Toy Spaniels
History indicates that Toy Spaniels developed independently in England, Europe and Asia simultaneously. Today we have 5 distinctly different modern pure breeds descending directly from these ancient Spaniels.
The line between Spaniels (Toy) and Spaniels (Sporting) historically dates back to over one thousand years ago to the days of using dogs for hunting. We shall consider these Toy Spaniels in the continents where they first originated.
The Toy Spaniels of England were created for benefit of the English aristocracy. The canons of Canute established Forest Laws in 1014 AD, reserving large areas of country for hunting for 'the King's princely delight and pleasure'. The 'middle class' was only allowed to keep a dog which was small enough to creep through a 7 inch gauge like the one pictured below, because then the Spaniel was considered too small to hunt[1]. This created the Toy Spaniels in England.
Asian and European (Continental) Toy Spaniels
Historically, the borders between the countries that now make up the continents of Asia and Europe were constantly changing. So this section is a combination of three breeds which had their origins in the former Asia and Continental Europe. It is likely that these three breeds are derivatives of small hunting Spaniels. Some sources believe the Asian Toy Spaniel was the ancestor of all Toy Spaniels like this grave image from around 200 AD which was worshipped in ancient Chinese temples.