ARCH-CHANCELLOR, Archicancellarius, a Great Chancellor, who anciently presided over the notaries, that is, the secretaries of a court. See CHANCELLOR.
This office chiefly obtained in France, under the two first races of their kings; and afterwards under the empire:As they had three several Territories, Germany, Italy, and Arles; they had three Arch-Chancellors;and hence the three arch chancellors still subsisting in Germany, theArchbishop of Mainz being Arch-Chancellor of Germany,the Archbishop of Cologne of Italy, and the Archbishop of Trier of Arles.
Bern. de Mallinckroth, in an express treatise De Archi-Cancellariis Imperii Romani,shows that these three archbishops were Arch-Chancellors before they were Electors—We also read of Arch-Chancellors of Burgundy, etc.
ARCH-CHANCELLOR
- Details
- Written by: Ephraïm Chambers
- Category: Unclassified