Which of the following Indian states was the first to sign a subsidiary alliance with the British What was the state?

Hyderabad

The correct answer is Option 1- Hyderabad

The first Indian state to sign a subsidiary alliance with the British was Hyderabad, in 1798.

A subsidiary alliance was a treaty between the British East India Company and an Indian state. Under the terms of the alliance, the Indian state had to agree to disband its own army and allow British troops to be stationed in its territory. The Indian state also had to pay a subsidy to the British East India Company to cover the cost of maintaining the British troops.

The British used the subsidiary alliance system to expand their control over India. By signing a subsidiary alliance, an Indian state lost its independence and became a British protectorate.

Hyderabad was a large and powerful state in southern India. The British were eager to sign a subsidiary alliance with Hyderabad in order to secure their position in the south and to prevent Hyderabad from allying with the French.

The Nizam of Hyderabad, Nizam Ali Khan, was reluctant to sign a subsidiary alliance with the British. However, he was eventually forced to do so after the British defeated him in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War in 1799.