The Renaissance (French for 'rebirth') was a period in European history in the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas and achievements of classical antiquity.

Renaissance may also refer to:

Cultural movements

  • Dinosaur renaissance, renewed academic and popular interest in dinosaurs from the late 1960s
  • Neo-Renaissance, a group of 19th century architectural revival styles
  • Nuclear renaissance, a possible nuclear power industry revival

In Africa

  • African Renaissance, the concept that African people and nations shall achieve cultural, scientific, and economic renewal
  • Arab Renaissance (, ), a cultural renaissance from the late 19th century in Egypt and the Arabic world
  • Ethiopian Renaissance, sociopolitical movement and national myth espousing positive attitude for traditions and history of Ethiopia

In the Americas

  • American Renaissance (disambiguation), several meanings
  • Chicago Black Renaissance, a creative movement in the 1930s and 1940s
  • Disney Renaissance, series of film releases from 1989-1999 by Walt Disney Animation Studios that saw the company achieve renewed critical and commercial success
  • Harlem Renaissance, an intellectual, social, and artistic explosion in 1920s New York City
  • Hawaiian Renaissance, a resurgence of distinct cultural identity
  • Native American Renaissance, an increase in literary works by Native Americans from the 1960s
  • San Francisco Renaissance, a range of poetic activity
  • Southern Renaissance (United States), the reinvigoration of American Southern literature in the 1920s and 1930s

In Asia and Oceania

  • Bengali Renaissance, a cultural, social, intellectual and artistic movement during the British Indian Empire
  • Islamic Renaissance, a revival of the Islamic religion (not to be confused with Islamic Golden Age)
  • Persian Renaissance, a period in history which saw the rise of various native Iranian Muslim dynasties in the Iranian Plateau after the 7th-century Muslim conquest of Iran and the fall of Sasanian Empire.
  • Māori renaissance, a late-20th-century revival in New Zealand
  • Sumerian Renaissance, outdated term for a perceived renaissance of Sumerian literature during the Ur III period
  • Timurid Renaissance, religious, scientific, and artistic historical period from 14th to 16th century

In Europe

  • High Renaissance, a short period of exceptional artistic production in the Italian states around 1500
  • Italian Renaissance, a period from the 14th to 17th centuries
  • Macedonian Renaissance, the period of the Macedonian dynasty of the Byzantine Empire (867–1056)
  • Palaeologan Renaissance, the period of the Palaiologoi, the last dynasty of the Byzantine Empire (1261–1453)
  • Medical Renaissance, a period of progress in European medical knowledge from 1400 to 1700
  • The three medieval renaissances
  • Carolingian Renaissance, a period of cultural activity in the Carolingian Empire
  • Ottonian Renaissance, a renaissance of Byzantine and Late Antique art in Europe in the Ottonian dynasty (936–1002)
  • Renaissance of the 12th century, a period of change at the outset of the high Middle Ages
  • Portuguese Renaissance, a cultural and artistic movement in Portugal during the 15th and 16th centuries
  • Provençal Renaissance (, or ), a literary and cultural association in France
  • Roman Renaissance, from the mid-15th to the mid-16th centuries
  • Scottish Renaissance, a mainly literary movement of the early to mid-20th century
  • Sculpture in the Renaissance period, history of sculpture along the Renaissance period
  • Urban renaissance (UK), a recent period of repopulation and regeneration of many British cities
  • Yiddish Renaissance, a cultural and linguistic movement among Eastern European Jews in the late 19th century

Arts and entertainment

Music

Bands and labels

  • Renaissance (band), an English progressive rock band
  • Renaissance (club), a British electronic dance music club brand and record label
  • Renaissance Recordings, a British record label

Albums

  • Renaissance (The Association album), 1966
  • Renaissance (Beyoncé album), 2022
  • Renaissance (Branford Marsalis album), 1987
  • Renaissance (Cheyenne Jackson album), 2016
  • Renaissance (Diablo album), 2002
  • Renaissance (E.Town Concrete album), 2003
  • Renaissance (Lionel Richie album), 2000
  • Renaissance (Marcus Miller album), 2012
  • Renaissance (Mickey Finn's T. Rex album), 2002
  • Renaissance (The Miracles album), 1973
  • Renaissance (Mónica Naranjo album), 2019
  • The Renaissance (Q-Tip album), 2008
  • Renaissance (Rémy album), 2022
  • Renaissance (Renaissance album), 1969
  • Renaissance (Soweto String Quartet album), 1996
  • The Renaissance (Super Junior album), 2021
  • Renaissance (The Underachievers album), 2017
  • Renaissance (Vanilla Fudge album), 1968
  • Renaissance (Village People album), 1981
  • Renaissance: The Mix Collection, a 1994 album by Sasha & John Digweed
  • Renaissance, a 1992 album by Allen Eager
  • The Renaissance EP, by MxPx, 2001

Songs

  • "Renaissance" (M People song), 1994
  • "Renaissance" (Eminem song), 2024
  • "Renaissance", by Barry Harris from Vicissitudes, 1975
  • "Renaissance", by Hell Razah from Renaissance Child, 2007
  • "Renaissance", by Jean-Luc Ponty from Aurora, 1976
  • "Renaissance", by Lalo Schifrin from The Dissection and Reconstruction..., 1966
  • "Renaissance", by Matt Kearney from Bullet, 2004
  • "Renaissance", by San Fermin from San Fermin, 2013
  • "Renaissance", by Tony Harris from Five, 2018
  • "Renaissance", by Trudy Pitts from A Bucketful of Soul, 1968
  • "Renaissance", by Virgin Black from Elegant... and Dying, 2003
  • "Renaissance", by WJSN from Dream Your Dream, 2018
  • "Renaissance 2.0", by R.A. the Rugged Man from Legendary Classics Volume 1, 2009
  • "La Renaissance", the national anthem of the Central African Republic

Film and television

  • Renaissance (1964 film), a French animated short
  • Renaissance (2006 film), or Paris 2054: Renaissance
  • Renaissance (TV show), a fictional show in the British TV series Moving Wallpaper
  • Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé, a 2023 documentary concert film by American singer Beyoncé

Literature

  • Renaissance (novel), by Raymond F. Jones, 1951
  • Renaissance Magazine, a publication about renaissance fairs

Other uses in arts and entertainment

  • Renaissance (Bakalar), a 1989 public artwork
  • Renaissance (Fabergé egg), an 1894 jewelled agate Easter egg
  • Renaissance (game), a historical, roleplaying play-by-mail game
  • Ultima Online: Renaissance, a 2000 computer game expansion
  • Disney Renaissance, a period between late 80s and 90s during which Walt Disney Studios returned to producing critically and commercially successful animated films
  • Renaissance World Tour, a 2023 concert tour by American singer Beyoncé

Businesses and organisations

Companies and establishments

  • Renaissance (demogroup), creators of the Zone 66 video game
  • Renaissance Ballroom & Casino, New York City, U.S.
  • Renaissance Books, a bookstore in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
  • Renaissance Broadcasting, an American TV broadcasting company
  • Renaissance Capital, a Russian investment bank
  • Renaissance Capital Bank, a Ukrainian financial institution
  • Renaissance Cinemas, an Egyptian cinema chain
  • Renaissance Credit, a Russian commercial bank
  • Renaissance Enterprises, an American nonprofit organization
  • Renaissance Hotels, a hotel brand
  • Renaissance Learning, an educational software company
  • Renaissance restaurant, a restaurant inside Scientology Celebrity Centre's Château Élysée building
  • Renaissance Technologies, a hedge fund management company
  • Renaissance Theatre Company, a theatre production company 1987–1992
  • Renaissance Theatre (Mansfield, Ohio), a movie theater

Politics

  • Renaissance (French political party), or En Marche
  • Renaissance (Italian political party)
  • Renaissance (Monegasque political party)
  • Renaissance Party (Egypt), founded 2011
  • Egypt Renaissance Party, made up of former members of the National Democratic Party
  • Ennahda, or Renaissance Party, in Tunisia
  • L’Europe Ensemble Delegation to the European Parliament, originally called Renaissance

Schools

  • Renaissance Academy (disambiguation), several uses
  • Renaissance Charter School (disambiguation), several uses
  • Renaissance College, in Hong Kong
  • Renaissance College of Commerce and Management, in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India
  • Renaissance High School, in Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
  • Renaissance High School (Idaho), U.S.
  • Renaissance University, Nigeria

Sports

  • Renaissance FC, a football club in N'Djamena, Chad
  • Renaissance FC de Ngoumou, a football club in Ngoumou, Cameroon

Transportation

  • Renaissance Cruises, a Norwegian cruise ship operating company
  • Renaissance (railcar), a fleet of passenger cars in Canada
  • Renaissance Trains, a British rail transport company
  • La Renaissance (barge) (), a hotel barge
  • List of ships named Renaissance

Fictional transports

  • Weyland-Yutani Renaissance, a fictional mobile space station composed of WY Romulus and WY Remus substations, the primary setting of the 2024 film Alien: Romulus

Other uses

  • Renaissance, Georgia, a rejected name for the city of South Fulton
  • Renaissance, Lewisham, a mixed-use development in London, England
  • Renaissance Community, a commune in the northeast United States 1968–1988
  • GNUstep Renaissance, a software development framework

See also

  • Renaissance fair (disambiguation)
  • Renaissance Island (disambiguation)
  • Renaissance Man (disambiguation)
  • Renaissance theatre (disambiguation)
  • Renaissance Tower (disambiguation)

;Not to be confused with:

  • Ba'ath Party (disambiguation), (; "Renaissance Party")
  • Renascence (disambiguation)
  • Reconnaissance (disambiguation)
  • Resurrection (disambiguation)
  • Rebirth (disambiguation)