 00:01:29,600 Speaker 1: Netherlands were busy exploring and colonizing regions around the globe, 19 00:01:29,800 --> 00:01:33,720 Speaker 1: whereas Russia mostly kept to itself and didn't have much 20 00:01:33,720 --> 00:01:37,200 Speaker 1: of a navy to speak of. Without that exposure to 21 00:01:37,240 --> 00:01:40,880 Speaker 1: other cultures or the sense of competition that arose from it, 22 00:01:41,200 --> 00:01:46,920 Speaker 1: Russia's society, technology, and politics had grown stagnant. Peter the 23 00:01:46,959 --> 00:01:50,080 Speaker 1: First sought to change that, but first he needed to 24 00:01:50,160 --> 00:01:53,880 Speaker 1: learn more about what had made those other nations so successful. 25 00:01:54,480 --> 00:01:57,280 Speaker 1: To do this, he embarked on a two year tour 26 00:01:57,440 --> 00:02:01,400 Speaker 1: of Western Europe, which he called the g And Embassy. 27 00:02:01,680 --> 00:02:04,720 Speaker 1: He and his entourage of about two hundred and fifty 28 00:02:04,760 --> 00:02:09,160 Speaker 1: advisers and diplomats set out in sixteen seven to learn 29 00:02:09,280 --> 00:02:13,920 Speaker 1: everything they could about European life. Peter traveled in disguise 30 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:18,240 Speaker 1: to avoid attracting unwanted attention, and even adopted a false name, 31 00:02:18,880 --> 00:02:24,480 Speaker 1: Sergeant Pyotr Mihailoff. With this ruse in place, Peter was 32 00:02:24,520 --> 00:02:27,960 Speaker 1: able to spend four months working in a Dutch shipyard, 33 00:02:28,160 --> 00:02:32,680 Speaker 1: where he learned all about modern shipbuilding. Next, he traveled 34 00:02:32,680 --> 00:02:36,280 Speaker 1: a Great Britain and supplemented his newfound knowledge by working 35 00:02:36,320 --> 00:02:40,440 Speaker 1: in one of the Royal Navy's dockyards. After that, Peter 36 00:02:40,560 --> 00:02:45,320 Speaker 1: visited British factories, schools, and museums. He viewed collections of 37 00:02:45,440 --> 00:02:50,760 Speaker 1: natural curiosities and attended demonstrations of new surgical procedures. He 38 00:02:50,840 --> 00:02:55,200 Speaker 1: even attended a session of Parliament. Along the way, Peter 39 00:02:55,440 --> 00:02:59,720 Speaker 1: also partied with English nobles, including at one especially wild 40 00:02:59,720 --> 00:03:03,880 Speaker 1: of at a manor house in Deptford. According to diarists 41 00:03:03,960 --> 00:03:08,400 Speaker 1: and party host John Evelyn, that evening's festivities resulted in 42 00:03:08,600 --> 00:03:13,200 Speaker 1: three hundred broken window panes, twenty five shredded paintings, and 43 00:03:13,320 --> 00:03:17,000 Speaker 1: more than fifty smashed up chairs, the pieces of which 44 00:03:17,000 --> 00:03:20,359 Speaker 1: were used to fuel the stoves. Peter the Great had 45 00:03:20,400 --> 00:03:24,400 Speaker 1: worked hard to absorb European culture, and apparently he played 46 00:03:24,400 --> 00:03:28,799 Speaker 1: hard too. When he returned from his Grand embassy in sixteen, 47 00:03:29,760 --> 00:03:33,240 Speaker 1: the young emperor set to work on westernizing his still 48 00:03:33,360 --> 00:03:38,120 Speaker 1: largely agrarian country. Among the many reforms he led was 49 00:03:38,160 --> 00:03:40,920 Speaker 1: the establishment of a standing army and a state of 50 00:03:40,920 --> 00:03:45,760 Speaker 1: the art navy. He also revised Russia's calendar and written language, 51 00:03:45,960 --> 00:03:49,320 Speaker 1: and laid the foundation of the port city of St. Petersburg, 52 00:03:49,680 --> 00:03:52,720 Speaker 1: a center of Russian culture and a major gateway for 53 00:03:52,800 --> 00:03:57,480 Speaker 1: international trade. These changes were introduced over the course of 54 00:03:57,560 --> 00:04:00,520 Speaker 1: several years, but one of the first measure years Peter 55 00:04:00,640 --> 00:04:04,360 Speaker 1: took to reinvent Russia was to imitate the fashion sense 56 00:04:04,440 --> 00:04:09,200 Speaker 1: of Western Europe. Shortly after his triumphant return, a lavish 57 00:04:09,280 --> 00:04:12,840 Speaker 1: welcome home party was held in the ruler's honor. Peter 58 00:04:13,040 --> 00:04:16,600 Speaker 1: chose this occasion to try to get Russians to go beardless, 59 00:04:16,960 --> 00:04:19,960 Speaker 1: and he wouldn't take no for an answer. Once he 60 00:04:20,040 --> 00:04:23,360 Speaker 1: had greeted and embraced each of his guests, Peter pulled 61 00:04:23,360 --> 00:04:27,680 Speaker 1: out a large barber's razor and proceeded to personally shave 62 00:04:27,720 --> 00:04:30,840 Speaker 1: off the beards of those in attendance, whether they liked 63 00:04:30,880 --> 00:04:34,760 Speaker 1: it or not. The czar explained that furry faces were 64 00:04:34,800 --> 00:04:38,159 Speaker 1: now passe in Europe and that if his countrymen wanted 65 00:04:38,200 --> 00:04:41,919 Speaker 1: to be taken seriously, they'd have to submit themselves for sharing. 66 00:04:42,720 --> 00:04:46,120 Speaker 1: Peter was so dedicated to this cause that he actually 67 00:04:46,200 --> 00:04:50,200 Speaker 1: banned beards throughout the country. He even ordered authorities to 68 00:04:50,279 --> 00:04:54,840 Speaker 1: forcibly shave anyone who refused to comply. Police carried out 69 00:04:54,880 --> 00:04:58,040 Speaker 1: that threat on numerous citizens, and the sight of that 70 00:04:58,120 --> 00:05:02,320 Speaker 1: action quickly compelled others to fall in line. According to 71 00:05:02,400 --> 00:05:06,800 Speaker 1: visiting Englishman John Perry, most Russians obeyed the order due 72 00:05:06,880 --> 00:05:10,960 Speaker 1: to quote the terror of having their beards pulled out 73 00:05:11,000 --> 00:05:14,839 Speaker 1: by the roots or sometimes taken so rough off that 74 00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:19,599 Speaker 1: some of the skin went with them. The only exceptions 75 00:05:19,600 --> 00:05:22,840 Speaker 1: to the ban on beards were peasants because no one 76 00:05:22,920 --> 00:05:25,640 Speaker 1: cared if they looked stylish or not, as well as 77 00:05:25,680 --> 00:05:30,279 Speaker 1: members of the clergy, who considered the mandate blasphemous. That's 78 00:05:30,320 --> 00:05:34,640 Speaker 1: because the teachings of the Russian Orthodox Church considered uncut 79 00:05:34,680 --> 00:05:38,120 Speaker 1: facial hair to be a sign of religious devotion. The 80 00:05:38,240 --> 00:05:41,640 Speaker 1: thinking went that man was created in the image of God, 81 00:05:42,200 --> 00:05:45,720 Speaker 1: and since men naturally grow beards, that meant God had 82 00:05:45,720 --> 00:05:49,320 Speaker 1: a beard as well. Therefore, to shave off your beard 83 00:05:49,680 --> 00:05:52,600 Speaker 1: was to sully that image and make yourself a less 84 00:05:52,640 --> 00:05:57,480 Speaker 1: accurate reflection of your creator. Pious subjects spoke out in 85 00:05:57,560 --> 00:06:01,160 Speaker 1: defense of facial hair, and even circulate did anonymous letters 86 00:06:01,200 --> 00:06:05,240 Speaker 1: accusing Peter the Great of blasphemy. Some devout men were 87 00:06:05,279 --> 00:06:08,120 Speaker 1: so troubled by the edict that they kept their shaved 88 00:06:08,200 --> 00:06:11,400 Speaker 1: beard hairs so that they could be buried alongside them 89 00:06:11,520 --> 00:06:15,560 Speaker 1: in case they had to explain the matter to St. Nicholas. Still, 90 00:06:15,800 --> 00:06:19,480 Speaker 1: these anxieties failed to move the Czar, and the mass 91 00:06:19,520 --> 00:06:24,920 Speaker 1: shavings continued. Some historians have since suggested that Peter wasn't 92 00:06:25,000 --> 00:06:28,040 Speaker 1: just trying to emulate what he'd seen in Europe. By 93 00:06:28,080 --> 00:06:31,520 Speaker 1: targeting such a deeply held religious belief, he may have 94 00:06:31,600 --> 00:06:35,320 Speaker 1: been trying to reduce the Church's influence and expand his own. 95 00:06:36,160 --> 00:06:40,240 Speaker 1: Whatever his true motivation, Peter eventually took the feedback and 96 00:06:40,440 --> 00:06:46,320 Speaker 1: opted for a softer approach. On September five, he decreed 97 00:06:46,360 --> 00:06:49,200 Speaker 1: that Russian men would no longer be forced to shave. 98 00:06:49,839 --> 00:06:52,960 Speaker 1: From then on, they could wear whatever style of facial 99 00:06:53,000 --> 00:06:56,120 Speaker 1: hair they wished, but in return they would have to 100 00:06:56,200 --> 00:07:01,320 Speaker 1: pay a yearly beard tax. The amount owed varied depending 101 00:07:01,360 --> 00:07:05,000 Speaker 1: on one's social standing. A wealthy merchant could expect to 102 00:07:05,000 --> 00:07:08,240 Speaker 1: pay about a hundred roubles per year, while a nobleman 103 00:07:08,440 --> 00:07:11,120 Speaker 1: or military official would have to shell out as much 104 00:07:11,160 --> 00:07:13,760 Speaker 1: as six hundred roubles for the right to wear an 105 00:07:13,840 --> 00:07:18,600 Speaker 1: unfashionable beard. As for bearded peasants, they had to pay 106 00:07:18,600 --> 00:07:21,320 Speaker 1: as well, but only on the rare occasions when they 107 00:07:21,400 --> 00:07:26,160 Speaker 1: visited a city. Their tax was also considerably smaller, amounting 108 00:07:26,160 --> 00:07:29,360 Speaker 1: to just one or two copex a year. To keep 109 00:07:29,360 --> 00:07:33,200 Speaker 1: the system running smoothly, beard lovers were issued a beard 110 00:07:33,280 --> 00:07:35,840 Speaker 1: token to prove that they had paid their tax for 111 00:07:35,880 --> 00:07:39,560 Speaker 1: the year. These small coins were stamped with the words 112 00:07:39,760 --> 00:07:43,080 Speaker 1: money paid and featured in engraving of the lower half 113 00:07:43,120 --> 00:07:46,880 Speaker 1: of a man's face, complete with a nose, mouth, mustache, 114 00:07:47,120 --> 00:07:50,960 Speaker 1: and beard. The tokens were minted in two different metals, 115 00:07:51,360 --> 00:07:56,440 Speaker 1: copper for commoners and silver for nobles. As time went on, 116 00:07:56,680 --> 00:08:01,080 Speaker 1: Peter's crusade against facial hair began to look less less sustainable. 117 00:08:01,560 --> 00:08:04,560 Speaker 1: For instance, in seventeen o five, a division of the 118 00:08:04,640 --> 00:08:08,000 Speaker 1: Russian military took a stand against the beard tax and 119 00:08:08,120 --> 00:08:12,440 Speaker 1: launched an open rebellion in the town of Ostrahan. They 120 00:08:12,480 --> 00:08:16,480 Speaker 1: refused to shave, pay the tax or where foreign clothing 121 00:08:16,520 --> 00:08:19,480 Speaker 1: of any kind, claiming that to do so would be 122 00:08:19,520 --> 00:08:23,160 Speaker 1: an insult both to God and to their Russian heritage. 123 00:08:23,600 --> 00:08:26,800 Speaker 1: Their small scale revolt was put down with ease, but 124 00:08:27,000 --> 00:08:29,960 Speaker 1: hundreds of rebels were killed in the process, which of 125 00:08:30,000 --> 00:08:34,520 Speaker 1: course made Peter and his beard tax look pretty bad. Nonetheless, 126 00:08:34,760 --> 00:08:39,440 Speaker 1: the unpopular tax remained on the books until seventeen seventy two, 127 00:08:39,840 --> 00:08:43,120 Speaker 1: nearly fifty years after the death of Peter the Great. 128 00:08:43,760 --> 00:08:47,480 Speaker 1: It was finally repealed by Catherine the Great, much to 129 00:08:47,559 --> 00:08:51,320 Speaker 1: the delight of her subjects. If you're like me, you're 130 00:08:51,440 --> 00:08:54,920 Speaker 1: probably thinking an authentic Russian beard token would be a 131 00:08:54,960 --> 00:08:58,319 Speaker 1: pretty cool curio to add to your collection, But Alas, 132 00:08:58,559 --> 00:09:01,400 Speaker 1: most of the coins were eventually melted down once the 133 00:09:01,440 --> 00:09:04,520 Speaker 1: tax had been repealed, and only a few thousand are 134 00:09:04,559 --> 00:09:08,120 Speaker 1: known to exist today. Still, it couldn't hurt to keep 135 00:09:08,160 --> 00:09:13,480 Speaker 1: an eye on eBay just in case. I'm Gabe Blusier 136 00:09:13,720 --> 00:09:16,720 Speaker 1: and hopefully you now know a little more about history 137 00:09:16,840 --> 00:09:21,120 Speaker 1: today than you did yesterday. If you enjoy today's episode 138 00:09:21,160 --> 00:09:23,480 Speaker 1: and you want to see a beard token for yourself, 139 00:09:23,960 --> 00:09:27,240 Speaker 1: check us out on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at t 140 00:09:27,320 --> 00:09:31,040 Speaker 1: d i HC Show, And if you have any comments 141 00:09:31,120 --> 00:09:34,200 Speaker 1: or suggestions, feel free to pass them along by writing 142 00:09:34,200 --> 00:09:38,200 Speaker 1: to This Day at I heart media dot com. Thanks 143 00:09:38,200 --> 00:09:40,840 Speaker 1: to Chandler Mays for producing the show, and thank you 144 00:09:40,880 --> 00:09:43,880 Speaker 1: for listening. I'll see you back here again tomorrow for 145 00:09:43,960 --> 00:09:45,920 Speaker 1: another day in History class.