Sture, Sten, the Elder

STURE, Sten, the Elder. - Swedish politician, b. around 1442, d. 14 Dec. 1503 at Jönköping. Related, through his mother, to King Karl Knutsson, he was designated by the latter on his deathbed as his testamentary executor and as administrator of his castles and fiefs (Stockholm, Åbo, Örebro).

This further strengthened his already strong political position and made possible in 1470, a few weeks after the King's death, his appointment as regent (Riksföreståndare). This evolution of Swedish domestic politics was not welcome to Christian I of Denmark, who sought to force the Swedes by armed might to recognize the Union of Kalmar, but the King's army was disastrously routed by S.'s forces on 10 Oct. 1471 in the battle of Brunkeberg. But Christian, having gone some years later to Rome, did not renounce his claims to Sweden and succeeded in persuading Pope Sixtus IV to intervene in favor of Queen Dorothea, widow of Christopher of Bavaria, formerly sovereign of the Nordic kingdoms, from whom S. had had the dowry confiscated. The death of Christian, which occurred in 1481, put everything to rest, and S. succeeded in consolidating his power at the expense of the nobles. The latter, greatly discontented with the heavy fiscal burdens to which S. had subjected them, in 1497 turned for help to King John of Denmark, who came to Sweden with an army, defeated S. and had himself crowned king. In 1500 S., taking advantage of a serious defeat suffered by John in Germany, nevertheless succeeded in obtaining the regency again.

Silvio Furlani