According to a later, 18th-century tradition within the Order of Premonstratensians, the provostry was established in 1184, which was previously even announced by an epigraph on the wall of the monastery and attributed the foundation a certain comes Lampert.

According to the Catalogus Ninivensis, which contains a list of Premonstratensian churches in present-day Hungary and Transylvania (Circaria Hungariae) in 1234, the Provostry of Türje was already stood.

For instance, in 1247, Denis donated the estates Barlabáshida (today a borough of Pakod), Vitenyéd (present-day Bagod), four portions, two mills and half of the river duty in Szentgrót to the provostry.

The duke had tense relationship with his father Andrew II, criticizing the king's reform economic policy called "new arrangements" and the large-scale grants of royal lands.

In this context, Denis was politically committed to the duke, which also meant that he could not count on significant positions in the royal court until Béla's ascension to the Hungarian throne.

[8] Denis started his political career as royal servant ("reginal youth") of Béla's wife Maria Laskarina in the early 1220s.

From [Halych] the king's son Andrew and Dijaniš with their Hungarians went to Peremil' and fought Volodimer [Vladimir IV Rurikovich] and Danilo for the possession of the bridge [leading to the city].

[...] He [Danilo] distributed towns to his boyars and voyevodas, and they all had an abundance of food, while the king's son, Dijaniš, and Sudislav were dying of hunger in [Halych].Denis distinguished himself militarily in various campaigns of Duke Béla in the period between 1228 and 1233.

His pre-1235 military career is narrated in detail by a single charter of Béla IV, who issued the document shortly after his ascension to the Hungarian throne in the autumn of 1235.

Accordingly, Denis took part in various campaigns of Duke Béla, who initiated wars abroad, sometimes even independently of his father Andrew II.

Béla invaded Bulgaria and besieged Vidin in 1228, because Emperor Ivan Asen II attempted to hinder the conversion of Cumans into Roman Catholicism in the northernmost part of his realm along the border with Hungary (the Bulgarian historiography claim the brief war occurred in the spring of 1232).

He crossed the Carpathian Mountains and laid siege to Halych together with his Cuman allies in 1230 (the Galician–Volhynian Chronicle incorrectly put the year of attack to 1229).

[14] He was present at the siege of Halych, where he killed a soldier with a spear, who broke out from the castle, and later he defeated a small unit near the fort of Kremenets (Kuzmech).

Returning Hungary, Denis – whose landholdings laid in the region – was among those barons, who repelled the "German" incursion during an open battle along the border.

Denis, who participated in the campaign, was seriously injured during the siege of Yaroslavl (present-day Jarosław, Poland), when stones fired from the castle hit him.

Because of the internal conflict with the church and Frederick of Austria's renewing raids in the western borderland hindered the royal family's active participation in Halych and they could send only a small relief army led by Denis Türje, which arrived to the province in the early autumn of 1233.

[23] Slovak historian Angelika Herucová considered the name refers to Denis Tomaj, who disappears from Hungarian sources from 1231 until late 1234 or early 1235.

[25] For his loyalty and military service during Béla's ducal years, Denis was granted the lordship Tapolcsány (present-day Topoľčany, Slovakia) with the surrounding villages – Tavarnok (Tovarníky), Jalovec and Racsic (Račice, borough of Nitrica) in Nyitra County in 1235.

[8] With the donation, Denis became involved in a conflict of interest with the Knights Hospitaller of Esztergom, who claimed the property for themselves citing the last will of the previous owner Torda.

The case was settled out of court; the knights were compensated with another estate from the late Torda's wealth, while Denis recovered and paid the dowry of 100 marks to the widow.

According to Thomas the Archdeacon's Historia Salonitana, Denis was among the accompaniment of Béla IV, who fled the battlefield and was pursued as far as the Dalmatian Coast.

[28] In his letters to the coastal cities, Denis Türje styled himself "dei gracia dux et banus", imitating the royal addresses.

In response, the Venetians launched a campaign and laid siege to the coastal city in 1243, prompting Béla to send Denis to provide assistance to the citizens of Zadar.

[31] [...] they [Trogir] sent an embassy to the king [Béla IV] relating to him the whole story of what had been done in their lands by the ban [Matej Ninoslav] in company with the Spalatins [Split].

He immediately summoned a duke of his by the name of Denys [Denis Türje] a powerful man who was ban of all Slavonia and Dalmatia, and sent him together with Bartholomew [le Gros] the bishop of the church of Pécs, a certain Count Michael [Hahót] and many other leading men of Hungary, commanding them strictly that on coming to Dalmatia they should exact harsh retribution on the Spalatins, using all means possible.

[...] Indeed, not fully two weeks had elapsed before Duke Denys descended in company with the aforementioned leaders, and having gathered together a large army of Hungarians, Dalmatians and Slavs he came and set up camp at Solin.

Béla was outraged by the action, and – after a request from the patricians of Trogir – entrusted Denis to lead an army against Split, while himself prepared for a war against Ninoslav in Bosnia.

Within Denis' army, other prominent Hungarian barons and prelates – Bartholomew le Gros, the Bishop of Pécs, Michael Hahót, the ispán of Varaždin County and File Miskolc, the provost of Zagreb commanded their own troops.

For his services during the Mongol invasion and the subsequent Dalmatian years, Denis was granted Obrovnica, Haraszt and Cerova-Borda (near present-day Marinovec) in Križevci County from Béla IV in 1244.