Explanation
Merits of Subsidiary Alliance:-
1. By this system the English became the supreme power in India,
2. The resources and influence of the company increased greatly,
3. The alliance helped the English to maintain control over the Indian rulers,
4. It enabled the company to maintain a large standing army at the expense of Indian Princes and
5. The extent of British Empire in India increased greatly as several rulers had ceded parts of their kingdoms.
Lord Dalhousie provided the British with the tool called Doctrine of lapse that they used to annex an Indian kingdom if its ruler died without a male heir. They annexed Satara(1848), Sambalpur(1850), Udaipur(1852), Nagpur(1853) and Jhansi(1854) using doctrine of lapse.
The Battle of Buxar was fought between the British Army and the combined forces of Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II, Mir Qasim (Nawab of Bengal) and Shuja-ud-Daulah (Nawab of Awadh). The British East India Company defeated the combined forces in the battle.The battle took place on 22nd October, 1764.
The doctrine of subsidiary alliance was introduced by Lord Wellesley. According to the term of this alliance, Indian rulers were not allowed to have their independent armed force. They were to be protected by the company, but had to pay for the 'subsidiary forces' that the company was supposed to maintain for the purpose of this protection. If the Indian rulers failed to make the payment, then part of their territory was taken away as a penalty. The Indian ruler could not employ any European in their service without prior approval of British. Also, they could not negotiate with any other Indian rulers without consulting the Governor-General.
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