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Debt and Credit Facilities (Narrative) (Details) £ in Thousands	May. 04, 2015 USD ($)	Mar. 24, 2015 USD ($)	Mar. 17, 2010 USD ($)	Nov. 02, 2005 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2015 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2015 GBP (£)	May. 15, 2015 USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2015 USD ($)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Margin facility amount outstanding					$ 619,810,000	£ 70,000
Bridge Loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Short-term debt		$ 300,000,000
Revolving Credit Facility
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Line of credit facility, amount outstanding					$ 0
Revolving Credit Facility
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Letter of credit aggregate commitment							$ 250,000,000
Line of credit facility, maximum borrowing capacity							$ 350,000,000
Debt to capital ratio					0.35	0.35
Minimum net worth requirements					$ 2,900,000,000
Standby Letter of Credit Facility \| National Australia Bank Limited
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Letters of credit outstanding					0
RenaissanceRe Finance, Inc. \| 3.700% Senior Notes Due April 1, 2025
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Senior notes interest rate		3.70%
Debt Instrument, face amount		$ 300,000,000
Debt instrument maturity date		April 1, 2025
RenRe North America Holdings Inc. \| 5.75% Senior Notes Due March 15, 2020
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Senior notes interest rate			5.75%
Debt Instrument, face amount			$ 250,000,000
Debt instrument maturity date			March 15, 2020
Platinum Underwriters Finance, Inc. \| Series B 7.50% Notes Due June 1, 2017
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Senior notes interest rate				7.50%
Debt Instrument, face amount				$ 250,000,000
Debt instrument maturity date				June 1, 2017
DaVinciRe Holdings Ltd.
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Loan agreement with related party	$ 100,000,000
DaVinciRe Holdings Ltd. \| 4.750% Senior Notes Due May 1, 2025
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Senior notes interest rate	4.75%
Debt Instrument, face amount	$ 150,000,000
Debt instrument maturity date	May 1, 2025
Bilateral Facility Participants \| Bilateral Facility \| Letter of Credit
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Line of credit facility, maximum borrowing capacity								$ 300,000,000
Bilateral Facility Participants \| Bilateral Facility \| Letter of Credit \| Citibank Europe PLC
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Letters of credit outstanding					150,680,000
Loan agreement, remaining borrowing capacity					149,300,000
RenaissanceRe Specialty Risks Ltd. \| Letter of Credit \| Citibank Europe PLC
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Letters of credit outstanding					8,789,000
RenaissanceRe Specialty Risks Ltd. \| Bilateral Facility \| Letter of Credit
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Line of credit facility, maximum borrowing capacity								50,000,000
Platinum Underwriters Bermuda, Ltd. and Renaissance Reinsurance U.S. Inc. \| Bilateral Facility \| Letter of Credit
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Line of credit facility, maximum borrowing capacity								$ 25,000,000
Syndicate 1458 \| Letter of Credit \| Citibank Europe PLC
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Letters of credit outstanding					300,000,000
Margin facility amount outstanding \| £						£ 70,000
Top Layer Reinsurance Ltd. \| Letter of Credit
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Collateralized letter of credit and reimbursement agreement					37,500,000
Top Layer Reinsurance Ltd. \| Letter of Credit \| Capital Support Agreement
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Mandatory capital contribution in the event of capital and surplus reduction below a specified level					$ 50,000,000