Sture, Sten, the Elder c.1440-1503
Swedish regent

On the death of his uncle, King Karl VIII Knutsson (1470), who had opposed the Kalmar Union and attempts to keep all the Scandinavian realms under one (Danish) monarch, he proclaimed himself regent. He strengthened his position by defeating his opponents in the Swedish Council and the Danish King Kristian I at Brunkeberg (1471), and ruled for 27 years. In 1497 King Hans of Denmark and Norway resumed the struggle successfully and Sten relinquished power, although he served as Hans's court master. In 1501 the Swedes rebelled against the Danes and Sten became regent again until his death. Older Swedish histories depicted him as a selfless patriot fighting for Sweden's independence, but more recent studies present him as a ruthless opportunist with a driving personal ambition.