Roy"al*ist, n. [Cf. F. royaliste.] An adherent of a king (as of Charles I. in England, or of the Bourbons in france); one attached to monarchical government.

Where Ca'ndish fought, the Royalists prevailed.

Roy"al*ist, n. [Cf. F. royaliste.] An adherent of a king (as of Charles I. in England, or of the Bourbons in france); one attached to monarchical government.

Where Ca'ndish fought, the Royalists prevailed.

• From French: roi, king.
  
• From Old French roial, from Latin regalis.
  
• A monarchist (supporter of monarchy) or supporter of a particular royal regime.
  
• Can carry the connotation of a legitimist, a supporter of a particular royal line, especially one in danger of being dispossessed of a throne or actually dispossessed of such, and claiming to have the better claim to the throne on the basis of line of descent.
  
• Especially:
       
• a Cavalier, a supporter of King Charles I of England during the English Civil War
       
• a supporter of the House of Bourbon, in France since the 18th century and especially during the French Revolution
       
• a supporter of Ferdinand VII of Spain in Spanish South America during the South American Wars of Independence of the 1810s and 1820s.