Who among the following British Governors-General introduced the policy of 'Doctrine of Lapse', through which principalities without a natural male heir were annexed to the British East India Company?

💡 Solution & Explanation

Lord Dalhousie systematically applied the 'Doctrine of Lapse' during his tenure as Governor-General from 1848 to 1856, annexing prominent princely states such as Satara, Nagpur, and Jhansi when rulers died without direct male heirs. Lord Wellesley is famous for introducing the Subsidiary Alliance system, which required Indian rulers to maintain British troops. Lord Canning served as the first Viceroy of India during the 1857 revolt. Lord Curzon ordered the controversial partition of Bengal in 1905. The Doctrine of Lapse caused widespread resentment among the Indian nobility prior to 1857.