suitable for her position, and that his sons should always see to it that she had her needs taken care of. He did not specify which estates should be given to her in his will, but prior to his death, he had his two eldest sons Eric and John promise to grant her preferred choice, Strömsholm. In March, Catherine had Eric XIV issue a written statement of her right to Strömsholm, which remained her seat for the rest of her life, as well as several other lands and parishes in Sudermannia, as well as her own residence in the capital. The mother of the new King's infamous adviser Jöran Persson, Anna, was the house keeper of the Queen Dowager's court at Strömsholm. Catherine Stenbock remained a widow for 61 years, and despite participating in various kinds of ceremonies, she dressed in mourning for the rest of her life. She was the first Swedish Queen Dowager referred to by the title Riksänkedrottning (Queen Dowager of the Realm). During most of the reign of Eric XIV, the King was unmarried, and Queen Dowager Catherine ceremoniously functioned as the first lady of the royal court. In 1562, for example, she opened a ball given in honor of the Polish embassy sent to negotiate the wedding between the King's brother Prince John and the Polish Princess Catherine Jagellon. Queen Dowager Catherine seems to have had a good relationship to Eric XIV, who normally treated her with respect, referred to her as "My Dear Stepmother" and trusted her on certain critical occasions. During the conflict between the King and his brother Prince John, when the King had John imprisoned with his spouse, Catherine offered her assistance as mediator, but was refused by Eric who accused her of siding with John and reminded her that King Gustav had asked them all to show loyalty to his successor. Catherine was given an important role in connection to the infamous Sture Murders. In the spring of 1567, the King had several noblemen imprisoned and taken to Uppsala, accused of treason. Among them were brother of Catherine, Abraham Gustafsson Stenbock; the spouse of her aunt Martha Leijonhufvud, Svante Sture; and her two cousins, Nils Svantesson Sture and Erik Svantesson Sture, and her uncle Sten Eriksson Leijonhufvud. On 24 May, the King had a fit of insanity and killed Nils Svantesson Sture, after which he had her other relatives, with