Jules MicheletJules Michelet was a French historian. In his 1855 work, Histoire de France (History of France), he was the first historian to use and define the word Renaissance ('Re-birth' in French), as a period in Europe's cultural history that represented a dratic break from the Middle Ages (which he loathed), creating a modern understanding of humanity and its place in the world. His aphoristic style emphasized his anti-clerical republicanism. Read More Read Less