Archduke (feminine: Archduchess; German: Erzherzog, feminine form: Erzherzogin) was the title borne from 1358 to the 16th century by the Hapsburg rulers of the Archduchy of Austria. By the 16th century, the title "archduke" was used all senior members of that dynasty beyond the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire and through the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It denotes a rank within the former Holy Roman Empire (962–1806), which was below that of Emperor and King but above that of a Grand Duke (debatably), Duke and Prince.
The territory ruled by an Archduke or Archduchess was called an Archduchy. All remaining Archduchies ceased to exist in 1918.
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