The county was founded on 25 March 1296 when Frederick III of Sicily gifted it to Manfredi Chiaramonte for the courage he showed in the war against the Angevins and King James. It was a vast territory that included the city of Modica, Ragusa, Scicli, Vittoria, Monterosso, Pozzallo, Chiaramonte, Alcamo, Caccamo, Calatafimi, Santa Croce, Giarratana, Comiso and Palazzotto.
For the riches it produced, this fiefdom made its feudal lord almost a king.
In 1812 the county was eliminated.
Nowadays, the entire area it occupied corresponds to Ragusa and all the villages in its province.
