The correct answer is: B) Subsidiary Alliance system.
The Subsidiary Alliance system was a system of military alliances between the British East India Company and Indian princely states. Under this system, the Indian states agreed to provide the British with troops and to cede control of their foreign affairs to the British in exchange for British protection.
The Subsidiary Alliance system was first introduced in the 1790s by Lord Cornwallis, the Governor-General of India. The system was designed to prevent Indian states from becoming powerful enough to challenge British rule.
The Subsidiary Alliance system was very successful in achieving its goal of preventing Indian states from becoming powerful. However, it also led to the decline of Indian states and the rise of British power in India.
The Subsidiary Alliance system was finally abolished in 1857, after the Indian Rebellion.
The other options are incorrect because:
- The Battle of Plassey was a battle fought in 1757 between the British East India Company and the Nawab of Bengal. The battle resulted in the British victory and the establishment of British rule in Bengal.
- The First Anglo-Maratha War was a war fought between the British East India Company and the Maratha Empire from 1775 to 1782. The war ended in a stalemate.
- The Doctrine of Lapse was a policy introduced by the British in 1843. Under this policy, any Indian princely state that did not have a male heir would be annexed by the British.