Editing Samuel Blommaert (section)

==Early life==
[[File:Gerard Reynst.jpg|thumb|left|Portrait of [[Gerard Reynst]], Blommaert's father-in-law]]

Blommaert was born in [[Antwerp]], [[Duchy of Brabant]], in current-day [[Belgium]] but grew up in London. He was the son of Margaretha Hoefnagel (-1585){{Efn|Her grandfather was [[Joris Hoefnagel]] was, the court-painter and diplomat [[Jacob Hoefnagel]] was her father; [[Constantijn Huygens]] was her uncle.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://resources.huygens.knaw.nl/vrouwenlexicon/lemmata/data/Hoefnagel | title=Digitaal Vrouwenlexicon van Nederland | date=17 September 2019 }}</ref> In: [https://www.dbnl.org/tekst/_bij005190801_01/_bij005190801_01_0005.php Brieven van Samuel Blommaert aan den Zweedschen rijkskanselier Axel Oxenstierna, 1635-1641.] Joris Hoefnagel was a diplomat supporting  [[Frederick V, Elector Palatine]] and accused in Prague of fraudulently dealing with a certain financial matter.   Hoefnagel was convicted in absentia in a political process of embezzlement of funds.  All his goods were confiscated he was sentenced to death but fled to Sweden?<ref>[http://austria-forum.org/af/AEIOU/Hoefnagel,_Jakob Hoefnagel, Jakob] on Austria-Forum</ref>}} and the wealthy goldsmith/merchant Lodewijk Blommaert (1537–1591),<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.genealogieonline.nl/genealogie-peeters-rouneau/I4825.php|title = Gouwer Frittema » Genealogie Peeters-Rouneau » Genealogie Online}}</ref> who in 1581 was [[schepen]] of Antwerp and in 1583 captain at [[Fort Lillo]] on the eastern border of the [[Scheldt]]; he knew the area very well as his ancestors came from [[Bergen-op-Zoom]]. His mother died when Samuel was young and his father moved the family to London when Antwerp was occupied in 1585 by the [[Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma|Duke of Parma]]. In 1587 he remarried Janneken van Hove but he died four years later. Samuel was apprenticed in [[Stade]] with his aunt Susanne, and in Vienna at his uncle Daniel. In 1601 he became "[[poorter]]" of Amsterdam. In 1602 he visited [[Benin]].<ref>His account, given to [[Isaac Vossius]] was used by [[Olfert Dapper]] in 1668.</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|url=http://africanistes.revues.org/document125.html#ftn27|doi = 10.4000/africanistes.125|title = Historiae Oculus Geographia|year = 2005|last1 = Baesjou|first1 = René|journal = Journal des Africanistes|issue = 75–2|page = 101}}</ref>

In 1603, Samuel enlisted with the [[Dutch East India Company]] and traveled to the [[Dutch East Indies]] on a ship under admiral [[Steven van der Hagen]]. In the years 1605–1607 he stayed on [[Borneo]]. He was sent by the board ([[Jacques l'Hermite]]) to [[Sukadana]] [[West Kalimantan]] to free merchant Hans Roeff, who had died or left when Blommaert arrived. He returned to Bantam with 633 diamonds he was able to save at the trading post.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://databases.tanap.net/ead/html/1.04.02/index.html?N1437B|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724092207/http://databases.tanap.net/ead/html/1.04.02/index.html?N1437B|url-status=usurped|archive-date=July 24, 2011|title = 1.04.02 - de archieven van de Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, 1602 - 1795 - Guest}}</ref> In 1609/1610 he again stayed on [[Sultanate of Sambas|Sambas]], Borneo and was able to get a monopoly on diamond trade for the VOC.<ref>Kernkamp, G.W. (1908) Brieven van Samuel Blommaert aan den Zweedschen Rijkskanselier Axel Oxenstierna 1635–1641, pp. 16–17. In: Bijdragen & Mededeelingen van het Historisch Genootschap, nr. 29.</ref> In September 1610, after seven years, he left sooner than expected and arrived in June 1611 at [[Texel]]. [[Pieter Both]] had to investigate the case.<ref>[https://www.dbnl.org/tekst/_bij005190801_01/_bij005190801_01_0005.php Brieven van Samuel Blommaert aan den Zweedschen rijkskanselier Axel Oxenstierna, 1635-1641.]</ref> On 5 June 1612, he married the 22-years-old Catharina Reynst, a daughter of [[Gerard Reynst]], governor of the East Indies. Both were living at [[Sint Antoniesbreestraat]] with whom he would have twelve children between 1613 and 1633; two died in an early age.<ref>[https://www.knggw.nl/raadplegen/de-nederlandsche-leeuw/1893-11/72/ De Nederlandsche Leeuw]</ref>