Sture

Sture (Swedish: [ˈstʉ̌ːrɛ]) was a name borne by three distinct but interrelated noble families in Sweden in the Late Middle Ages and Early Modern Period. It was originally a nickname, meaning 'haughty, proud' (compare the Swedish word stursk and the Old Norse and Icelandic personal name Sturla), but later became a surname. Particularly famous are the three regents (Swedish: riksföreståndare) from these families who ruled Sweden in succession during the fifty-year period between 1470 and 1520, namely: Sten Sture the Elder, regent 1470–1497 and 1501–1503 Svante Nilsson, regent 1504–1512 Sten Sture the Younger, regent 1512–1520 The Sture families are remembered in the names of Sturegatan ('Sture Street') and Stureplan ('Sture Square') in central Stockholm, and by the Sten Sture Monument in Uppsala, as well as Sture Cheese, which is produced by a dairy in Sävsjö, close to the main seat of the 'Younger Sture' family at Eksjöhovgård.