Who were the English nobility that received large land grants in Eastern Virginia?

The English nobility who received substantial land grants in Eastern Virginia are known as Cavaliers. This term refers to a group of landowners who were often supporters of King Charles I during the English Civil War. Following their defeat in England, many Cavaliers settled in Virginia, where they were granted large tracts of land as a reward for their loyalty and to encourage the establishment of a plantation economy in the colony. Their arrival significantly influenced Virginia's social hierarchy and economic development, as they brought their customs, wealth, and methods of tobacco cultivation, which became the dominant crop of the region.

The other groups mentioned do not fit this context. The Pilgrims were Separatists who settled at Plymouth in 1620 and focused on religious freedom rather than land grants in Virginia. The Puritans, also seeking religious freedom, primarily settled in New England and were not associated with land grants in Virginia. Royalists, while they may refer to loyal supporters of the monarchy, do not specifically denote the nobility holding land in Virginia like the Cavaliers do.