Whilst i was university i tried establishing some of the sources of Whittemore's inspiration.

I found that there was in fact a priest named Father Yakouba that worked at a mission somewhere in North Africa.

i have always wondered if Plantagenet Strongbow is not based on both Sir Richard Burton and Lawrence of Arabia. The former due his incredible language skills and general genius...the latter for the passages from The Seven Pillars of Wisdom.

Any thoughts??