Shivpuri is an ancient town and a sacred place. It was formerly known as Sipri. It received its current name after independence in honor of the God Shiva. It is steeped in the royal legacy of its past, when it was the summer capital of the Scindia rulers of Gwalior. Earlier to that, Shivpuri's dense forests were the hunting grounds of the Mughal emperors. Emperor Akbar captured herds of elephants for his stables while returning from Mandu in year 1564. The thick forests are still there and continue to be a source of forest-produce for domestic and industrial use.
Shivpuri was awarded as Jagir to the Kachwahas of Narwar in the 17th century. Shivpuri king and fort was won by Ranoji Bhoite, a Maratha General of Chhatrapati of Satara on instructions of Jankoji Shinde, Gwalior Chief. In February 1781, the Scindias lost a battle to the British there, which resulted in a mutual-defense treaty the following October. Shivpuri again came under the rule of the Scindias in 1804, who granted it to one of their Maratha generals by name Ingle. Later, it was transferred to the HEIC in 1817 under a treaty, but the Scindias regained it in 1818.
Tantya Tope was awarded death sentence on 17 April 1859 by British Raj for his part in the Revolt of 1857 in nearby Jhansi. He was hanged to death in Shivpuri, at a site near the present collectorate
