Maltese History
Queen Elizabeth I ruled from 1558-1603. She had a Maltese that she kept as a companion and lap warmer. The Maltese dog breed has been a favorite of royalty and the aristocracy throughout history and is often pictured in their art.
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Mary, Queen of Scots ruled from 1542 to 1567. Her life was quite unstable; the only consistent thing in her life was her love of Maltese dogs. They were her constant companions from birth through to her reign on the throne.
It is likely that the little white lapdog was introduced to Malta by the Phoenicians, who ruled the Mediterranean before the rise of Greece. Historians have constructed lively theories setting the Maltese’s birthplace everywhere from Egypt to the Alps. Maltese scholarship regularly cites terriers, spaniels, or even spitzes as antecedents, but many fanciers insist that the Maltese is indigenous to Malta, is its own type, and is a contributor to other canine varieties.