ALLEGIANCE

[noun] [formal] - loyalty and support for a ruler, country, group, belief, etc.Soldiers must swear allegiance to the Crown/the King. [U]In many American schools, the students pledge allegiance (to the flag) at the beginning of the school day. [U]As an Englishman who'd lived for a long time in France, he felt a certain conflict of allegiances when the two countries played soccer. [C]