3 1 o Norivay and the Norivegians 



relationship with Germany than either of the other two. 

 Soon the time was to come when a dynasty would 

 ascend the Danish throne, whose founder could not 

 speak a word of Danish, so that, for a time, no Scandi- 

 navian tongue was spoken at the court of Copenhagen, 



It was not likely that Sweden would submit to he 

 governed on such terms. And the whole of the fifteenth 

 century, and down to the year 1523, is the history of 

 the struggles for mastery in Sweden between the legiti- 

 mate royal line of Denmark, with the prestige of legiti- 

 macy and royalty behind it, and the leaders of the 

 Swedish nobility, who, sometimes with the kingly title, 

 sometimes with the name of regent only, but with the 

 power of kingship, succeeded in raising themselves to 

 the supremacy in Sweden, The Swedish national party 

 is, during this century, generally led by members of a 

 single family, or, say, by a succession of leaders allied 

 by blood; by Carl Cnutson, regent in 1436, king from 

 1448 to 1450, and again, 1464-66, 1467-70, Greater 

 names than this of Carl Cnutson are those of the mem- 

 bers of the Sture family, Sten Sture, the Elder, who 

 had not the royal title, but as regent and marshal 

 enjoyed a firmer rule than Cnutson's from 1471-1497, 

 and again from 1500-1503, and conferred greater bene- 

 fits upon his country ; Svente Sture, regent between 

 1503-1512, and Sten Sture, the Younger, 1512-1520. 

 The battle of Brunkebjerge, near Stockholm, in which 

 Sten Sture, the Elder, defeated Christian i. of Denmark, 

 the founder of the German Oldenburg line (1471) is 

 celebrated in Swedish history. 



Norway during this period trod timidly in the steps 

 of Sweden. It cannot be believed but that she desired 



