SSC Stenographer 2026 PYQ — Question 32

Solution: The correct answer is It compelled Indian rulers to disband their own armed forces and accept a permanent British contingent.
Explanation:
☛ The Subsidiary Alliance system was brought into widespread use by Lord Wellesley during his tenure as Governor-General (1798–1805) to establish British supremacy over Indian states.
☛ Under this system, the allied Indian ruler was compelled to disband their own native military force and accept a permanent British military force stationed within their territory.
☛ The ruler had to pay subsidies in cash or surrender a portion of territory for the upkeep and maintenance of the British contingent.
☛ The Indian ruler was also required to post a British Resident at court and was forbidden from negotiating treaties, employing other Europeans, or waging war without British permission.
Extra Exam-Relevant Facts:
☛ Nizam of Hyderabad was the first Indian ruler to accept the Subsidiary Alliance in 1798.
☛ Other prominent states that accepted the alliance included Mysore (1799), Awadh (1801), and the Maratha Peshwa (1802) through the Treaty of Bassein.
☛ French Governor Dupleix was the first European administrator to initiate the concept of lending European troops to Indian princes before Wellesley institutionalised it.
☛ Doctrine of Lapse: The policy of annexing states when rulers died without a natural male heir was formulated by Lord Dalhousie, not Lord Wellesley.
Important One-Liners for Upcoming Exams:
☛ Who was the Governor-General of India during the introduction of the Subsidiary Alliance in 1798? → Lord Wellesley
☛ Which was the first Indian state to sign the Subsidiary Alliance? → Hyderabad (1798)
☛ Through which treaty did Peshwa Baji Rao II accept the Subsidiary Alliance in 1802? → Treaty of Bassein
☛ Which European official originally pioneered the concept of subsidiary troops in India? → Joseph François Dupleix
☛ Which Governor-General introduced the 'Doctrine of Lapse' in India? → Lord Dalhousie