Key Concepts & Self-Assessment15 Key Facts
Review key British Annexation: Subsidiary Alliance & Doctrine of Lapse exam facts and rate your mastery to track revision.
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#1
Lord Wellesley systematized the Subsidiary Alliance in 1798, securing British military dominance and foreign policy control over native states.
#2
The Nizam of Hyderabad was the first Indian ruler to enter into the Subsidiary Alliance with the East India Company in 1798.
#3
Lord Dalhousie enforced the Doctrine of Lapse in 1848, barring adopted heirs from inheriting princely governance and sovereign titles.
#4
Satara was the first state annexed under the Doctrine of Lapse in 1848, followed by Sambalpur, Jhansi (1853), and Nagpur (1854).
#5
Awadh was annexed in 1856 based on James Outram's report citing misgovernance, directly triggering sepoys' participation in the 1857 Revolt.
#6
The British Resident stationed at allied princely courts acted as the diplomatic and political overseer, preventing states from forming external alliances or employing European rivals.
#7
Mysore was forced into the Subsidiary Alliance in 1799 after Tipu Sultan was killed during the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War at Seringapatam.
#8
The Nawab of Awadh was compelled by Wellesley to surrender half his territory, including Rohilkhand and the Lower Doab, under the revised 1801 treaty.
#9
Peshwa Baji Rao II signed the Treaty of Bassein on December 31, 1802, accepting subsidiary terms and British garrisoning following internal Maratha conflicts.
#10
Princely rulers accepting the Subsidiary Alliance had to maintain a contingent of Company troops at their own expense or cede revenue-generating territory in perpetuity.
#11
The Court of Directors classified Indian states into three categories in 1834, establishing that dependent states created by British grants required British sanction for adoptions.
#12
Jaitpur in Bundelkhand and Sambalpur in Odisha were annexed under the Doctrine of Lapse in 1849 when their rulers died without natural male heirs.
#13
Baghat was annexed in 1850 and Udaipur in 1852 under the Doctrine of Lapse, though Lord Canning subsequently restored their princely status.
#14
The Rani of Jhansi, Lakshmibai, protested Dalhousie's refusal to recognize her adopted son Damodar Rao under the Doctrine of Lapse following Raja Gangadhar Rao's death.
#15
Queen Victoria's Proclamation of November 1, 1858, formally repudiated the Doctrine of Lapse, guaranteeing the preservation of princely territorial boundaries and adoption rights.
Subject Specialist Commentary
Analytical perspective & practical exam advice from the Master10 academic board
During the late eighteenth and mid-nineteenth centuries, the British expanded their Indian empire using two aggressive diplomatic tools. Lord Wellesley introduced the Subsidiary Alliance in 1798, compelling Indian rulers to disband native armies, post a British Resident at their courts, and maintain Company troops. Decades later, Lord Dalhousie enforced the Doctrine of Lapse in 1848, refusing to recognize adopted heirs of dependent rulers who died without natural male heirs, thereby annexing their territories directly into British India.
Examiners in UPSC and SSC exams love testing chronological sequences and annexation categories. Memorize that Hyderabad in 1798 was the first state to accept the Subsidiary Alliance, followed by Mysore in 1799. Under the Doctrine of Lapse, Satara was the first state annexed in 1848, followed by Sambalpur, Jhansi, and Nagpur. Watch out for a classic prelims trap: Awadh was annexed in 1856 on the pretext of misgovernance following James Outram's report, not under the Doctrine of Lapse.
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