--- a/mobile/android/base/java/org/mozilla/gecko/Tab.java
+++ b/mobile/android/base/java/org/mozilla/gecko/Tab.java
@@ -649,16 +649,21 @@ public class Tab {
         Tabs.getInstance().notifyListeners(this, Tabs.TabEvents.LOCATION_CHANGE, oldUrl);
     }
 
     void handleButtonStateChange(final GeckoBundle message) {
         mCanDoBack = message.getBoolean("canGoBack");
         mCanDoForward = message.getBoolean("canGoForward");
     }
 
+    void handleButtonStateChange(boolean canGoBack, boolean canGoForward) {
+        mCanDoBack = canGoBack;
+        mCanDoForward = canGoForward;
+    }
+
     private static boolean shouldShowProgress(final String url) {
         return !AboutPages.isAboutPage(url);
     }
 
     void handleDocumentStart(boolean restoring, String url) {
         setLoadProgress(LOAD_PROGRESS_START);
         setState((!restoring && shouldShowProgress(url)) ? STATE_LOADING : STATE_SUCCESS);
         mSiteIdentity.reset();

--- a/mobile/android/base/java/org/mozilla/gecko/Tabs.java
+++ b/mobile/android/base/java/org/mozilla/gecko/Tabs.java
@@ -131,16 +131,21 @@ public class Tabs implements BundleEvent
             "Tab:AudioPlayingChange",
             "Tab:Close",
             "Tab:MediaPlaybackChange",
             "Tab:RecordingChange",
             "Tab:Select",
             "Tab:SetParentId",
             null);
 
+        EventDispatcher.getInstance().registerBackgroundThreadListener(this,
+            // BrowserApp already wants this on the background thread.
+            "Sanitize:ClearHistory",
+            null);
+
         mPrivateClearColor = Color.RED;
     }
 
     public synchronized void attachToContext(Context context, LayerView layerView) {
         final Context appContext = context.getApplicationContext();
         if (mAppContext == appContext) {
             return;
         }
@@ -478,16 +483,31 @@ public class Tabs implements BundleEvent
     @RobocopTarget
     public static Tabs getInstance() {
        return Tabs.TabsInstanceHolder.INSTANCE;
     }
 
     @Override // BundleEventListener
     public synchronized void handleMessage(final String event, final GeckoBundle message,
                                            final EventCallback callback) {
+        if ("Sanitize:ClearHistory".equals(event)) {
+            ThreadUtils.postToUiThread(new Runnable() {
+                @Override
+                public void run() {
+                    // Tab session history will be cleared as well,
+                    // so we need to reset the navigation buttons.
+                    for (final Tab tab : mOrder) {
+                        tab.handleButtonStateChange(false, false);
+                        notifyListeners(tab, TabEvents.LOCATION_CHANGE, tab.getURL());
+                    }
+                }
+            });
+            return;
+        }
+
         // All other events handled below should contain a tabID property
         final int id = message.getInt("tabID", -1);
         Tab tab = getTab(id);
 
         // "Tab:Added" is a special case because tab will be null if the tab was just added
         if ("Tab:Added".equals(event)) {
             String url = message.getString("uri");