Because there was a reawakening of interest in art literature and science between 1300 and 1600 it is fitting to call this period the renaissance since it means

Rebirth. There was a rebirth in the movement to see the world in more enlightened terms and understand how it worked, rather than fall victim to the doldrums that took place during the Dark Ages prior. During the Renaissance, science and art took massive steps forward with the implementation of a much more rigorous and thought-based way of looking at the world.