The town of Loreux is located to the south-east of the Loir-et-Cher department, in the small agricultural region of Grande Sologne. As the crow flies, it is 43.4 km from Blois, prefecture of the department, 7.7 km from Romorantin-Lanthenay, sub-prefecture.
At the start of the Middle Ages, the powerful Count of Blois, Thibault le Tricheur, owned most of the territory of Sologne.
Thus Loroer (Loreux) is cut in two, a part attributed to the châtellenie of Millançay, governed by Jehanne de Châtillon, Countess of Blois and Alençon; the other to the Châtellenie de la Ferté-Imbault, governed by Jehanne de Brabant. An act of July 1284 between Jehanne de Brabant and Jehanne de Châtillon defines the limits of their seigneuries and the right of way from Loroer to Villeheviers. A certain antagonism was to reign between the Loreusiens because of the division of the village, the administration there being different between that of Millançay and that of Ferté-Imbault. Time passes from day to day almost in a closed circuit, the paths being most of the time impassable. There is still "a large public road" to go from Loroer to Tremblevy (Saint-Viâtre).
Around 1326, the people of Lorraine from time to time saw the crews of Jean de Blois, Lord of Millançay, with his greyhounds and falconers. Hunting is already a big occupation in the region. It is essential to kill the many pests: foxes, wild boars, badgers and wolves of the forest of Bruadan.
This large forest massif practically surrounds Loroer. Its clearing took place in the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries.
But in 1356, the English troops sacked everything in their path. The Prince of Wales "Black Prince", son of Edward III of England destroys Romorantin.
On June 6, 1429, Joan of Arc's troops camped in the forest of Bruadan. Perhaps Loreux he saw "the virgin".
These devastations of the Hundred Years War annihilate part of the population, and many estates fall back into fallow land. The peasants who remained, had to endure "oppressions, damages and other innumerable evils" from the armed troops which roamed the country, in particular the Scots.
The countryside has lost most of its occupants, the old hamlets only include one or two houses. Some vassals refuse to pay homage to their overlord on the pretext that their fief is no longer worth anything. It was not until 1520 that the reclamation of the land was carried out through long-term or perpetual rent leases, but this reclamation was far from being completed in the 15th century.
Peace reestablished, free "tenures" are bought by merchants and bourgeois who set up farmers there. Little by little, the people of Lorraine are back to work. The ploughmen cultivate the rye, but in addition the millet, the oats, the hemp and the flax, even the wheat which was then exceptional. Other enclosures called "osches" are planted with peas and beans. The farmer raises poultry which are used for food and to pay for pruning. She takes care of the beehives which provide honey and wax, she weaves hemp. They can go to fairs. That of Villeherviers, on Wednesday before palm branch, that of Selles St Denis at the winter St Genoul, that of Millançay on August 15th. The story continues on the website of the municipality of Loreux.
