During The Revolutionary War, a Loyalist was a colonist who remained loyal to the British government at the start of the American Revolution..Loyalists were also called Tories. They may have been motivated by a variety of factors, including fear of the unknown, loyalty to the British Empire, or economic self-interest. The most vocal, and the most visible Loyalists were the wealth and political elites of the colonies including judges, royally appointed governors and council members, Anglicans, and wealthy merchants who feared that independence from Britain would bring economic chaos.