History

(Latin Archicancellarius)

Effective

An archichancellor is the highest chancellor of a major chancery

See also Grand chancellor A GRAND GREAT CHANCELLOR (or GREAT CHANCELLOR) is a Chancellor whose title is made loftier, compare Archchancellor. ...

Honorary

In the Holy Roman empire, the style Erzkanzler (literally archchancellor) was one of the Erzamter awarded as high profile sinecures to the Prince-Electors, and the only one with multiple incidence : there were three of them, being the ecclesiastic electors, i.e. the archbishops of Aachen, Mainz (Mayence) and Trier, officially in chief of three former Frankish kingdoms (including Burgundy)

Fiction

In the Discworld novels of Terry Pratchett, the Archchancellor is the head of Unseen University, the Disc's premier college of magic, situated in Ankh-Morpork. The Discworld is a series of over 30 novels by Terry Pratchett set on the Discworld. ... Terence David John Pratchett OBE (known to some fans as Pterry, following the convention he used in his book Pyramids where characters were given names such as Ptraci and Pteppic) is an English fantasy author (born April 28, 1948, in Beaconsfield, Bucks), best known for his Discworld series. ... Unseen University (UU) is a school of wizardry in the fictional Discworld city of Ankh-Morpork. ... Look up Magic in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Magic may mean: Magic (paranormal), influence through supernatural, mystical, or paranormal means Magic and religion, the relationship between paranormal magic and religion Magic (gaming), paranormal magic as used in games Magic (Harry Potter), paranormal magic in the Harry Potter series Magic (illusion... Coat of arms: A shield, quartered by a river (the Ankh) and tower (the Tower of Art). ...

The Archchancellor is described as being the head of all magic in the same way the Queen is the head of the Commonwealth. That is, he has a lot of potential power but little actual power. Queen Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor), styled HM The Queen (born 21 April 1926) is the Queen regnant of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and... The Commonwealth of Nations is an association of independent sovereign states, almost all of which are former colonies once governed by the United Kingdom as part of the British Empire. ...

Nevertheless, the Archchancellor is considered an important figure and holds a seat on the Ankh-Morpork council (although this council itself has no power either). He is a sort of magical adviser to the Patrician of Ankh-Morpork as well. Lord Havelock Vetinari is the Patrician of Ankh-Morpork, the head of the fictional city state of Ankh-Morpork in Terry Pratchetts Discworld series. ...

The Archchancellor is elected on the Eve of Small Gods. Well, not exactly elected, because wizards don't have any truck with the undignified business of voting, and it is well known that Archchancellors are selected by the gods (which wizards don't believe in). The double doors to the Great Hall are locked and triple-barred. An incoming Archchancellor has to request entry three times before they will be unlocked, signifying that he is appointed with the consent of wizardry in general. This process seems to satirise the election of the Pope. Gandalf, from The Lord of the Rings, is an example of a well-known, traditional literary wizard. ... The Pope is the Catholic Bishop and patriarch of Rome, and head of the Catholic Church. ...

In more recent times, the lifespan of Archchancellors has been seen to be a bit on the short side, as wizardry's natural ambition took its toll. Unseen University has been in existence for thousands of years, and the average Archancellor remains in office for about eleven months.

Unseen University has had many different kinds of Archchancellor over the years - big ones, small ones, cunning ones, slightly insane ones, extremely insane ones - they've come, they've served (in some cases not long enough for anyone to complete their official portrait) and they've died. The senior wizard in a world of magic has the same prospects of long-term employment as a pogo-stick tester in a minefield.

It should be noted that Mustrum Ridcully, incumbent Archchancellor at the time of the last Discworld novel, Going Postal, seems to have had a very successful and above all, injury free career as Archchancellor. This might possibly have something to do with his habit of springing up behind would-be assassins, shouting loudly at them and banging their head repeatedly in the door. Mustrum Ridcully is a fictional character in the Discworld novels of Terry Pratchett. ...

There is also an Archchancellor at Bugarup University on the continent of Fourecks. At last account, this was Bill Rincewind. When the two Archchancellors met, Ridcully was careful to refer to his counterpart without the capital - as 'archchancellor'. Bugarup is the apparent capital or principal city of Fourecks, the Australia-like continent in Terry Pratchetts Discworld series. ... XXXX or FourEcks (previously known as Terror Incognita) is the name of the Australia-like continent seen in the Discworld novel The Last Continent by Terry Pratchett. ...

List of former Archchancellors (referenced in Discworld canon):

• Alberto Malich (founder of the university)
• William Badger
• Bewdley
• Buckleby
• Ezrolith Churn (very old, Archchancellor in Eric)
• Cutangle (Archchancellor in Equal Rites.)
• 'Trouter' Hopkins
• Scrawn
• Galder Weatherwax (304th, in The Light Fantastic. Distant relative of Esmerelda Weatherwax.
• Ymper Trymon (305th Archchancellor, went mad with power in The Light Fantastic
• Virrid Wayzygoose (Archchancellor-elect; killed by Coin the Sourcerer before he was invested.)