Royalist

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A Royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monorchical system of government, but not necessarily a particular monarch. Most often, the term royalist is applied to a supporter of a current regime or one that has been recently overthrown to form a republic.

In the UK today, the term is almost indistinguishable from monarchist, because there are no significant rival claimants to the throne. Conversely, in 19th-century France, a royalist might be either a Legitimist or an Orléanist.

More specifically, it may refer to:

• A Cavalier, the nickname given to supporters of King Charles I (and later King Charles II) during the English Civil War.
• A supporter of the continued existence and acknowledgement of the British Royal Family.
  • In Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the other Commonwealth Realms, a supporter of the continued sovereignty of their countries monarch ^[1]
• A supporter of the House of Bourbon.
  • Chouan, a royalist group during the French Revolution.
  • Legitimists, French royalists upholding Salic Law.
  • Orléanists, who, in late 18th- and 19th century France, supported the Orléanist branch of the French royal family, which came to power in the July Revolution.
  • Ultra-royalists, a nineteenth-century reactionary faction of the French parliament.
• Supporters of the return of Leopold III as King of the Belgians after the Second World War, also called Leopoldists.
• A supporter of Ferdinand VII of Spain during the South American Wars of Independence.
• A member of the Estonian Royalist Party.
• A Loyalist or Tory during the American Revolution
• Ships:
  • HMS Royalist
  • The Royalist
  • TS Royalist

[edit] Notes

1. ^ This refers to the Crown as shared amongst the kingdoms of the Commonwealth in a personal union relationship.