05/04/2022
Trivia Tuesday!
In 1572, the Dutch were in the midst of the Eighty Years' War, a protracted struggle against the Spanish. The Prince of Orange, William the Silent, led the Dutch forces into battle. According to Dutch legend, while the prince was sleeping in his tent one night, Spanish assassins lurked just outside.
Luckily, William’s pug, Pompey, was there to bark wildly and jump on his owner’s face. The Prince woke up and had his would-be assassins apprehended. Because of this, the Pug was considered the official dog of the House of Orange. The effigy of Prince William I above his tomb also features Pompey at his feet (although weirdly, that dog doesn’t have a flat face, leading some to believe that it was a different breed).
Later, when Prince William III came to England to rule with his wife Mary II, he brought his Pugs , who wore little orange ribbons to their master’s 1689 coronation.
