The oldest surviving document about who owned what in Šariš is a grant made by King Andrew II in 1212. Through the thirteenth century most of the estates in the southern part of the region — including the land on which Hanušovce grew — belonged to the Aba clan, one of the great noble families of Hungary, and one that would later gamble everything on a rebellion against the king and lose it. At this stage there was no town here and no charter with the name Hanušovce in it. There were fields, a river crossing, and a lord somewhere above them.Najstaršou zachovanou listinou o tom, komu v Šariši čo patrilo, je donácia kráľa Ondreja II. z roku 1212. Počas 13. storočia patrila väčšina majetkov v južnej časti regiónu — vrátane pôdy, na ktorej vyrástli Hanušovce — rodu Abovcov, jednému z veľkých uhorských šľachtických rodov, ktorý neskôr vsadil všetko na povstanie proti kráľovi a prehral. V tom čase tu ešte nebolo mesto ani listina s menom Hanušovce. Boli tu polia, brod cez rieku a niekde nad nimi zemepán.