UPSC GS Paper I: Modern History, British Conquest of India, Battles, Subsidiary Alliance, Doctrine of Lapse

Must?Know

• Battle of Plassey (1757) – Fought between British East India Company and Siraj-ud-Daulah; Robert Clive used Mir Jafar’s betrayal to secure victory; marked beginning of British political control in Bengal.
• Treaty of Allahabad (1765) – After Battle of Buxar; Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II granted diwani rights of Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa to British; confirmed British revenue authority.
• Battle of Buxar (1764) – British defeated combined forces of Mir Qasim, Shuja-ud-Daulah (Oudh), and Shah Alam II; led to expansion of British control beyond Bengal.
• Subsidiary Alliance System – Introduced by Lord Wellesley (1798–1805); Indian rulers accepted British military protection and paid for subsidiary forces; loss of independent foreign policy.
• First ruler to accept Subsidiary Alliance – Nizam of Hyderabad (1798); allowed British to station troops and control external relations.
• Tipu Sultan refused Subsidiary Alliance – Led to Third Anglo-Mysore War (1792) and Fourth Anglo-Mysore War (1799); British victory resulted in Tipu’s death and Mysore under British control.
• Doctrine of Lapse – Formulated by Lord Dalhousie (1848–1856); stated that if an Indian ruler died without a natural male heir, the territory would lapse to British.
• States annexed under Doctrine of Lapse – Satara (1848), Sambalpur (1849), Jhansi (1853), Nagpur (1854), Awadh (1856, though not under Lapse but misgovernance).
• Jhansi annexation (1853) – Rani Lakshmibai’s adopted son denied succession; contributed to 1857 revolt.
• Nagpur annexed in 1854 – After death of Raghuji Bhonsla III; no direct heir; became part of Central Provinces.
• Satara – First state annexed under Doctrine of Lapse (1848); ruler was Pratap Singh.
• Sambalpur – Annexed in 1849 after death of Narayan Singh; local resistance led by Surendra Sai.
• Awadh annexed in 1856 – Not under Doctrine of Lapse but on grounds of misgovernance; Nawab Wajid Ali Shah deposed; major cause of 1857 revolt.
• Treaty of Salbai (1782) – Ended First Anglo-Maratha War; recognized Raghunath Rao’s pension and British control of Salsette; status quo ante bellum largely restored.
• Second Anglo-Mysore War (1780–1784) – Hyder Ali defeated British at Pollilur; ended with Treaty of Mangalore (1784) – mutual restoration of conquests.
• Third Anglo-Mysore War (1790–1792) – British, Marathas, and Hyderabad allied against Tipu; Treaty of Seringapatam forced Tipu to cede half his territory.
• Fourth Anglo-Mysore War (1799) – British led by Arthur Wellesley; Tipu killed defending Seringapatam; Mysore placed under Wodeyar dynasty as princely state.
• First Anglo-Sikh War (1845–1846) – Ended with Treaty of Lahore; Sikh army defeated; British installed Gulab Singh via Treaty of Amritsar (1846), creating Jammu & Kashmir princely state.
• Second Anglo-Sikh War (1848–1849) – Resulted in annexation of Punjab; Dalip Singh, last Sikh ruler, deposed.
• Treaty of Amritsar (1846) – Between British and Gulab Singh; recognized him as ruler of Jammu and Kashmir; paid Rs 75 lakh as per treaty.
• Carnatic Wars (1746–1763) – Three wars between British and French; ended with British dominance in South India after Third Carnatic War (1763).
• Battle of Wandiwash (1760) – British defeated French; General Eyre Coote vs. Comte de Lally; sealed British supremacy in India over France.
• Anglo-Maratha Wars – First (1775–1782), Second (1803–1805), Third (1817–1818); ended Maratha power and established British paramountcy.
• Third Anglo-Maratha War (1817–1818) – British defeated Peshwa Baji Rao II; Peshwa pensioned off; Maratha Confederacy dissolved.
• Baji Rao II – Last Peshwa; defeated in 1818; exiled to Bithur near Kanpur.

Difficulty Level

Intermediate – Requires precise recall of dates, treaties, and distinction between annexation policies; often tested through indirect linkages in UPSC.

Common UPSC Traps

Trap: Doctrine of Lapse was applied to Awadh – Fact: Awadh was annexed in 1856 on grounds of misgovernance, not Doctrine of Lapse; source: Bipan Chandra, India’s Struggle for Independence.
Trap: Subsidiary Alliance was introduced by Lord Cornwallis – Fact: Introduced by Lord Wellesley; Cornwallis is associated with Permanent Settlement (1793); source: NCERT Class 12, Themes in Indian History – Part III.
Trap: Battle of Plassey was fought in 1764 – Fact: Plassey was 1757; Buxar was 1764; frequent mix-up in timelines; source: Spectrum’s Modern India.
Trap: Tipu Sultan signed Subsidiary Alliance after Third Anglo-Mysore War – Fact: Tipu did not accept Subsidiary Alliance; he signed Treaty of Seringapatam (1792) which imposed war indemnity and territorial cession; alliance terms were rejected; source: NCERT.

Practice MCQs

Question: The Treaty of Allahabad, signed in 1765, resulted in which of the following?
A) British acquisition of Diwani rights in Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa
B) Recognition of British control over Carnatic
C) Cession of Bombay to the British by the Portuguese
D) Establishment of British residency in Hyderabad
Answer: A
Explanation: After the Battle of Buxar, the Treaty of Allahabad granted the British East India Company the diwani (right to collect revenue) in Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa by Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II.
Why others fail: B refers to later developments; Carnatic control was consolidated after the Carnatic Wars, not by this treaty.

Question: Which of the following states was the first to be annexed by the British under the Doctrine of Lapse?
A) Nagpur
B) Jhansi
C) Satara
D) Sambalpur
Answer: C
Explanation: Satara was the first princely state annexed under the Doctrine of Lapse in 1848 after the death of Raja Pratap Singh without a direct male heir.
Why others fail: Jhansi (1853) and Nagpur (1854) were later annexations; Sambalpur was annexed in 1849 but after Satara.

Question: The Subsidiary Alliance system did NOT require an Indian ruler to:
A) Disband his standing army
B) Accept a British resident at his court
C) Pay for the maintenance of British troops
D) Surrender all internal administrative powers
Answer: D
Explanation: The Subsidiary Alliance required acceptance of British troops, payment for their maintenance, and a British resident, but internal administration remained with the ruler.
Why others fail: Option A is tempting because rulers had to rely on British forces, but they could maintain limited forces with British permission.

Question: Which one of the following pairs is correctly matched?
A) Treaty of Salbai – End of Third Anglo-Mysore War
B) Treaty of Seringapatam – 1792
C) Treaty of Amritsar – 1858
D) Treaty of Lahore – 1849
Answer: B
Explanation: Treaty of Seringapatam was signed in 1792 after the Third Anglo-Mysore War; it forced Tipu Sultan to cede half his territory.
Why others fail: Treaty of Salbai (1782) ended the First Anglo-Maratha War; Treaty of Lahore was 1846, not 1849; Treaty of Amritsar was 1846.

Question: The Battle of Wandiwash (1760) is significant because it:
A) Marked the beginning of British territorial control in Bengal
B) Led to the end of French political influence in India
C) Resulted in the annexation of Punjab
D) Established British control over Awadh
Answer: B
Explanation: The British victory over the French at Wandiwash decisively ended French ambitions in Indian politics, establishing British supremacy.
Why others fail: A refers to Battle of Plassey (1757); C and D relate to 19th-century events.

Question: Which of the following was NOT a consequence of the Third Anglo-Maratha War?
A) Deposition of Peshwa Baji Rao II
B) Annexation of Maratha territories into British India
C) Establishment of subsidiary alliances with all Maratha chiefs
D) End of the Maratha Confederacy
Answer: C
Explanation: After the war, the British directly annexed large Maratha territories and deposed the Peshwa; not all Maratha chiefs were placed under subsidiary alliances—some were eliminated.
Why others fail: Option C is incorrect because the British did not rely solely on subsidiary alliances; direct annexation was key.

Question: The Doctrine of Lapse was primarily justified by the British on the basis of:
A) Divine Right of Kings
B) Paramountcy of the British Crown
C) Hindu Law of Adoption
D) Mughal Succession Practices
Answer: B
Explanation: The British claimed paramountcy, asserting their supreme authority to decide succession in princely states, overriding local customs.
Why others fail: C is tempting as adoption was central, but the British overruled Hindu law citing their political supremacy.

Last?Minute Revision

• 1757: Battle of Plassey
• 1760: Battle of Wandiwash
• 1764: Battle of Buxar
• 1765: Treaty of Allahabad and Diwani rights granted
• 1782: Treaty of Salbai ends First Anglo-Maratha War
• 1792: Treaty of Seringapatam after Third Anglo-Mysore War
• 1798: Subsidiary Alliance introduced by Lord Wellesley
• 1799: Tipu Sultan killed in Fourth Anglo-Mysore War
• 1801: Carnatic annexed by Lord Wellesley
• 1818: Third Anglo-Maratha War ends; Peshwa deposed
• 1843: Annexation of Sindh by Lord Ellenborough
• 1846: Treaty of Amritsar creates Jammu & Kashmir princely state
• 1848: Satara first annexed under Doctrine of Lapse
• 1849: Punjab annexed after Second Anglo-Sikh War
• 1853: Jhansi annexed under Doctrine of Lapse
• 1854: Nagpur annexed under Doctrine of Lapse
• 1856: Awadh annexed on grounds of misgovernance (not Lapse)
• Lord Dalhousie: Doctrine of Lapse (1848–1856)
• Lord Wellesley: Subsidiary Alliance (1798–1805)
• Robert Clive: Battle of Plassey (1757), Diwani (1765)
• Arthur Wellesley: Fourth Anglo-Mysore War (1799), later Duke of Wellington
• Hyder Ali: Ruler of Mysore during Second Anglo-Mysore War
• Baji Rao II: Last Peshwa, defeated in 1818
• Shah Alam II: Granted Diwani rights via Treaty of Allahabad (1765)
• Verify from standard source: Exact number of states annexed under Doctrine of Lapse (commonly five: Satara, Jhansi, Nagpur, Sambalpur, Udaipur)