The dog's glamor

The origin of the Maltese is quite controversial, but no consensus as to its antiquity. Some historians attribute the inspiration for many Maltese drawings and sculptures found in excavations and documents dating from 4000 BC. There are also differences concerning the country of origin of the Maltese, with a stream of historians argues that, in fact, the Maltese dog would be an Asian, that would have been brought to Europe by nomads.
Despite the controversy, it is true that the Maltese have their first records in Europe in the fifteenth century, probably coming from the island of Malta, Italy, where they were used as 'currency' by the sailors. Its existence, however, was surrounded by many legends, including that attributed to its healing properties and the anti-rheumatic. So it was not difficult to find gloves or shawls made from the fur of the Maltese.

Anyway, regardless of their origin, it is known with certainty that the Maltese was developed with the sole purpose of being a companion dog and was widely adopted by European royalty as dogs 'neck'. The Queen Mary Stuart of Scotland, had his Maltese and gained enormous popularity in England.