At the beginning of the 14th century the burghers of Kosice showed extraordinary resolution and courage. They fearlessly rebelled against the very cruel Palatine Omodej, to whom the control of the town was granted by King Charles Robert of Anjou in 1304. Unable to find any other way of getting rid of their feudal oppressor, they murdered him in 1311 . Kosice won the ensuing lawsuit with Omodej's descendants. After this event, the Omodejs joined the opposition against King Charles Robert. The burghers of Kosice played an important role for the King's victory in the decisive battle against the Omodejs near Rozhanovce on 15th June 1312. Their participation in this victorious battle won the charter of a Free Royal Town for Kosice in 1342, and strengthened its economic and military power. Rapid development and urbanization of the town followed.
At that time, a major part of the forests in the vicinity were changed into vineyards, and growing grapes became one of the main occupations of the local inhabitants. A mutual cooperation treaty with Krakow was signed in 1324; the first of its kind. It contributed largely to the steadily expanding volume of long-distance trade along the route from southeastern Hungary to the Scandinavian countries by way of Kosice. These treaties document the town's important position in international commerce at that time. Another opportunity to improve its position was the right of storage granted in 1361. By the mid-14th century Kosice had only one rival in Hungarian kingdom - the principal center of the state and the residence of the monarch - Buda. The kings favored Kosice and paid frequent visits to the city. The imposing appearance of Gothic Kosice was equal to its importance.
The large, elongated square, oriented to the north, was lined by osientatiously(?) ornamented houses of the wealthy patricians, induding the Royal House and the so-called Levoca House. The Town Hall stood originally in the square. The monumental Franciscan church and monastery were built near the northern town walls. The Gothic cathedral of St.Elizabeth began to be constructed on the site of an older church in about 1380. This cathedral was of great importance to Hungarian medieval architecture. The lodge and the masons’ workshop, set up while the cathedral was being built, exerted great influence over building activity in a vast area. Master masons were commissioned to work on the various buildings, including those at the royal court. Next to the cathedral, a detached bell-tower and a charnel-house of St. Michael were built. By that time the town had already more than 4,000 inhabitants, and was protected by a ring of stout walls.
In the second half of the 14th century, the town expanded beyond the lines of town walls. In 1397 Kosice became the authority over nineteen towns and villages and it acquired the dominant position in the association of eastern-Slovak towns - Pentapolitana. Kosice was of great strategic importance to the defense of the northeast territories of Hungary; the strong town walls were believed to be impregnable; therefore, the sovereigns often committed not only their valuables and archives but also their wives and children there for protection. Kosice was also the seat of the commander in-chief of the eastern Slovakia towns' armed forces and the captain of Kosice's garrison.
