Beard tax
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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
References
- ^ Sharpe, M. E. (1967), Challenge, Vol 2, New York University Institute of Economic Affairs, p. 14
- ^ Fashions in Hair: The first five thousand years, Richard Corson, published 1965 by Peter Owen Ltd, ISBN 0 7206 3283 8 - page 220
- ^ "Smithsonian Rare Russian Coin Collection Seeks Exhibition Sponsor". America.gov. Archived from the original on 2011-10-13. Retrieved 2011-12-23.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Florenskiĭ, Pavel Aleksandrovich (1997), The Pillar and the Ground of Truth, Princeton University Press, p. 535, ISBN 978-0-691-03243-6
- ^ Numismatic Chronicle, vol. vii., pp. 153—155, 1845
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