Cavalier….the supporter of King Charles I…
The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel has a unique history, and luckily -unlike with many breeds- its history is not shrouded in mystery. Its origin can be traced back through its name, which is also quite unique. Cavalier means: a Royalist supporter of King Charles I, during the period of the English Civil War (1642?1651). In the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries the King Charles Spaniel was an immensely popular little dog. Notice here, that it was not cavalier here yet. It was the favourite dog of King Charles II of England. These little dogs enjoyed the splendour of popularity only until the small, flat-faced Asian breeds like the Pug and the Shitzu were introduced into the royal families. Sadly, the original King Charles Spaniels – from whom the Cavalier King Charles Spaniels gained their wonderful gene-pool- lost their poularity somewhat. However with time, the King Chalres Spaniels crossed with the small Asian breeds to create an interesting, and flatter faced dog. Some 400 years ago, before they were crossed with the Asian breeds, the King Charles Spaniels were longer limbed and had pointier noses.
With centuries passing, the Euro-Asian mixture gained popularity and the King Charles Spaniel was looked upon fondly as a companion toy dog. Then in the early 20th century the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel was born. How? well in the 1920’s an American decided to give anyone the sum of 25 pounds if the King Charles Spaniel could be reverted back to its original form (before the pugs and Shitzu’s took over the gene-pool of the spaniel). This was a lot of money back then. Breeders re-bred the specific spaniel that resembled the favorite pet of King Charles II from the existing King Chalres Spaniel. With a longer snout, a flatter head and a spot on the top of the skull, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel was born…..and so the name Cavalier was added…meaning: a supporter of King Chalres..and in this case…a supporter of the original breed of the King Charles Spaniel. Rather amazing isn’t it?
The King Charles Spaniel with the flatter nose inherited from the Pug gene-pool:
The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel….minus the pug-nose…
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king charles r u the prettiest i have 2 (precious and winston)