Sten Hjalmar Lindroth (28 December 1914, in Lund – 1 September 1980) was a Swedish historian of learning and science. Lindroth was born in the university town of Lund in Southern Sweden, but grew up and went to school in Gothenburg after his father

Hjalmar Lindroth Hjalmar () and Ingeborg () were a legendary Swedish duo. The male protagonist Hjalmar and his duel for Ingeborg figures in the '' Hervarar saga'' and in '' Orvar-Odd's saga'', as well as in '' Gesta Danorum'', '' Lay of Hyndla'' and a number of Fa ...

had been appointed to the Chair of Nordic languages at

Gothenburg University The University of Gothenburg ( sv, Göteborgs universitet) is a university in Sweden's second largest city, Gothenburg. Founded in 1891, the university is the third-oldest of the current Swedish universities and with 37,000 students and 6000 s ...

. After finishing school in Gothenburg at Göteborgs högre latinläroverk, he matriculated at

Uppsala University Uppsala University ( sv, Uppsala universitet) is a public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation. The university rose to significance durin ...

in 1933 and eventually became a student of

Johan Nordström Johan * Johan (given name) * ''Johan'' (film), a 1921 Swedish film directed by Mauritz Stiller * Johan (band), a Dutch pop-group ** ''Johan'' (album), a 1996 album by the group * Johan Peninsula, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada * Jo-Han, a manu ...

, holder of the Emilia and Gustaf Carlberg Chair of the history of ideas and learning, the first of its kind at Uppsala. Lindroth eventually completed a monumental, 500-page dissertation on the history of

paracelsianism Paracelsianism (also Paracelsism; German: ') was an early modern medical movement based on the theories and therapies of Paracelsus. It developed in the second half of the 16th century, during the decades following Paracelsus' death in 1541, an ...

in Sweden until the middle of the 17th century, defended in 1943. During his student years he was also active in the Juvenalorden and the liberal student society Verdandi, for he which he also served as president. He spent the next decade on a history of the mining and copper production at

Stora Kopparberget Stora Enso Oyj (from sv, Stora and fi, Enso ) is a manufacturer of pulp, paper and other forest products, headquartered in Helsinki, Finland. The majority of sales takes place in Europe, but there are also significant operations in Asia and S ...

and a biography of the physicist and inventor

Christopher Polhem Christopher Polhammar (18 December 1661 – 30 August 1751) better known as Christopher Polhem (), which he took after his ennoblement in 1716, was a Swedish scientist, inventor and industrialist. He made significant contributions to the economi ...

, and several shorter publications on various scientific-historical topics. In 1957 he succeeded Nordström as Carlberg Professor. His later publications included a book on the early history of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (1967), of which he became a member in 1966, a history of Swedish learning from the Middle Ages until the Gustavian period (the fourth and last volume was left unfinished but completed and edited by his former student

Gunnar Eriksson Krång Erik Gunnar Eriksson (13 September 1921 – 8 July 1982) was a Swedish cross-country skier who won two medals at the 1948 Winter Olympics, a gold in the 4 × 10 km relay and a bronze in the individual 18 km. Eriksson won the ...

) and an overview of the history of Uppsala University (1976), published on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the university. Sten Lindroth was elected a Member of the

Swedish Academy The Swedish Academy ( sv, Svenska Akademien), founded in 1786 by King Gustav III, is one of the Royal Academies of Sweden. Its 18 members, who are elected for life, comprise the highest Swedish language authority. Outside Scandinavia, it is b ...

in 1968. His brother Carl H. Lindroth was a noted entomologist.

References

*Gunnar Eriksson, "Lindroth, Sten Hjalmar", '' Svenskt biografiskt lexikon'', vol. 23, p. 581–587. {{DEFAULTSORT:Lindroth, Sten 1914 births 1980 deaths People from Lund 20th-century Swedish historians Historians of science Members of the Swedish Academy Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Uppsala University alumni Burials at Uppsala old cemetery Members of the Royal Society of Sciences in Uppsala