The New International Encyclopædia/Sture

STURE, stōō're. A noble family of Sweden which played a very prominent part in the affairs of that country in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries and became extinct in 1616. Its chief representatives were: (1) Sten Sture the Elder (d.1503). He was a son of Gustaf Sture and the nephew of King Charles VIII., on whose death, in 1470, he became Regent of Sweden, in spite of the opposition of the Swedish nobility, who supported the claims of Christian I. of Denmark. He defeated the Danish King in the battle of Brukeberg, near Stockholm (1471). He introduced printing, and founded the University of Upsala (1477). In 1497 he was forced to resign his place to John of Denmark, but regained power in 1501 and ruled till his death (1503). He was followed by (2) Swante Nillson Sture, a kinsman, who also kept the Danes and the nobility in check and died in 1512. (3) The latter's son, Sten Sture the Younger, aided by the peasantry, foiled the plan of the nobles to place Trolle, one of their own number, in power, gained the Regency for himself, twice defeated (1517 and 1518) Gustaf Sture, Archbishop of Upsala, whom he had deposed in 1517, and was himself defeated and mortally wounded in a battle against Christian II. of Denmark at Bogesund in 1520. His widow, Christina Gyllenstierna, held Stockholm until the new King guaranteed a constitutional government. (4) His son, Swante Sture, though a loyal partisan of the House of Vasa, was murdered by Eric XIV. (1567).