The Medieval Period: Positive and Negative Impacts to Western Culture Introduction: The Medieval Period and the Western Culture The Medieval Period spanned the centuries after the total collapse of the Western Roman Empire until the Renaissance Age and includes the Dark Ages and the Crusades. In this paper will be particularly looking at the Medieval Period or the Middle Ages and its influences to the Western culture. Specifically, the paper seeks to answer the following questions: what artistic, political, technological, economic, social, philosophical, religious, and military developments were shaped by the Western culture during this period? How did it change the world and who controls the developments (gatekeepers) that ensued thereafter? Philosophy in the Medieval Period Oftentimes, scholars, mostly historians, are why study the Middle Ages?