Which was the first State to be merged under Dalhousie's "Doctrine of lapse"?
- (a)Jaitpur
- (b)Sambhalpur
- (c)Jhansi
- (d)Satara
Correct — D, Satara. Governor-General Lord Dalhousie applied the Doctrine of Lapse — under which a princely state without a natural (biological) heir was annexed to British India, adopted heirs being refused recognition — for the first time to Satara in 1848, after its ruler died without a natural heir.
- (a)Jaitpur — Also annexed under the Doctrine of Lapse, but after Satara, not first.
- (b)Sambhalpur — Annexed under the doctrine in 1849 — after Satara.
- (c)Jhansi — One of the most famous annexations under the doctrine (1854), which helped provoke Rani Lakshmibai's revolt in 1857 — but it came well after Satara, not first.
The Doctrine of Lapse, formulated and applied by Governor-General Lord Dalhousie (1848-56), held that if a princely ruler died without a natural-born male heir, the state would 'lapse' and be annexed by the British — denying the traditional right to adopt an heir. It was used to annex a string of states through the late 1840s and early 1850s, fuelling resentment that contributed to the Revolt of 1857.
Exams test both the doctrine's logic (natural heir versus adopted heir) and the sequence of annexations — anchor Satara (1848) as the first case, followed by Sambalpur (1849) and, later, the far better-known Jhansi (1854).
- Doctrine of Lapse formulated and applied by Governor-General Lord Dalhousie
- First state annexed under it: Satara, 1848
- Denied recognition to adopted heirs, annexing states that lacked a natural-born male heir
- Jhansi's annexation under this doctrine (1854) fed directly into the 1857 Revolt
Satara (1848) was Dalhousie's first Doctrine-of-Lapse annexation — well before the far better-known Jhansi annexation (1854).
- Assuming Jhansi was the first Doctrine-of-Lapse annexation because it is the most famous one
- Confusing the Doctrine of Lapse (no natural heir) with the annexation of Awadh (misgovernance, a separate ground)
MPPSC/UPSC test both 'which state was first/which came in what order' and 'what is the doctrine's rule' — sequence questions are common.
Consider the following princely States of the British rule in India: 1. Jhansi 2. Sambalpur 3. Satara. The correct chronological order in which they were annexed by the British is
- (a) 1, 2, 3
- (b) 1, 3, 2
- (c) 3, 2, 1
- (d) 3, 1, 2
Answer(c) 3, 2, 1 — Satara, then Sambalpur, then Jhansi.
Same concept, directly — confirms Satara was annexed first, before Sambalpur and Jhansi, under the Doctrine of Lapse.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Doctrine of Lapse was formulated and applied by which Governor-General?
- (a)Lord Dalhousie
- (b)Lord Canning
- (c)Lord Bentinck
- (d)Lord Curzon
Answer(a) Lord Dalhousie.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which princely state's annexation under the Doctrine of Lapse (1854) is most closely linked to the outbreak of the 1857 Revolt?
- (a)Satara
- (b)Sambalpur
- (c)Jhansi
- (d)Jaitpur
Answer(c) Jhansi — its annexation provoked Rani Lakshmibai's revolt in 1857.