'The Rennaisance' was a period of cultural rebirth in Europe between
the 14th and 17th century.  I would like to know when the term was
first used, and when it came into general use?  For example, did those
in the 17th century know that they were living in the Renaissance?

For a bonus point, if the term was not used until after the end of the
Renaissance, at what stage during the Renaissance was there an
awareness that this cultural rebirth was going on, and what was it
termed at that time?

Hi! Thanks for the question.

The Renaissance is the time period that started in the 14th century in
Italy and in the 16th Century for Northern Europe. The conventional
wisdom is that the term ?Renaissance? was coined way after that
particular historical period.

?Renaissance is a French word coined by French historian Jules
Michelet and expanded upon by Swiss historian Jacob Burckhardt in the
19th century that literally means rebirth. This name has been
historically used in contrast to the Dark Ages, a term coined by
Petrarch to refer to what we now call the Middle Ages.?

?Renaissance?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance


?In European historiography ("the writing of history"), perhaps the
most value-laden and contested historical category is the
"Renaissance." First coined in 1867 by Jakob Burckhardt in his book,
The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy, the term has come to
dominate our consciousness of what the historical experience of this
period was.?

?The Idea of the Renaissance?
http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~dee/REN/IDEA.HTM 

 
It seems however that even during the specific time that the
Renaissance was happening, people were already aware of the social
revolution happening within their midst.

?In the 14th and 15th centuries many Italian scholars began to display
a remarkable awareness of history. They believed that they lived in a
new age, free from the darkness and ignorance that they felt
characterized the preceding era. These scholars compared their own
achievements to the glories of ancient Rome and Greece. One group of
Italian writers in the 14th century, following the example of the
contemporary poet Petrarch, emphasized that their age resembled the
great civilizations of the past because it focused on artistic
achievement. In their view, this renewed emphasis on the arts had
begun in the late 13th and early 14th centuries with the work of
Italian painter Giotto and Italian poet Dante Alighieri.?

?Renaissance?
http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761554186/Renaissance.html 
 

During 16th century Giorgio VASARI, an art historian, has actually
used the Italian word ?rinascita? to describe a particular work of art
during that time period.

?The term Renaissance, adopted from the French equivalent of the
Italian word rinascita, meaning literally "rebirth," describes the
radical and comprehensive changes that took place in European culture
during the 15th and 16th centuries, bringing about the demise of the
Middle Ages and embodying for the first time the values of the modern
world.?

?To Giovanni BOCCACCIO in the 14th century, the concept applied to
contemporary Italian efforts to imitate the poetic style of the
ancient Romans. In 1550 the art historian Giorgio VASARI used the word
rinascita (rebirth) to describe the return to the ancient Roman manner
of painting by Giotto di Bondone about the beginning of the 14th
century.?

?It was only later that the word Renaissance acquired a broader meaning.?

?History of Renaissance?
http://euro-art-gallery.net/history/renaissance.htm 


Search terms used:  
coined term renaissance origins
"Giorgio VASARI" rinascita

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Google Answers Researcher

Good answer, and I appreciate the different viewpoints.  Thanks.