Lord Wellesley's Subsidiary Alliance - General Knowledge of Modern India: Main points; Terms Under, Scheme, Benefits to the company from Subsidiary Alliance.
Subsidiary Alliance
Lord Wellesley may be the first British to use Subsidiary Alliance, but even before that someone had brought Subsidiary Alliance into practice in India. It was the French governor Dupleix. Under the Subsidiary Treaty, the Indian monarchs, Rajwada etc. were given military assistance by the company and money was taken from them in return (Give and Take Policy). Lord Clive and Cornwallis had also resorted to the Subsidiary Alliance System, but the credit for making sure and comprehensive of this system goes entirely to Wellesley.
Scheme of Subsidiary Alliance
After planning the Subsidiary Alliance, Wellesley gave it a practical shape and expanded the range of the company. Some states themselves adopted this treaty, but some states accepted it after being defeated.
Terms Under Subsidiary Alliance
(01) The Rajwada / State / King / Native Princely State, which accepted the Subsidiary Treaty, handed over its foreign policy to the company. This meant that he could neither fight nor make any treaty with any other state without the permission of the company.
(02) Without the permission of Rajwada / State / King Company, he could not give shelter, job to any other European or enemies of British other than British. Even inviting him to the court was forbidden.
(03) The native princely state accepting this treaty kept a piece of army given by the company for its security, whose expenses it would bear on its own. For the expenditure of the army, the company had to give cash annual amount or some area of the state.
(04) The princely state will keep an English resident in its court and will take advice related to governance from time to time.
(05) In return, the princely state used to get a guarantee of security. In exchange for the above conditions, the East India Company used to guarantee the security of the state accepting the Subsidiary Treaty from external attacks and assure or say that the native rulers would assure them that the company would not interfere in the internal governance of the state.
More General Knowledge of Modern India
(06) The direct control of the company was established on the foreign policy of the state that accepted the Subsidiary Treaty. Therefore, this trick of Wellesley made the states accepting the Subsidiary Alliance System friendly to the company.
Benefits to the company from Subsidiary Alliance
(01) East India Company got the biggest benefit from the Subsidiary Treaty that by this all the native states were separated from each other. That is, now neither one state could befriend another state nor fight properly. Everyone was controlled by the company.
(02) Now no state could raise its voice against the British because they themselves were getting military protection from the company. Taking advantage of this weakness, the company took all the states under its influence one by one.
(03) The Company had its own interest even behind doing a huge organization in the native states at the expense of the native states. Far from protecting the states, she used a huge army to destroy her enemies.
(04) With the help of Subsidiary Alliance, the British prevented French influence from coming to India. According to the treaty, the French were neither allowed to enter the court, nor got any job, nor did anyone ask for military help from them. Gradually the French had to retire from Indian politics.
(05) This treaty also helped the Company to establish its influence on the administration of the princely states through English Residents. The company took full advantage of turning the mutual disputes between the states according to their personal benefit.
(06) Harm to the princely states from the Subsidiary Alliance, the native princely states lost their independence by accepting the supremacy of the company.
(07) It seemed right to these princely states to take decisions according to the advice of the English Resident. Due to this, his ability to take his own decisions went on weakening. Gradually they became puppets in the hands of the British.
(08) The princely states had to bear the expenses of the company's army and the resident. Due to the Subsidiary Treaty, the princely states became economically weak.
(09) When the native princely states were unable to give money to the company, then according to the treaty, the company started grabbing the land.
(10) In this way, while the British interests were protected by the Subsidiary Treaty, the native princely states and their subjects had to face its consequences.
Tags
Modern India