Correct Option (C):
The Subsidiary Alliance system, introduced by Lord Wellesley (1798–1805), was primarily a political and military instrument designed to expand British control and influence over Indian princely states. While it mandated Indian rulers to pay for the British troops stationed in their territory, this payment was specifically for the maintenance of the subsidiary force. The system was not intended as a mechanism to secure a fixed, regular income for the Company's general revenue, unlike land revenue settlements. Its core objective was strategic dominance rather than direct economic revenue generation in that specific sense.
Incorrect Options:
1. To maintain a large standing army at other's expense:
This statement is correct. Under the Subsidiary Alliance, Indian rulers were required to disband their own armies and accept a British force within their state. They were also compelled to pay for the upkeep of these British troops. This arrangement allowed the British East India Company to maintain a large, well-equipped army without bearing its full financial burden, effectively at the expense of the Indian states.
2. To keep India safe from Napoleonic danger:
This statement is correct. Lord Wellesley's tenure coincided with the Napoleonic Wars in Europe. The Subsidiary Alliance was a strategic measure to counter any potential French influence or alliance with Indian rulers, especially after Napoleon's campaign in Egypt. By bringing Indian states under British control, Wellesley aimed to secure British paramountcy and prevent any external European power from gaining a foothold in India.
4. To establish British paramountcy over the Indian States:
This statement is correct. A central objective of the Subsidiary Alliance was to assert and establish British supremacy over the Indian states. By controlling their foreign policy, interfering in their internal administration, and making them militarily dependent, the system effectively reduced Indian rulers to a subordinate position, thereby establishing British paramountcy throughout India.