Born abt 1440. Parents: Gustaf Anundsson Sture (Sjöblad family) and Birgitta Stensdotter (Bielke), who was a half-sister of Karl Knutsson.
Knight in 1462. Midsummer 1470 elected Regent. Gave up this position in 1497, when King Hans was elected. In Autumn 1501 Sten Sture was once again elected Regent. He died 14 of December 1503 in Jönköping.
Married 1467 to Ingeborg Åkesdotter (died 1503), daughter of Åke Axelsson (Tott) and Märta Bengtsdotter (the Vinstorpa family). No children. He had one daughter born out of wedlock.
He didn't seek the name of a king. But he was very skilful in the task of increasing his own fortune.
The Danish King Kristian I, who had been King of Sweden 1457-1464, started a war trying to regain the Swedish throne, but he was defeated in the bttle of Brunkeberg on 10 of October 1471.
In 1483 a decision in principle was made that Kristian I's son Hans should be made king, but Sten Sture managed to stall the final decision until 1497, when Hans, or Johan II, which was his name in Sweden, could acceed to the throne.
When Sten Sture died, Svante Nilsson was elected Regent.