The British had an ambition to rule India for a longer period and the policy of Subsidiary Alliance paved the way for them to strive towards their goal. Subsidiary Treaty or Alliance was the document aimed to take over the control and authority of the States and Territories and passing it into the hands of British.
The British East India Company began the intervention policy. It used the areas of the rulers under them in the past to fulfill their political ambitions i.e. to bring the Indian states under British power. The Subsidiary Alliance was a policy of intervention which was used by the Governor General Lord Wellesley (1798-1805) to establish the British Empire in India. In this system, it was said that every Indian ruler will have to pay funds for the maintenance of the British army in their state and in return British will provide them protection from their foes. This treaty resulted in the expansion of the British Empire to a large extent.
It was first used by Lord Wellesley who provided the institutional form to the Intervention Policy in the form of Subsidiary Alliance. He made the Nawabs and Nizams his own subsidiaries by the signing of nearly about 100 such treaties.
Terms of Subsidiary Alliance
The main terms or points of this system were:
1. The rulers that signed the Subsidiary Treaty could not keep an army of their own.
2. They had to keep a permanent regiment of the British army in their state and had to pay money for their maintenance. The payment was to be done either in the form of cash or by ceding a portion of the ruler's territory.
3. It was mandatory for the Indian ruler to house a British resident in his court.
4. Without receiving the prior permission of the British, no Indian ruler could appoint any European in his service or expel those who were there.
5. The ruler could not make an agreement with any other Indian ruler without consulting the Governor General.
States That Accepted The Treaty
• At first, the signature on this treaty was done by the Nizam of Hyderabad. In 1798, the British ended French relationship of Nizam and ensured that without the British consent he could not have any treaty with the Marathas.
• Mysore was the second state which signed this treaty in 1799.
• In 1801, Lord Wellesley forced the Nawab of Awadh to sign the treaty.
• Peshwa Bajirao II also brought his kingdom under this treaty in 1802. Many other Maratha states such as Scindia and Bhosale also signed this treaty. Last Maratha Union like Holkar also accepted the terms of this treaty.
Advantages of Subsidiary Alliance
The British derived certain advantages from this policy of Subsidiary Alliance while the Indian rulers became the puppets of the British after signing it. The advantages for the British were :
1. The British acquired dominion over major territories in the form of subsidiary payment.
2. The huge army was maintained by the Indian rulers for the British.
3. The defence as well as foreign affairs of the protected ally were indirectly controlled by the British.
4. The British could even dethrone the Indian rulers and confiscate their territories whenever they desire.
Disadvantages of Subsidiary Alliance
The Indian rulers faced several disadvantages due to this policy. They were :
1. The rulers of India lost their autonomy and were totally controlled by the British.
2. The British demanded higher payment from rulers for the maintenance of British army which gradually drained the treasury of the states.
3. Indian states soon became poor because the payment paid in accordance with the Subsidiary Alliance drained their resources. With the collapse of the administration, the states and territories of India were annexed by the British.
Conclusion
Subsidiary Alliance was actually a document to snatch the sovereignty of a particular state. Under this, the states did not had right to defend themselves, to establish a diplomatic relationship, to appoint foreigners and even solve disputes with their neighbors. In a nutshell, it was simply the document to expand the British dominance within the Indian States and Territories.
0 Comments