Charolles was the capital of
Charolais, an old division of France, which from the early 14th century gave the title of count to its possessors. In 1327, the county passed by marriage to the
house of Armagnac, and in 1390 it was sold to
Philip of Burgundy. After the death of
Charles the Bold, who in his youth had borne the title of
count of Charolais, it was seized by
Louis XI of France, but in 1493 it was ceded by
Charles VIII to
Maximilian of Austria, the representative of the Burgundian family. Ultimately passing to the
Spanish kings, it became for a considerable period an object of dispute between France and
Spain, until at length in 1684 it was assigned to
the great Condé, a creditor of the king of Spain. It was united to the French crown in 1771. ==Population==