Medieval philosophy is the
philosophy in the era now known as
medieval or the
Middle Ages, the period roughly extending from the fall of the
Western Roman Empire in the 5th century C.E. to the
Renaissance in the 16th century. Medieval philosophy, understood as a project of independent philosophical inquiry, began in
Baghdad, in the middle of the 8th century, and in
France, in the itinerant court of
Charlemagne, in the last quarter of the 8th century. It is defined partly by the process of rediscovering the ancient culture developed in
Greece and
Rome in the classical period, and partly by the need to address
theological problems and to integrate sacred
doctrine with
secular learning.