Descriptions of Tudor England by French visitors are scarce, but in the 1560s and 1570s a renewed interest in ‘all things English’ is perceptible amongst the French elite. The new religion, parliament, the eventuality of a royal marriage and genuine curiosity in such a strange country contributed to distract the attention of a few Frenchmen from Italy and Spain. In the 1580s, a major change was to occur: more books on England were being published in French, but their sole purpose was religious propaganda and many were translations of English pro- or anti-Catholic pamphlets.