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Origin and history

Esneval Castle, located in Pavilly, Normandy, has its origins in the Barony of Esneval, a fief directly under the control of the King of France as part of the Duchy of Normandy. As early as the 13th century, the lords of Esneval, with the honorary title of vidame of Normandy, dominated this land, which spreads over Pavilly and its surroundings. The line begins with Robert d'Esneval, husband of Marguerite de Pavilly in 1280, thus sealing the alliance between these noble families of the Pays de Caux.

Over the centuries, the seigneury passed into the hands of influential families, such as the Dreux, who inherited title and land in the 15th century. Robert de Dreux (1421-1476), vidame of Normandy, consolidates this heritage, followed by his descendants, including Catherine de Dreux, wife of Louis de Brézé, Grand Sénéchal of Normandy. The castle and its outbuildings became a matrimonial and political issue, with notable alliances, such as that of Jacques de Dreux, who died around 1520, whose posterity perpetuated the lineage.

In the 16th century, the family of Prunlé succeeded the Dreux. André de Prunlé († 1581), then his son Charles (1581-1624), ambassador to Scotland, embodied the climax of this dynasty. The title of vidame of Normandy and the seigneury of Esneval then passed to Le Roux d'Acquigny in the 17th century, with Robert Le Roux († 1693), whose heirs, like Pierre Robert Le Roux d'Esneval (1746-1788), marked history until the Revolution. The last lord, Esprit-Robert Le Roux d'Esneval, died in 1791, closing an era.

The present castle, built in the 3rd quarter of the 18th century, reflects this prestigious history. Ranked Historic Monument in 1970 for its chapel and adjacent buildings, it bears witness to the architecture and power of the Norman elites. The protected elements, such as the facades, the dressing rooms and a staircase, recall the fascist of the vidams, whose title survived symbolically until the 19th century with the descendants Le Roux d'Esneval.

The Barony of Esneval, with its title of vidame, illustrates the mechanisms of transmission of power in Normandy, between inheritances, strategic marriages and services rendered to the crown. The castle, now anchored in the landscape of Pavilly, remains a symbol of this feudal and aristocratic history, between Pays de Caux and Rouen.

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