History of the castle before the Drašković family

Trakošćan was probably built in the second half of the thirteenth century as a minor fort (royal castrum), which was erected for the purpose of surveillance within the defense system of northwestern Croatia. The castle's name in its semiotic form – Trako-stjan which means Dragon's rock  – is derived from the morphemes: Trako (which seemingly could be associated with Thracians) or drako (which relates to the word dragon) and stayn (stone).

The first owners of the Trakošćan manor estate were the Gisingovac family and afterwards Ban (Viceroy) Mikac. Until 1399, Trakošćan was under the authority of the royal castellans. Then Sigismund Luxemburg gave Trakošćan to the Counts of Cilli (Celje). After the murder of the last count of Cilli, Ulrich, in 1456, Trakošćan came into possession of Jan Vitovac and his sons. However, due to their unfaithfulness, they soon lost their possessions in favor of King Matija Korvin and his son Ivaniš. In 1503, Ivaniš gave the Trakošćan manor estate to the deputy ban Ivan Gyulay.

For three generations Trakošćan remained in the Gyulay family that  became extinct in 1566. After that, Trakošćan passed over to the royal treasury, i.e. into the possesion of Maksimilian II.