When it belonged to the nobles of Heunburg/Vovbre, Celje became a market-settlement (in the sense of the German Markt) probably before ca. 1240 and doubtlessly before ca. 1300. A Minorite monastery, a colony of Jews and finally the transfer of the residency of the Counts of Celje into the settlement conferred to Celje a qualified urban character. When the Counts of Celje became princes of the Empire (1436) the formal status of town was soon recognized and before 1451 also the building of town walls was started. The development od autonomy was comparatively slow, probably because of the residential character of the settlement till 1456 when the homonymous counts died off.