Origins in the Tudor Court
The story of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel begins in the 16th century. Small spaniels were popular as "comforter" dogs, often used to keep ladies warm in drafty castles. They appear in countless paintings by masters like Titian and Gainsborough, sitting on the laps of royalty and aristocracy.
The King Charles Connection
The breed gained its name and legendary status from King Charles I and his son, King Charles II. It is said that King Charles II was rarely seen without two or three of these small spaniels at his heels. He was so devoted to them that he issued a royal decree—which supposedly still stands today—that these spaniels were permitted in any public place, including the Houses of Parliament.
The Victorian Transformation
By the 19th century, the "Toy Spaniel" began to change. Breeders started crossing them with Pugs and Japanese Chins, resulting in a flatter face and a domed skull. This became known as the King Charles Spaniel (or "English Toy Spaniel"). The original long-nosed spaniel seen in the old paintings almost vanished.
Restoring the Cavalier
In 1926, an American named Roswell Eldridge offered a prize of 25 pounds at the Crufts Dog Show for any breeder who could produce a spaniel with the long face and flat skull seen in the Van Dyck paintings of King Charles II. This led to the revival of the "Old Type" spaniel, which was officially recognized as the "Cavalier King Charles Spaniel" to distinguish it from its flat-faced cousin.