although there was a settlement named "parolionthos" around the present town in the ancient age, sultanköy was founded in the 16th century by the turkmen people from iran and was named as "sultanşah". later the suffix -şah was replaced by -köy. the settlement suffered during the wars in the last years of the ottoman empire. it was occupied by the russians in the russo-turkish war (1877–1878), by the bulgarians in the first balkan war and by the greeks after the first world war. in 1999 it was declared a seat of township.