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de:Wilhelm Homberg says he was German. Wilhelm Homberg was the son of John Homberg, a Saxon gentleman, originally from Quedlinburg, who was stripped of his inheritance during the Thirty Years' War. Wilhelm Homberg was born at Batavia (modern Jakarta) in 1652 while his father was serving as an officer of the Dutch East India Company. So, his father's homeland was Germany, even if he worked for the Dutch East India Company. BNutzer (talk) 12:00, 24 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Well, under a modern interpretation he'd have been born a Dutch subject. But that's not how things really worked then, I must admit.
I wrote "Dutch" because that's what the Britannica had. The other source I used, Fontenelle's "Éloge de M. Homberg" emphasises that his father had been stripped of his German inheritance in his youth and had fled to Holland for that reason. After service in the East Indies he went back to Amsterdam. So he wasn't just a German mercenary.
What's more, his mother's name sounds Dutch -- Barbe van Hedemard. I think that tips the scales. But if you have some other reason, please let me know. Nick (talk) 18:06, 24 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
