Who among the following British officials served as the Governor-General of India during the introduction of the Subsidiary Alliance system, which brought numerous princely states under British paramountcy?

💡 Solution & Explanation

Lord Wellesley served as the Governor-General of India from 1798 to 1805 and systematically enforced the Subsidiary Alliance system to expand British paramountcy over Indian princely states. Under this pact, Indian rulers were compelled to disband their indigenous armies, maintain British military contingents within their territories at their own expense, and surrender control over external foreign relations. The Nizam of Hyderabad was the first prominent ruler to sign this alliance, losing effective sovereignty.