Sivasagar, formerly known as Rangpur, was the capital of the Ahom Kingdom from 1699 to 1788. The Ahom ruled Assam, virtually without interruption for six centuries, until their kingdom fell to the Burmese in 1819 and their ruling class was all but wiped out.
The province was liberated by the British in 1825 but, owing to the state of anarchy which prevailed, it was completely annexed in 1826. For administration purposes it was divided into three sub-divisions
