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About 740 A.D., Onold, a Franconian settler, established a residence near the Rezat River. In 748, the Franconian nobleman Gumbertus founded a Benedictine monastery at this location.

In the 11^th century, the monastery was upgraded to a chapter house and, in a document of 1221, Ansbach (at that time Onoldsbach, named after the settler) was mentioned as a community.

In 1331, the Hohenzollern, then the Burggraves of Nürnberg, acquired Ansbach and soon chose the town as their residence. For more than 500 years the town and the surrounding districts were ruled by Hohenzollern Markgraves.

During that time, Ansbach developed as an international center of craft and art. The Ansbach porcelain manufactory was world famous. Also during that era, Ansbach even had an army and a military base.

But not all Markgraves had luck in leading the fate of the city. In 1776, the state faced bankruptcy, and the Markgrave decided to rent his soldiers to a British monarch in need of soldiers to fight a band of revolutionaries in the United States.

On March 3, 1777, two infantry regiments with artillery, 2,500 troops in all, left Ansbach to road march to a harbour on the Main River. Eight weeks later they arrived in the United States where they were immediately thrown into the battle. The Ansbach soldiers were respected for their meritorious and tough fighting.

To show his appreciation for their efforts, the Markgrave sent several barrels of sauerkraut to his soldiers. Unaccustomed to foreign foods, the sauerkraut was much appreciated by the troops, however, British soldiers were disgusted by it and nicknamed the Germans "krauts," a name still in use by many Americans.

After four years of fighting, 1,000 troops returned to Ansbach in 1783. About 400 had perished, mostly from disease. Many troops had deserted, due to the miserable food and treatment by the British. Many others decided to settle in the United States after they were released from prison camps.

In 1791, the last Markgrave abdicated and went to England. The district then fell under the Prussian Empire. In 1806, French troops occupied Ansbach and Napoleon gave the area to the Bavarian Kingdom. Under the French, Bavaria was divided into seven districts and Ansbach was named capital of the Middle Franconian district.

Ansbach maintained its character as an administrative city, a garrison and a cultural centre. Industrialization progressed slowly through the region, though it increased during the build up for World War II.

The first military installation, Hindenburg Kaserne, was built in 1722. Between 1936-1938, four more installations were built in or around Ansbach: Barton Barracks, Bleidorn Kaserne, Bismarck Kaserne, and Katterbach Airfield. Barton Barracks, Bleidorn Kaserne and Hindenburg Kaserne were home of the 53rd Artillery Regiment. On the Katterbach airfield and Bismarck Kaserne, a fighter wing was housed.

After World War II, all the installations were taken over by the Americans. From 1971 to 1992, Ansbach was home of 1st Armoured Division. In 1975, a new base was built on the outskirts of Ansbach - Shipton Kaserne -  built specifically for a Patriot air defence unit. In the process of the post-Cold War draw down, Hindenburg Kaserne and Bleidorn Kaserne were closed and returned to the German government.

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