The Amalickiahites were a faction of Nephite dissenters who followed Amalickiah in his bid to be made king, active roughly between 73 BC and 65 BC. They were drawn largely from the lower judges of the land, who supported Amalickiah after he promised to make them rulers over the people, and many of them dissented from the church on the strength of his flattering words (Alma 46:1-10).
The group was named when Moroni rent his coat to make the title of liberty and prayed for the blessings of liberty on his people (Alma 46:11-13). The record also notes in the same passage that those who were true believers in Christ took upon them, gladly, the name of Christ, or Christians, in direct contrast to those who had dissented (Alma 46:14-16). Moroni then sent throughout the land and gathered all who wished to keep their liberty to stand against Amalickiah and those who had dissented, who were called Amalickiahites (Alma 46:28). When Amalickiah saw that Moroni’s people were more numerous, and that his own people were doubtful about the justice of their cause, he took those who would follow him and departed into the land of Nephi (Alma 46:29). Moroni put to death any of the remaining Amalickiahites who would not enter a covenant to support the cause of freedom, and few refused the covenant (Alma 46:35).
The Amalickiahites who left with their leader are later identified with the Lamanite armies, who were astonished at the Nephites’ preparation for war (Alma 49:9).