Subsidiary Alliance was a system devised by

Subsidiary Alliance was a system devised by

Lord Wellesley
Lord Dalhousie
Lord Canning
Lord Ripon
This question was previously asked in
UPSC NDA-2 – 2016
The correct answer is A. The system of Subsidiary Alliance was primarily implemented and expanded by Lord Wellesley.
Lord Wellesley served as the Governor-General of India from 1798 to 1805. He devised and widely used the Subsidiary Alliance system as a tool to bring Indian states under British control without direct annexation. Under this system, an Indian ruler would accept British paramountcy, agree to keep a British resident at their court, disband their own army and accept British troops for protection (paying for their maintenance), and not enter into alliances with other powers or engage in warfare without British permission. This system significantly expanded the territory and influence of the British East India Company.
Although the concept of British troops stationed in princely states existed before Wellesley, he systematized it into the ‘Subsidiary Alliance’ and applied it aggressively to integrate many Indian states, such as Hyderabad, Mysore, Awadh, the Peshwa, etc., into the Company’s political sphere.
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