Medium Acts & Policies
Evolution of British Paramountcy and Annexation Policies
Master Evolution of British Paramountcy and Annexation Policies through multiple pattern questions.
Quick Recall
According to the Upscools archives, Lord Hastings started the policy of paramountcy between 1813 and 1823. This policy declared that the East India Company held supreme authority over all Indian states. It gave the British an official excuse to annex any kingdom they wanted.
Concept Flow Mapping
Lord Hastings
authored
authored
policy of paramountcy
Lord Wellesley
established
established
Subsidiary Alliance
Lord Dalhousie
established
established
Doctrine of Lapse
Concept Question
What did the policy of paramountcy legally claim for the British?
Key Takeaway
It claimed that British authority was supreme and greater than any native Indian state.
Examiner's Trap
[object Object]
Core Insight
Paramountcy was the legal fiction invented by the British to transition from being mere traders and allies into the unquestioned sovereign masters of the subcontinent.