In the 14th century, the lord of Strečno was Matthew III Csák, also known as lord of the Váh and Tatras. He came from the extensive branch of the Csák family which originally owned no property on the territory of present-day Slovakia. However, Matthew’s father Peter succeeded in obtaining the post of palatine in the second half of the 13th century, and partially due to the weakness of the King of Hungary of the time, Ladislaus IV, the Csák family grew in power. Matthew found himself at the head of the family before he even reached the age of twenty-five, following the death of his two uncles, of his father Peter and of Matthew’s younger brother. He gradually succeeded in gaining control of almost the whole of central and western Slovakia. His riches in Hungary included sixty castle estates and over six hundred villages. His property and influence were so great that he decided not to submit to the orders of the King of Hungary or those of the Catholic Church. He had his own army and conducted his own, independent interior and foreign policies. He reigned over his dominion as an absolute ruler. However, he had no children, and so his heir and successor became his sister’s son Stephanus Bohemus. However, Stephanus was unable to maintain the extensive dominion and so, following the death of Matthew III Csák, it quickly fell apart and returned to the hands of the King of Hungary.
