Archduke

Archduke (Ger. Erzherzog). Archduke and archduchess are titles now borne by all the sons and daughters of an emperor of Austria, and by their descendants through the male line. The title of archduke was gradually assumed, since 1359, by the Dukes of Austria, as a mark of precedence over the other dukes of the empire, and was formally conferred on them by the Emperor Frederick III. in 1453, who himself, as duke, was the first recipient of the imperial gift.