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 under the rigid machinery of fines and forfeiture imposed by the feudal law should they fail in fulfilling their obligations. In May 1369 Sir Archibald appears in a new character, as ambassador to the French court in connection with the divorce suit against Margaret Drummond, the wife of David II, which she had carried by appeal to the pope at Avignon. This embassy, the accounts of which are in the Exchequer Records, was costly but unsuccessful, for the queen gained her suit. At the coronation of Robert II, at Scone, on 26 March 1371, Sir Archibald took the oath of fealty and joined in the declaration in favour of the Earl of Carrick as heir-apparent. He was then sent on a special embassy to announce Robert's succession and renew the French alliance, along with Walter Trail, bishop of Glasgow, which was done by a treaty signed by Charles V at Vincennes on 30 June and by Robert II on 21 Oct. On his return to Scotland Sir Archibald was chiefly occupied with his duties as warden, now doing his best to keep the peace and obtain safe passage for Scottish merchants, and at another time taking part in the skirmishes which chequered the apparent truce, as in that with Sir Thomas Musgrave near Berwick, in 1377, in which he assisted his chief the first earl. His personal prowess in wielding a two-handed sword two ells in length, which no other man could lift, is specially noticed by Froissart. In 1380 he was one of the commissioners who negotiated the prolongation of the truce of 1369 till Candlemas 1384 with John of Gaunt and the English commission, and when Gaunt came to Scotland Sir Archibald joined with the Earl of Douglas in securing his favourable reception.

On the expiry of the truce he led an expedition against Lochmaben, one of the chief strongholds of the border, supported by the Earls of Douglas and March, and succeeded in enforcing its capitulation on 4 Feb. 1384. Shortly after this he entered into an agreement with Henry Percy for a truce till July, and he appears as one of the commissioners at Ayton when this truce was renewed from July till October. In November he was at the parliament at Holyrood and undertook to maintain justice in Galloway while protesting for the observance of the special customs of that district. When in 1385 the war was renewed with the aid of the French contingent of men and arms brought over by Sir John de Vienne, Sir Archibald took part in the English raids which ended ingloriously through the unwillingness of the Scottish commanders, the Earls of Douglas and March, to risk a battle. In that which took place after the departure of the French against Cockermouth, Sir Archibald, as was natural from his office of warden, was the principal leader. It also resulted only in plunder. When the great muster was made in 1388 to invade England, Sir Archibald, at the head of the largest part of the Scotch force, was sent to the western frontier, while the Earl of Douglas was detached to make a diversion and the first attack on the east marches. The earl, though he gained a brilliant victory, lost his life at Otterburn.

As he left no legitimate issue, Sir Archibald succeeded to the Douglas estates under the entail of 1342, and a claim to a portion of them by Sir Malcolm Drummond, husband of the late earl's sister, was declared groundless in the parliament of April 1389. In the summer of this year, along with Robert, earl of Fife, the king's brother, he invaded England, and challenged the earl marshal, who during the captivity of the Percies had become warden of the English marches, to a single combat or a pitched battle; but both challenges were declined. Towards the close of the year and again in 1391 Sir Archibald, after April 1385 styled Earl of Douglas, favoured the negotiations, which resulted in including Scotland in the peace between England and France. This peace, which was continued till 1400, left him to the more ordinary duties of a warden, the adjustment of disputes, the reclaiming of fugitives, and the acting as umpire in duels. A special code of the laws of the marches was prepared by him, and when renewed and promulgated in 1448 was called the ‘Statutes and Customs of the Marches in tyme of War which had been ordered to be kept in the days of Black Archibald of Douglas and his son’ (Acts Parl. i. 714–16). In the last year of his life he arranged the marriage of his daughter Marjory to David, duke of Rothesay, the eldest son of Robert III. Rothesay had been previously promised in marriage to the daughter of the Earl of March, and the breach of this engagement led to the defection of that powerful noble, the rival in the borders of the house of Douglas, who now went over to the English interest and induced Henry IV to declare war against Scotland. March, with the aid of Henry Hotspur and Lord Thomas Talbot, at the head of two thousand men, attempted, but failed, to recover his estates and castle of Dunbar, which had been seized by Douglas. They were surprised at Cockburnspath and driven back with great slaughter by Archibald, the eldest son of the earl. In August 1401 Henry IV in person invaded Scotland, and besieged the castle of Edinburgh, which was defended