The contribution discusses the medieval beginnings of the settlement and castle of Ljutomer as well as of the noble families that resided in it during that period. The article draws on analysed sources and the existing Slovenian and Austrian literature. The beginnings of (originally Salzburg-owned) Ljutomer date to the thirteenth century, when the first data emerge regarding both the market town and the castle. The market town first appears in the land register of the Bohemian king Ottokar II Přemysl (the then Styrian duke) as early as 1265. Over the following decades, Ljutomer passed through the hands of various Styrian dukes from the Habsburg dynasty. The residents of the castle apparently played no notable part in the Styrian provincial politics. From the thirteenth century onwards, many vineyards of various owners dotted the hills around Ljutomer.