diff --git a/application/controllers/HistoryController.php b/application/controllers/HistoryController.php
index 08a96889b..5435084be 100644
--- a/application/controllers/HistoryController.php
+++ b/application/controllers/HistoryController.php
@@ -6,9 +6,10 @@
 
 use GuzzleHttp\Psr7\ServerRequest;
 use Icinga\Module\Icingadb\Model\History;
+use Icinga\Module\Icingadb\Util\OptimizerHints;
 use Icinga\Module\Icingadb\Web\Control\SearchBar\ObjectSuggestions;
-use Icinga\Module\Icingadb\Web\Controller;
 use Icinga\Module\Icingadb\Web\Control\ViewModeSwitcher;
+use Icinga\Module\Icingadb\Web\Controller;
 use Icinga\Module\Icingadb\Widget\ItemList\LoadMoreObjectList;
 use ipl\Stdlib\Filter;
 use ipl\Web\Control\LimitControl;
@@ -87,6 +88,8 @@ public function indexAction()
             Filter::like('service.id', '*')
         ));
 
+        OptimizerHints::disableOptimizerForHistoryQueries($history);
+
         yield $this->export($history);
 
         $this->addControl($sortControl);
diff --git a/application/controllers/HostController.php b/application/controllers/HostController.php
index a12f969e5..b9bce7f47 100644
--- a/application/controllers/HostController.php
+++ b/application/controllers/HostController.php
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 namespace Icinga\Module\Icingadb\Controllers;
 
 use ArrayIterator;
+use Generator;
 use Icinga\Exception\NotFoundError;
 use Icinga\Module\Icingadb\Command\Object\GetObjectCommand;
 use Icinga\Module\Icingadb\Command\Transport\CommandTransport;
@@ -20,6 +21,7 @@
 use Icinga\Module\Icingadb\Model\Service;
 use Icinga\Module\Icingadb\Model\ServicestateSummary;
 use Icinga\Module\Icingadb\Redis\VolatileStateResults;
+use Icinga\Module\Icingadb\Util\OptimizerHints;
 use Icinga\Module\Icingadb\Web\Control\SearchBar\ObjectSuggestions;
 use Icinga\Module\Icingadb\Web\Control\ViewModeSwitcher;
 use Icinga\Module\Icingadb\Web\Controller;
@@ -38,7 +40,6 @@
 use ipl\Web\Control\SortControl;
 use ipl\Web\Url;
 use ipl\Web\Widget\Tabs;
-use Generator;
 
 class HostController extends Controller
 {
@@ -163,6 +164,8 @@ public function historyAction(): Generator
 
         $history->filter(Filter::lessThanOrEqual('event_time', $before));
 
+        OptimizerHints::disableOptimizerForHistoryQueries($history);
+
         yield $this->export($history);
 
         $this->addControl($sortControl);
diff --git a/application/controllers/NotificationsController.php b/application/controllers/NotificationsController.php
index ba805a5a0..971cf3ac0 100644
--- a/application/controllers/NotificationsController.php
+++ b/application/controllers/NotificationsController.php
@@ -6,10 +6,11 @@
 
 use GuzzleHttp\Psr7\ServerRequest;
 use Icinga\Module\Icingadb\Model\NotificationHistory;
+use Icinga\Module\Icingadb\Util\OptimizerHints;
 use Icinga\Module\Icingadb\Web\Control\SearchBar\ObjectSuggestions;
+use Icinga\Module\Icingadb\Web\Control\ViewModeSwitcher;
 use Icinga\Module\Icingadb\Web\Controller;
 use Icinga\Module\Icingadb\Widget\ItemList\LoadMoreObjectList;
-use Icinga\Module\Icingadb\Web\Control\ViewModeSwitcher;
 use ipl\Stdlib\Filter;
 use ipl\Web\Control\LimitControl;
 use ipl\Web\Control\SortControl;
@@ -81,6 +82,8 @@ public function indexAction()
             Filter::like('history.service.id', '*')
         ));
 
+        OptimizerHints::disableOptimizerForHistoryQueries($notifications);
+
         yield $this->export($notifications);
 
         $this->addControl($sortControl);
diff --git a/application/controllers/ServiceController.php b/application/controllers/ServiceController.php
index 28abca424..ca40c6843 100644
--- a/application/controllers/ServiceController.php
+++ b/application/controllers/ServiceController.php
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 namespace Icinga\Module\Icingadb\Controllers;
 
 use ArrayIterator;
+use Generator;
 use Icinga\Exception\NotFoundError;
 use Icinga\Module\Icingadb\Command\Object\GetObjectCommand;
 use Icinga\Module\Icingadb\Command\Transport\CommandTransport;
@@ -17,6 +18,7 @@
 use Icinga\Module\Icingadb\Model\History;
 use Icinga\Module\Icingadb\Model\Service;
 use Icinga\Module\Icingadb\Redis\VolatileStateResults;
+use Icinga\Module\Icingadb\Util\OptimizerHints;
 use Icinga\Module\Icingadb\Web\Control\SearchBar\ObjectSuggestions;
 use Icinga\Module\Icingadb\Web\Control\ViewModeSwitcher;
 use Icinga\Module\Icingadb\Web\Controller;
@@ -34,7 +36,6 @@
 use ipl\Web\Control\SortControl;
 use ipl\Web\Url;
 use ipl\Web\Widget\Tabs;
-use Generator;
 
 class ServiceController extends Controller
 {
@@ -311,6 +312,8 @@ public function historyAction(): Generator
 
         $history->filter(Filter::lessThanOrEqual('event_time', $before));
 
+        OptimizerHints::disableOptimizerForHistoryQueries($history);
+
         yield $this->export($history);
 
         $this->addControl($sortControl);
diff --git a/library/Icingadb/Util/OptimizerHints.php b/library/Icingadb/Util/OptimizerHints.php
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..645aafdea
--- /dev/null
+++ b/library/Icingadb/Util/OptimizerHints.php
@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+<?php
+
+/* Icinga DB Web | (c) 2025 Icinga GmbH | GPLv2 */
+
+namespace Icinga\Module\Icingadb\Util;
+
+use Icinga\Application\Config;
+use ipl\Orm\Query;
+use ipl\Sql\Adapter\Mysql;
+use ipl\Sql\Select;
+use ipl\Stdlib\Str;
+
+/**
+ * Helper class to allow disabling the MySQL/MariaDB query optimizer for history queries.
+ * Some versions of these RDBMS perform poorly with history queries,
+ * particularly when the optimizer changes join order or uses block nested loop joins.
+ * Ideally, testing across all RDBMS versions to identify when the optimizer fails and adjusting queries or
+ * using optimizer switches would be preferable, but this level of effort is not justified at the moment.
+ */
+readonly class OptimizerHints
+{
+    public const DISABLE_OPTIMIZER_HINT = '/*+ NO_BNL() */ STRAIGHT_JOIN';
+
+    /**
+     * If optimizer disabling is enabled for history queries,
+     * injects an optimizer hint into SELECT queries for a MySQL/MariaDB Query object,
+     * forcing the RDBMS to disable the optimizer
+     *
+     * @param Query $q
+     *
+     * @return void
+     */
+    public static function disableOptimizerForHistoryQueries(Query $q): void
+    {
+        if (static::shouldDisableOptimizerForHistoryQueries() && $q->getDb()->getAdapter() instanceof Mysql) {
+            // Locates the first string column, prepends the optimizer hint,
+            // and resets columns to ensure it appears first in the SELECT statement:
+            $q->on(Query::ON_SELECT_ASSEMBLED, static function (Select $select) {
+                $columns = $select->getColumns();
+                foreach ($columns as $alias => $column) {
+                    if (is_string($column)) {
+                        if (Str::startsWith($column, static::DISABLE_OPTIMIZER_HINT)) {
+                            return;
+                        }
+
+                        unset($columns[$alias]);
+                        $select->resetColumns();
+
+                        if (is_int($alias)) {
+                            array_unshift($columns, static::DISABLE_OPTIMIZER_HINT . " $column");
+                        } else {
+                            $columns = [$alias => static::DISABLE_OPTIMIZER_HINT . " $column"] + $columns;
+                        }
+
+                        $select->resetColumns()->columns($columns);
+
+                        return;
+                    }
+                }
+            });
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Determines whether to disable the query optimizer for history queries.
+     *
+     * @return bool
+     */
+    protected static function shouldDisableOptimizerForHistoryQueries(): bool
+    {
+        return Config::module('icingadb')->get('icingadb', 'disable_optimizer_for_history_queries', false);
+    }
+}