Traces of human presence in the area date to the Palaeolithic and Neolithic ages; later it was a Gallo-Roman settlement on the main road from Paris to Sens.

The name Corbeil is derived from the Latin Corbulium, from the Gaulish cor beel, meaning "holy house".

Since the time of Aymon, comte de Corbeil (died 957), to the 12th century it was the chief town of a powerful county, which passed to Mauger, son of Richard I of Normandy.

William de Corbeil (died 1136) became archbishop of Canterbury, but nothing is known for certain about his parentage.

The Gothic church was built in the tenth century and rebuilt in the fifteenth century.

Before the expulsion of the Jews Corbeil had a flourishing Jewish community, which numbered thirteenth-century scholars Isaac ben Joseph of Corbeil and Perez ben Elijah. Peter of Corbeil (died 1222) was the teacher of Lotario de' Conti, who became pope as Innocent III.

Representatives of the king of France signed two treaties of Corbeil in the town, the Treaty of Corbeil (1258) between France and Aragon and the Treaty of Corbeil (1326) between France and Scotland.

Corbeil was besieged by the Duke of Burgundy in 1418. The Protestants of France attacked it in 1562 amidst the religious war called the First Civil War. In 1590 General Alessandro Farnese, who had come to the assistance of the Catholics in France, fought at Corbeil.

The commune of Corbeil-Essonnes was created on 10 August 1951 by the merger of the commune of Corbeil with the commune of Essonnes. The commune town hall (mairie) is located in Corbeil.

Inhabitants of Corbeil-Essonnes are known as Corbeil-Essonnois.

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