Discover Peter the Great's Quirky Side: Top 6 Unbelievable Fun Facts You Never Knew!

1. Peter's Party Crew

When Peter the Great wasn't busy ruling, he moonlighted as the master of madcap antics and jesters-gone-wild: This quirky tsar established a club called The All-Joking, All-Drunken Synod of Fools and Jesters, consisting of influential men and real clergymen, but it ruffled some Russian Orthodox feathers by appearing to ridicule the Church.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

2. Shave or Pay the Price

In a hair-raising turn of events, Peter the Great unleashed a razor-sharp revolution on Russian fashion and scruff: In the early 1700s, he issued decrees mandating the wearing of Western-style clothing and the shaving of beards and mustaches for nobles, government officials, and citizens in Moscow and provincial cities, prompting backlash from those who viewed his reforms as a sin against their religion.
Source => westshore.edu

Did you know the ultimate queen of equestrian glamour was the fierce Catherine the Great? Discover her fashionable Life Guard uniform in a famous 1771 painting now housed in the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen! 🎨👑🐎

=> Fun Facts about Catherine-The-Great

3. Peter's FOMO Palace

In a fit of FOMO worthy of a modern Instagram influencer, Peter the Great went into full "anything you can do, I can do better" mode in response to Louis XIV's Palace of Versailles: This competitive enthusiasm led to the construction of the Peterhof Palace and gardens, a grand architectural ensemble recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, boasting more than 173 fountains that highlight Peter's passion for hydraulics and engineering.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

4. Beard Tax Troubles

In an era where "shave it or pay" was the buzz, Russian men faced the ultimate beard-n dilemma: To sport their whiskers, they had to pay a fur-tunate sum to their emperor, Peter the Great: Enforcing a beard tax in the 18th century, Peter tried to trim Russian society to align with Western European style, compelling subjects to either part ways with their beloved facial hair or cough up cash based on their socio-economic status – a hairy situation, indeed!
Source => en.wikipedia.org

5. New Year Tree Tradition

Before decking the halls, Peter the Great was sprucing up the streets: He officially decreed in 1699 that Fir tree, pine, and juniper branches and trees should be used to decorate houses and gateways during New Year's celebrations, effectively introducing the tradition of the New Year tree to Russia, which persisted through the Soviet era and remains a beloved part of their culture today.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

6. Peter's Meritocracy

From standardized school testing to the OG social ladder: Peter the Great was all about leveling the playing field in Russia by requiring education for kids aged 10 to 15 in the circles of nobility and civil service. He also introduced the Table of Ranks, a system that promoted officials based on their merit in serving the Emperor, rather than their family ties.
Source => en.wikipedia.org