THE STURE MURDERS

THE STURE MURDERS ~ SWEDEN 1567

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On the 24th May 1567, five incarcerated Swedish nobles, were executed by Erik XIV of Sweden.

Among the nobles, were three members of the influential Sture family.

At that time King Erik was in a state of serious mental disorder.

Although Erik distrusted the nobility as a whole, he became particularly suspicious of Nils Sture, who was arrested and tried.

Despite his many illegitimate children, Erik lacked a legal heir and feared that Sture might claim his throne.

The nobles and the Sture family, were charged with conspiracy against the King, and sentenced to death.

Nils Sture sentence was commuted to a humiliating drive through the streets of the capital.

On 15th June 1566, Sture rode through Stockholm on a cart wearing a crown of straw, with some of his wounds suffered from prior torture, still bleeding.

King Erik then sent Nils Sture to Lorraine, where he was to arrange the marriage of King Erik to Princess Renata.

In January 1567, he was accused, along with four others, of sabbotaging the kings marriage plans.

On 21st May, Nils Sture was arrested upon his return from Lorraine.

On 24th May, King Erik went to Nils Sture cell, and stabbed him, either in the chest or arm.

The murder was then finished by Peder Welamsson.

Before leaving the castle King Erik ordered the guards to kill everyone.

Nils Sture, Svante Sture, Erik Sture, Abraham Stenbock and Ivar Ivarsson were all killed.

King Erik's old tutor was also killed, when he tried to calm the King, after the initial murders.

Outside the castle, Erik's tutor found the king in a state of madness.

His Tutor's efforts to calm him were to no avail – instead, the King issued an order to kill his tutor also, then disappered into the woods.

The guards stabbed King Erik's tutor, to death.

King Erik did not return, but spent the following days wandering about the woods on his own.

Only on 27th May he was found, dressed as a peasant and still in mental disorder, at the village of Odensala and brought back to Stockholm.

The clothes worn by Svante, Nils and Erik Sture at the time of their deaths were kept by Svante's wife, and the mother of Nils and Erik.

These are now on display in Uppsala Cathedral's northern tower.

The jacket on the left, was worn by Stenson Sture, and is made of black silk velvet.

The jacket on the right, worn by Nils Sture, is made of leather with distinct stab marks from the muder weapon.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sture_murders

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https://ko-fi.com/thetudorintruders