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Question 71 of 73 · Arrival of Europeans & Expansion of British Rule
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The first Indian state to accept the Subsidiary Alliance with the English East India Company (1798) was:

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Answer: Option D — Hyderabad

Detailed Solution

Hyderabad, under the Nizam, was the first Indian state to accept the Subsidiary Alliance with the English East India Company, in September 1798.

About the Subsidiary Alliance:

It was a system devised by the Company in 1798 to bring Indian states under its control.

NCERT on the Subsidiary Alliance:

  • NCERT notes that according to the terms of this alliance, Indian rulers were not allowed to have their independent armed forces.
  • 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 penalty.

Other terms:

  • The ruler had to accept a British Resident at his court.
  • He could not employ any European other than the British without the Company's approval.
  • He could not make war or negotiate with any other Indian ruler without the Company's permission.

Why Hyderabad accepted:

  • The Nizam was afraid of the Marathas and of Tipu Sultan, and wanted British protection.
  • He also agreed to dismiss the French officers who had trained his army.
  • Later, the Nizam gave up the territories he had gained from Mysore (the "Ceded Districts") to pay for the subsidiary force.

Other states that accepted the Subsidiary Alliance:

  • Mysore (1799), after the defeat and death of Tipu Sultan.
  • Tanjore (1799).
  • Awadh (1801), which had to give up half of its territory.
  • The Peshwa (1802), by the Treaty of Bassein.
  • The Bhonsle of Nagpur and the Scindia (1803), after the Second Anglo-Maratha War.

Effects:

  • The Indian rulers lost their independence in foreign affairs and their armies.
  • The Company gained a large army paid for by the Indian states, and extended its control over large territories without war.
  • The rulers became dependent on the British and often neglected the welfare of their subjects.

Why not the other options?

  • ✗Mysore, Awadh and Tanjore accepted the alliance later.

Quick tip

Remember: first state to accept the Subsidiary Alliance = Hyderabad (1798); then Mysore and Tanjore (1799), Awadh (1801), Peshwa (1802, Treaty of Bassein).

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Arrival of Europeans & Expansion of British Rule — Preparation

This question tests your understanding of Arrival of Europeans & Expansion of British Rule, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.

This topic covers the arrival of the Portuguese, Dutch, English, Danes and French in India, the growth of the East India Company, and the battles, wars and treaties through which British power expanded, including the Battles of Plassey and Buxar, the Anglo-Mysore, Anglo-Maratha and Anglo-Sikh wars, and policies such as subsidiary alliance and the doctrine of lapse. Typical questions ask which battle was fought in which year and between whom, which treaty ended which war, and which Governor-General introduced a policy. For example, the Battle of Plassey (1757) was fought between Robert Clive and Siraj-ud-Daulah, and the Treaty of Allahabad (1765) gave the Company the diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. Practise the arrival of Europeans and expansion of British rule questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.

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