Merino

The Merino is a breed or group of breeds of domestic sheep, characterised by very fine soft wool. It was originated in the Iberian Peninsula during the High Middle Ages, and was for several centuries kept as a strict Spanish monopoly; exports of the breed were not allowed, and those who tried risked capital punishment. During the eighteenth century, flocks were sent to the courts of a number of European countries, including France, Hungary, the Netherlands, Prussia, Saxony and Sweden.