According to a charter issued by Béla IV of Hungary for the Knights Hospitallers in 1247, at that time at least four polities existed in the area to the south of the Carpathians. Two of them, the "cnezat"s of John and Farcaş were granted to the knights, but the lands ruled by Litovoi and Seneslau were left "to the "Olati"" ("Romanians") "just as they have owned it". In the 1270s, Litovoi extended his territory and stopped paying tribute to the king, but his army was defeated by the royal forces, and he was killed in the battle.