The
Colony of Virginia (also known frequently as the
Virginia Colony, the
Province of Virginia, and occasionally as the
Dominion and Colony of Virginia or
Most Ancient Colloney and Dominion of Virginia) was the first
English colony in the world. American archaeologist
William Kelso says Virginia "is where the
British Empire began,... this was the first colony in the British Empire." The colony existed briefly during the 16th century, and then continuously from 1607 until the
American Revolution (as a
British colony after 1707). The name Virginia was first applied by
Sir Walter Raleigh and
Queen Elizabeth I in 1584. After the
English Civil War in the mid 17th century, the Virginia Colony was nicknamed "The Old Dominion" by
King Charles II for its perceived loyalty to the English monarchy during the era of the
Commonwealth of England.