ARCHDUKE

ARCHDUKE, Archidux, a duke vested with somequality, pre-eminence, and authority above other dukes.

See DUKE.

The Archduke of Austria is a very ancient title. Therehave also been archdukes of Lorraine, and Brabant. Austria was erected into a margraviate by Otho, or Henry I, and into a duchy by Friedrich in 1156: But wedon't well know when, nor why the title Archduchy wasgiven it. It's commonly held, that Duke Friedrich IV first assumed the quality; Others, that it was given bythe Emperor Maximilian I, in 1459; and ample privileges annexed to it. The principal thereof are, that the archduke shall distribute justice in his own dominions, withoutappeal; that he shall be judged to have received the investiture of his states, after having demanded it three times; and cannot be deprived of his countries, even bythe emperor and the states of the empire; that no affair of the empire can be concluded without his participation; and that he has a power of creating counts, barons, and gentlemen, throughout the whole empire: which are privileges to which the other dukes of the empire are strangers. ARCHE, among physicians, the beginning of a disease. See DISEASE. ARCHED LEGS, is an imperfection in a horse; when being in his natural position, he has his legs bent forwards; and his whole leg makes a kind of arch or bow. SeeHorse. It usually arises from excessive labor, whereby theback sinews are made to shrink up so that the legs remain arched, and tremble after a little riding. Though thedisorder is sometimes natural to them.



ARCHERS, a kind of militia or soldiery, armed with bows and arrows. See ARM, MILITIA, etc.

They were much in use in former times; but are nowlaid aside, excepting in Turkey, and some of the Easterncountries; where there are companies of archers still onfoot in their armies.

The name archer, however, is still retained evenwhere the thing is lost: Thus, in France, the officerswho attend the provosts, to make captures, seizures, arrests, etc., are called archers; though their arms be only halberds or carbines. In this sense they say, the archersof the Grand Provost de l'Hotel, of the Provost des Marchands, the city archers; the archers du guet, or of thewatch, etc. They also have their Archers des Pauvres, Archers of the Poor; whose office is to seize such beggars as they findin the streets, and carry them to the hospitals.

The word is formed from the Latin arcus, a bow; whencearcuarius, equites, and even arquis, as we sometimes read it in the corrupt state of that Tongue.
Varro observes, that Archer originally signified a brigand, orhighwayman.

ARCHDUKE