Meanwhile the bishop of Wuerzburg had regained his former power in the duchy, and this was confirmed in 1168 by the emperor Frederick I. The title remained in abeyance until the early years of the 15th century, when it was assumed by John II., bishop of Wuerzburg, and retained by his successors until the bishopric was secularized in 1802. The greater part of the lands were united with Bavaria, and the name Franconia again fell into abeyance. It was revived in 1837, when Louis I., king of Bavaria, gave to three northern portions of his kingdom the names of Upper, Middle and Lower Franconia. In 1633 Bernhard, duke of Saxe-Weimar, hoping to create a principality for himself out of the ecclesiastical lands, had taken the title of duke of Franconia, but his hopes were destroyed by his defeat at Noerdlingen in 1634. When Germany was divided into circles by the emperor Maximilian I. in 1500, the name Franconia was given to that circle which included the eastern part of the old duchy. The lands formerly comprised in the duchy of Franconia are now divided between the kingdoms of Bavaria and Wuerttemberg, the grand-duchies of Baden and Hesse, and the Prussian province of Hesse-Nassau. See J. G. ab Eckhart, _Commentarii de rebus Franciae orientalis et episcopatus Wirceburgensis_ (Wuerzburg, 1729); F. Stein, _Geschichte Frankens_ (Schweinfurt, 1885-1886); T. Henner, _Die herzogliche Gewalt der Bischoefe von Wuerzburg_ (Wuerzburg, 1874). FRANCS-ARCHERS. The institution of the _francs-archers_ was the first attempt at the formation of regular infantry in France. They were created by the ordinance of Montils-les-Tours on the 28th of August 1448, which prescribed that in each parish an archer should be chosen from among the most apt in the use of arms; this archer to be exempt from the _taille_ and certain obligations, to practise shooting with the bow on Sundays and feast-days, and to hold himself ready to march fully equipped at the first signal. Under Charles VII. the _francs-archers_ distinguished themselves in numerous battles with the English, and assisted the king to drive them from France. During the succeeding reigns the institution languished, and finally disappeared in the middle of the 16th century. The _francs-archers_ were also called _francs-taupins_. See Daniel, _Histoire de la milice francaise_ (1721); and E. Boutaric, _Institutions militaires de la France avant les armees permanentes_ (1863).