photo.jpg

# Claiming Paramountcy Lord Hastings (​ **1813 - 1823**​) became the governor-general and initiated the new policy of paramountcy. Under this policy, the British claimed that the authority of the Company over the Indian states is supreme and therefore it is not unjustified to annex or threaten to...

# Claiming Paramountcy Lord Hastings (​ **1813 - 1823**​) became the governor-general and initiated the new policy of paramountcy. Under this policy, the British claimed that the authority of the Company over the Indian states is supreme and therefore it is not unjustified to annex or threaten to annex any Indian state in the interest of the Company. The policy explicitly expressed the expansionist intention of the British. However, the revolt of Rani Chennamma of Kittur, who took to arms when the British tried to annex her state, showed the non-acceptance of the policy. # Afghanistan and Sind In the **1830s,** the British started interfering in Afghanistan's internal affairs as they thought Russia might expand across Asia and attack India via Afghanistan. This insecurity resulted into Anglo-Afghan wars between **1838** and **1842**. The British failed to establish direct control over Afghanistan due to very strong resistance. However, they annexed Sind in **1843**. # Punjab Punjab flourished under Maharaja Ranjit Singh. He kept Punjab free from the clutches of the British through diplomacy and by maintaining a strong army on European lines. In **1839,** Maharaja Ranjit Singh died. After his death there was chaos and the British began to interfere in the affairs of Punjab. This led to two Anglo-Sikh wars ( **1845 - 1849**​) and the Sikhs were defeated. The British under Lord Dalhousie annexed Punjab in **1849**. # British Expansion under Lord Dalhousie (​ **1848 - 56**​) ## Doctrine of Lapse Like the policy of subsidiary alliance, *Doctrine of Lapse* was introduced by Lord Dalhousie to annex the Indian states. According to the *Doctrine or Lapse*, a dependent state would pass into British hands, if the ruler died without a natural male heir. It did not recognize the right of adopted children to inherit the throne. Satara ( **1848**​), Sambalpur ( **1850**​), Udaipur ( **1852**​), Nagpur ( **1853**​) and Jhansi ( **1854**​), were all annexed under this policy. ## Annexation of Awadh In **1856**, Awadh was annexed by Lord Dalhousie, on the pretext of misgovernance. The ruler of Awadh, Walid Ali Shah, was deposed and this enraged the people of Awadh. They joined the great revolt of **1857,** about which you will read in the next chapter. ## Annexation of other States Dalhousie annexed a part of Sikkim in the **1850s** on the pretext of ill-treatment to the Company’s employees. The Nizam of Hyderabad had to give away Berar as he failed to meet some financial obligations. # Administrative Structure The British government realized that to maximize its profits and to strengthen its hold over India, it required an efficient system of administration. Therefore, they divided their territories into administrative units called Presidencies, similar to today’s states. There were three Presidencies - Bengal (Kolkata), Madras (Chennai) and Bombay (Mumbai) and each was ruled by a governor. The supreme head of administration was the governor-general. Warren Hastings became the first governor-general of British India.