The consequences of the subsidiary treaties made by Lord Wellesley on the Indians – In the words of Thomas Roe, ‘States bought security by selling their independence, national character or all that makes a country prestigious.’
Wellesley holds a prominent place among the builders of the British Empire in India. He came to India with the aim of establishing British power.
The subsidiary treaty proved to be a boon for the British, but for the native rulers and the Indian people, this treaty was no less than a curse. The Indian rulers lost all their foreign relations and military powers and became the only protectors of the British.
Apart from this, a British resident was posted in the Indian Court. Undoubtedly, he got complete success in his objectives. His subsidiary treaties proved to be very helpful in strengthening the British state.
In principle, he established the sovereignty of the British in the whole of India. Indian states became more and more subordinate to the British Resident, who used to interfere in the internal affairs of the state.
The arbitrarily determined and artificially increased demands for grants that accepted the subsidiary treaty quickly went bankrupt and almost all the states owed the company. When land was asked for money, it was very high.
In this way, the Subsidiary Confederacy completely destroyed the governments it had taken up the task of protecting.
Following were the main effects of the subsidiary alliance
(1) The Subsidiary Treaty was first accepted by the Nizam of Hyderabad, because he was afraid of the Marathas. He also agreed to pay ₹ 24 lakh annually for the expenses of the British army.
(2) In 1799 AD, Lord Wellesley forced the ruler of Tanjore to consider it a subsidiary treaty.
(3) In 1800 AD, Wellesley gave pension to the king of Surat and included Surat in the British state.
(4) The Nawab of Karnataka died in 1801 AD. The British fixed his son’s pension and made him a part of the British Empire.
(5) After some time, Wellesley defeated Tipu Sultan and placed a Hindu ruler on the throne of Mysore. He had to accept the subsidiary treaty.
(6) The native kings had no political rights over their kingdom. He was now a mere king.
(8) An English Resident was appointed in every native state that accepted this system. These residents were always interfering in the internal affairs of the native kings.
(9) These kings had to pay the expenses of the Company’s army.
(10) When the economic condition of the native kings started becoming pathetic, they started levying more taxes on the people, due to which the people had to face many problems.
.
