STURE, Sten, the Younger. - Swedish politician, b. ca. 1493, d. 3 February 1520. Son of Svante Nilsson, who after Sten Sture the Elder had been regent from 1504 to 1512, he had at his father's death few prospects of succeeding him in the office.
The Council of the Realm had in fact openly declared itself in favor of Erik Trolle, who favored a policy of détente toward Denmark. But S., who was able to avail himself of the experience of his father's old councillors, and whom his father had placed in possession of the country's most important fortresses, opposed the designation by the Council of the Realm, which in July 1512 was therefore forced to entrust the regency to him. Once in power, his first concern was to strengthen himself in it. Against the treacherous collaboration of the Council and the nobles, he appealed to the people, with whose help he established in the country a veritable personal dictatorship. He admitted no political power other than his own, and when the new archbishop Gustav Trolle (son of the man who had sought to block his regency) refused to hand over to him the family fortress of Stäket, he had it besieged and destroyed. The archbishop himself was imprisoned, but was freed in 1518 through the intervention of the papal legate Arcimboldi. Christian II of Denmark, taking advantage of Sweden's internal political conditions, in 1520 seized the pretext of the interdict and papal excommunication against S., pronounced after the sending to Rome of a detailed report by Trolle, to invade the country and install himself on the throne of Sweden. S., wounded in battle, died a few days later.
Bibliography3 works
Silvio Furlani