Sten Sture the Younger

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**Sten Sture, den yngre**

Regency	1512 - February 5, 1520
Family	Sture
Consort	Christina Gyllenstierna
Predecessor	Erik Trolle
Successor	Christian II
Date of Birth	1493
Place of Birth	unknown
Date of Death	February 5, 1520
Place of Death	On the ice of lake Mälaren
Place of Burial	Corpse exhumed and burned at the Stockholm Bloodbath.

Sten Sture the Younger, or Sten Sture den yngre, Lord of Ekesiö (1493 - 3 February 1520), was 1512 - February 5, 1520 Swedish statesman and regent of Sweden, under the era of Kalmar Union.

[edit] Life

He was born in 1493, as the son of regent Svante Nilsson, a descendant of the Sture of Ekesiö family, and Iliana Gisladotter Gädda, heiress of Ulvåsa.

At the death of his father, the regent Svante, young Sten was only 18 years old. High Councillor Eric Trolle was chosen as regent by the council - he supported union with Denmark. However, young Sten utilized the castles and troops fiefed to him by his late father and made a coup. After Sten promised to continue union negotiations with Denmark, the High Council accepted him as regent instead of Trolle.

In reality, lord Sten's purpose was to keep Sweden independent of Denmark. He took the Sture name, heritage from his great-grandmother, because it symbolized independence of Sweden as reminder of Sten Sture the Elder, his father's third cousin.

Regent Sten knew that sooner or later, a war with John I of Denmark (died 1513) and his son and successor Christian II will be inevitable. Therefore he in 1513 agreed to a truce with Russia.

A conflict arose between Regent Sten and archbishop Gustav Trolle, son of Eric Trolle. The archbishop claimed more autonomy to the church. Regent Sten had the archbishop deposed and imprisoned.

Finally, Christian II started an invasion to Sweden. Regent Sten was mortally wounded at the battle of Bogesund on January 19, 1520, in the last part of Christian II of Denmark's war against Sweden, and died on the ice of lake Mälaren on his way back to Stockholm.

Christian II was enthroned in Sweden and archbishop Gustav had his revenge against supporters of Sture and againat those who deposed the archbishop: he listed those enemies and accusations against them, dubbing them as heretics. King Christian had those accused be executed at the Stockholm bloodbath in late months of 1520, including Sten Sture's corpse which was desecrated as heretic's (burnt at stake).

His marriage to Christina Gyllenstierna, great-granddaughter of King Charles VIII, in 1511 produced the son Svante Stensson Sture, later elevated to be 1st Count Sture, Count of Stegeholm. In 20th century, his distant direct descendant, Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha married the Hereditary Prince of Sweden, and with Sibylla's son, King Carl XVI Gustav of Sweden, Sten Sture the younger's blood returned to the Swedish throne.