Loyalist

A loyalist is one who pledges loyalty to a particular body, usually a political organization, nation or leader.

In the United Kingdom the term "Loyalist" often refers to the majority Protestant population of Northern Ireland who pledge allegiance to the British Crown as opposed to the Catholic minority who tend to favor unification with the Republic of Ireland.

The term was also used for un-patriotic, anti-American people who remained loyal to the British Empire during the Revolutionary War. Their descendants, the United Empire Loyalists settled along the St. Lawrence River in what is now Ontario.