Montbrison (French pronunciation: [mɔ̃bʁizɔ̃]; Arpitan: Montbréson) is a commune and a subprefecture of the Loire department in central France.

The commune gives its name to the popular blue cheese Fourme de Montbrison, which has been made in the region for centuries.

The town was fortified following the attacks by the English army at the start of the Hundred Years War.

During the Religious Wars, Montbrison was captured and pillaged by the Protestant forces of François de Beaumont in 1562, with the town's garrison thrown from the ramparts onto spikes placed by the attackers.

The town suffered a series of poor harvests as well as an outbreak of the plague between the years 1648–1653.