Subsidiary Alliance, through which the British were responsible for protecting their Indian allies from external and internal threats to their power, was devised by:

Correct option is A

The correct answer is (a) Lord Wellesley.
· The Subsidiary Alliance system was devised by Lord Wellesley, who served as the Governor-General of India from 1798 to 1805.
· The system was aimed at establishing British hegemony in India by making Indian states dependent on the British East India Company for their security.
· Under this alliance, Indian rulers were required to disband their own military forces and accept British forces within their territory, effectively reducing their sovereignty and increasing British influence.
Information Booster:
· Lord Curzon: Known for the partition of Bengal in 1905 and his reforms in the administrative and educational sectors, but not associated with the Subsidiary Alliance.
· Lord Dalhousie: Known for the Doctrine of Lapse and several infrastructure developments in India, but not related to the Subsidiary Alliance.
· Lord Bentinck: Known for social reforms like the abolition of Sati and suppression of Thuggee, but not linked to the Subsidiary Alliance.