According to legend, the city was founded on seven hills (like Rome). The area had already been inhabited by 5000 BCE. From around 400 BCE, Celtic tribes inhabited the area.
The city was identified as "Kapos" in the founding document of the Episcopate of Pécs in 1009. The rectangular motte castle was reconstructed as a stone castle in the 15th century. The castle was destroyed in 1702 at the order of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor.
The Ottomans occupied the city after a five-day siege in 1555, and stayed for 131 years. The city and area were freed from Ottoman rule in 1686.
In 1749 Kaposvár was designated the county seat. During the 1800s the city developed considerably, due to the importance of the railway line between Budapest and Zagreb. Kaposvár became an important industrial city.
In the early 20th century, the city became the center of an artists' colony associated with the rise of the modernist movement in Hungarian art. In 1950 the city annexed the village of Kaposszentjakab; this was followed by annexations in 1973 by Kaposfüred, Toponár and Töröcske.
In 1990 Kaposvár, as a city above 50,000 inhabitants, was elevated to the rank of city with county rights. Since 1993 it has been an Episcopal seat of the Roman Catholic Church. The University of Kaposvár was founded on 1 January 2000
