WBCS.LIVE practice question

The ‘Doctrine of Lapse’ was first applied to the princely State of-

Solve this multiple-choice question and check the correct answer with its explanation below.

Answer options

  1. Satara
  2. Jhansi
  3. Awadh
  4. Jaunpur

Correct answer and explanation

Correct answer: Satara

Explanation: The correct answer is A. Satara. The Doctrine of Lapse was a policy introduced by Lord Dalhousie, the Governor-General of India, in the mid-19th century. According to this doctrine, if a ruler of a princely state died without a natural male heir, his kingdom would be annexed by the British East India Company. The first state to be annexed under this policy was Satara in 1848. This marked the beginning of a series of annexations using the Doctrine of Lapse, which later included Jhansi, Nagpur, Sambalpur, and others.