Q3. Which British officer played a key role in the Battle of Plassey?

(a) Lord Dalhousie

(b) Lord Wellesley

(c) Robert Clive

(d) Warren Hastings

The correct answer is Answer: (c) Robert Clive

The Subsidiary Alliance was introduced by Lord Wellesley, who was the Governor-General of India from 1798 to 1805. It was a political and military policy used by the British East India Company to bring Indian states under their indirect control without directly annexing them.

The main condition of the Subsidiary Alliance was that the Indian ruler had to accept and maintain a British army within his state and also pay for its expenses. In return, the Company promised to protect the ruler from external attacks or internal revolts. However, the ruler was not allowed to keep his own large army or form alliances with any other power without the permission of the British.

If the ruler failed to make the payments for the British troops, part of his territory was taken away as a penalty. This system gradually weakened the independence of Indian rulers and made them dependent on the Company.

For example, the Nizam of Hyderabad was the first Indian ruler to accept this alliance in 1798. Later, many states were forced into it, which expanded British influence across India.

Thus, the Subsidiary Alliance became a powerful tool for the Company to control Indian states and expand its territory.