The Forest of Fréteval extends into the northern part of the commune and was used in World War II as a refuge for Allied airmen shot down over France.

[7] On 3 July 1194, at the Battle of Freteval, the forces of Richard I of England raided the camp of Philippe II of France and captured the written records and much of the treasure of the French kingdom.

After the battle, Philippe established the National Archives of France in Paris as a more secure and permanent depository and library for government documents.

[11] In 1944 during World War II, the Fréteval Forest, code named "Sherwood" in Operation Marathon, was one of several sites used to hide Allied airmen who had been shot down by the Germans and were attempting to evade capture.

From Paris to the camps the evaders and their French guides traveled by train to the town of Châteaudun and then hiked 10-mile (16 km) down country roads.

On 12 June, while guiding several airmen from Paris to the camps, an American woman active in the French resistance, Virginia d'Albert-Lake, was captured and imprisoned by the Germans.