The history of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is inextricably
bound to the life of its benefactor, Great Britain's King Charles
II. The breed's name alone reminds us of the deep and abiding
affection the 17th-century "Merry Monarch" had for our little
spaniels. Held in such high royal favor, the dogs were frequently
included in portraiture and mentioned in the writings of the time.
Early evidence of the family affinity for the breed is Van Dyck's
painting of Charles and his siblings as youngsters. They are flanked
by two leggy but elegant spaniels with flat skulls, round eyes, long
noses and high-set ears. The spaniels appear to be of sporting and
sturdy frame. It is possible that the young children received the
dogs as gifts from their father, Charles I, who was also a great
fancier of the breed.
Charles I's black and white spaniel, Rogue, was with him at his
execution in 1649 and was actually stolen by the enemy and auctioned
as a great prize. Charles I was killed when his son, Charles II, was
just a boy. From the age of 9, Charles II was treated as ruler of a
troubled and divided realm, even when it seemed there was little
left to rule. He was in exile for many years and returned in 1660
after Oliver Cromwell's defeat to reclaim the throne.
As a king, Charles II's talent lay in calming and charming the
various warring religious factions, luring their financial and
military support while never actually promising his own allegiance
in return. The little spaniels must have been sweet solace and a
welcome distraction to a young man with the responsibility of so
much political juggling.
Samuel Pepys, the diarist, wrote of the good yet sometimes
flamboyant king "playing with his dogs all the while, and not
minding his business." Royal writer John Evelyn further noted in
1685: "He took great delight in having a number of little spaniels
follow him and lie in his bedchamber, where he often suffer'd the
bitches to puppy and give suck, which render'd it very offensive,
and indeed made the whole Court nasty and stinking."
From all indications, these litters whelped by Charles II
probably contained the same variation in type that persists today.
Plausible conjecture suggests that the larger, sturdier spaniels
with nose to hunt with were the ones chosen to go to battle and on
long royal missions with Charles. Their heartiness suited them well
for the long rides in smoky carriages or even for running behind the
horses as the troops faced lack of food or comfort. Many of the dogs
often sailed with Charles on his ship The Royal Charles and,
according to reports, none were housebroken.
The smaller, finer-boned dogs with Papillon-type heads were
probably presented to ladies of the court. These dogs are the silky
eared, beribboned little jewels that we see depicted on silk
cushions and in the laps of the royal family. In a painting circa
1665, Charles II's beloved sister, Henrietta, is shown with her
long, tapering fingers caressing an impossibly tiny spaniel. This
canine accessory gives her a look of delicacy that otherwise would
be lacking for the girl who some described as plain. Henrietta kept
a number of the very small spaniels and, upon her death, her
lady-in-waiting returned them to her brother's court.
During his years in exile, Charles II depended upon his
relatives, his wits, and past royalists to provide for him. During
this time, he was only able to bring a few of his precious spaniels
with him, and I am sure they were not always greeted with the
welcome that they enjoyed on their home turf. Little did his hosts
realize the great comfort that he took from having the dogs by him
during the gravest of times.
