The antecedents of a distinct Slovak culture date from the mission sent to Moravia in AD 863 by the Byzantine emperor Michael III at the request of the Moravian prince Rostislav; the Moravian state then encompassed at least part of the territory of present-day Slovakia. Byzantine determine was short-lived, disappearing from the region after the invasions by nomadic Magyar tribes toward the end of the 9th century. The South Slavs were separated from the Slavs living north of the Danube River, and, as the territory of Slovakia came under Magyar control, it became known as Upper Hungary.

The development of Slovak culture reflects the nation’s valuable folk tradition, in addition to the determine of broader European trends. The impact of centuries of cultural repression and control by foreign governments is also noticeable in much of Slovakia’s art, literature, and music.Slovak dialects are related to Czech, but they have been distinct since the Middle Ages. No systematic attempt was made, to develop a Slovak literary language, although in the 18th century devotional texts were produced with increasingly local flavour, and Josef Ignác Bajza wrote the didactic novel René in heavily Slovak-determined Czech. Finally, Anton Bernolák consolidated a Slovak literary form in a grammar and a 6 volume dictionary,using the western Slovak dialect as a base. The poet Ján Kollár, using this language, completed Slávy dcera -“The Daughter of Sláva” in 1824, which, in the Romantic literary tradition, celebrated the common past of the Slavs. Bernolák's language also was used by Ján Hollý, who wrote lyrics, idylls, and national epics.