Through a large part of human history, a monarch had absolute power over all his/her subjects. Under England's Queen Elizabeth I, that authority included conscripting the best singers from every social strata for the royal children’s choir, which equated to kidnapping. This power was delegated to the Master of the Children of the Chapel Royal, who could take any child he pleased to become part of the choir. In 1600, the Master was Nathaniel Giles. It was in that year that he took possession of 13-year-old Thomas Clifton as he walked home from school. On the surface, there wasn't a thing his parents could do about it, as Giles had the power of the throne behind him, and it was his job to fill the choir with promising young singers.
But they made a fatal error by selecting Thomas Clifton. His father was a nobleman, whose connections enabled him to bring the case before the Star Chamber Court. Plus, Thomas couldn’t sing, making it hard to argue that Giles and Evans had been acting in the interest of Her Majesty’s choir.
So why was Clifton snatched from his family? Read about Giles and how he took advantage of the legal authority he was given at Jstor Daily. -via Strange Company
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