Which of the following statements are True about the Subsidiary Alliance?
A. The Subsidiary Alliance was a system devised by Lord Dalhousie in 1798.
B. The British would be responsible to protect their ally from external and internal threats.
C. In the territory of the ally, a British armed contingent would be stationed.
D. The British provided the resources for maintaining this contingent.
E. The ally could enter into agreements with other rulers only with the permission of the British.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → B, C, E only
A. The Subsidiary Alliance was a system devised by Lord Dalhousie in 1798. Incorrect. The system was devised by Lord Wellesley in 1798. Lord Dalhousie came later; in 1851 he described Awadh as “a cherry that will drop into our mouth one day”.
B. The British would be responsible to protect their ally from external and internal threats. Correct. This was the first condition: the British would protect their ally from external and internal threats to their power.
C. In the territory of the ally, a British armed contingent would be stationed. Correct. A British armed contingent would be stationed in the ally’s territory.
D. The British provided the resources for maintaining this contingent. Incorrect. It was the other way round: the ally would have to provide the resources for maintaining this contingent.
E. The ally could enter into agreements with other rulers only with the permission of the British. Correct. The ally could enter into agreements with other rulers or engage in warfare only with the permission of the British.
Note: A same/similar question was asked in CUET (UG) in the papers below.
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
| – | 22-05 S1* | – | 27-05 S1 | – |
* A similar question.
NCERT: Themes in Indian History Part III — Chapter 10: Rebels and the Raj (2026-27)
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