Somanath Singh Jagadev was the last independent king of Angul and he ruled for 33 years from 1814 to 1847 when he was deposed by the government according to the Doctrine of Lapse.
The district was formally formed out of the former undivided Dhenkanal district on the date of April 1, 1993 by the Chief Minister of Odisha, Biju Patnaik.