Mediaeval Musings

I am currently writing fiction with a mediaeval setting (12th century to be exact), and I have had similarities between that age and our own very much in mind of late. For instance, scientists today occupy the role taken by the church back then, in the sense that we go to them for descriptions of the world, for causes, explanations and answers. (I wonder if an out-and-out secularist like Richard Dawkins is aware of how similar he is to a mediaeval churchman?!) Similarly, a monarch imposing extra taxes on the populace so that he can go to war is exactly the same as taxpayers bailing out banks - in other words, the majority of people being forced to pay for the follies of the rich. This is one of the reasons, I would argue, whereby historical fiction retains its relevance.