Treaties are among the most predictable questions in modern Indian history. A treaty is named and you supply the year, the parties, or the war it ended — and the same fifteen or so treaties come back paper after paper. Nothing about them ever changes, which makes this one of the highest-return afternoons you can spend. This post arranges them war by war, with what each one settled, followed by previous year questions.
Key Points (Quick Revision)
- Treaty of Allahabad (1765) — gave the Company the Diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Odisha
- Treaty of Salbai (1782) — ended the First Anglo-Maratha War
- Treaty of Bassein (1802) — Peshwa Baji Rao II accepted the Subsidiary Alliance
- Treaty of Sugauli (1816) — ended the Anglo-Nepalese War
- Treaty of Yandaboo (1826) — ended the First Anglo-Burmese War
- Subsidiary Alliance — Lord Wellesley; Doctrine of Lapse — Lord Dalhousie
1. Treaties of the Bengal period
| Treaty | Year | What it settled |
|---|---|---|
| Treaty of Alinagar | 1757 | Between Siraj-ud-Daulah and Robert Clive, before the Battle of Plassey |
| Treaty of Allahabad | 1765 | Between Clive and Shah Alam II after Buxar; the Company received the Diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Odisha |
The Treaty of Allahabad is the single most asked treaty in Indian history, and the fact attached to it is the Diwani — the right to collect revenue, which turned a trading company into a territorial power. It followed the Battle of Buxar (1764), not Plassey, and that distinction is itself a question. The dual system of administration in Bengal begins here.
2. The Anglo-Maratha wars
| Treaty | Year | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Treaty of Purandar | 1776 | Between the Marathas and the British during the First Anglo-Maratha War |
| Treaty of Salbai | 1782 | Ended the First Anglo-Maratha War; roughly twenty years of peace followed |
| Treaty of Bassein | 1802 | Peshwa Baji Rao II accepted the Subsidiary Alliance, triggering the Second Anglo-Maratha War |
| Treaty of Deogaon | 1803 | With the Bhonsle of Nagpur |
| Treaty of Surji-Arjungaon | 1803 | With Daulat Rao Scindia |
Two pairings carry most of the marks. Salbai ended the first war; Bassein began the second. And Bassein is the treaty that attaches the Subsidiary Alliance to the Marathas — a Maratha ruler accepting British protection was precisely what the other Maratha chiefs would not tolerate, which is why a treaty of peace produced a war.
3. The Anglo-Mysore wars
| Treaty | Year | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Treaty of Madras | 1769 | Ended the First Anglo-Mysore War, with Haidar Ali |
| Treaty of Mangalore | 1784 | Ended the Second Anglo-Mysore War, with Tipu Sultan |
| Treaty of Srirangapatnam | 1792 | Ended the Third Anglo-Mysore War; Tipu ceded territory and sent his sons as hostages |
The Fourth Anglo-Mysore War of 1799 ended not in a treaty but in Tipu Sultan's death at Srirangapatnam, and that is the usual answer when a question asks which Mysore war did not conclude with one. Keep Madras with Haidar Ali and the other two with Tipu.
4. Sikh, Nepalese and Burmese treaties
| Treaty | Year | What it settled |
|---|---|---|
| Treaty of Amritsar | 1809 | Between Ranjit Singh and the British; the Sutlej fixed as the boundary of his expansion |
| Treaty of Sugauli | 1816 | Ended the Anglo-Nepalese War; Nepal ceded territory and accepted a British Resident |
| Treaty of Yandaboo | 1826 | Ended the First Anglo-Burmese War; Assam, Manipur, Arakan and Tenasserim affected |
| Treaty of Lahore | 1846 | Ended the First Anglo-Sikh War |
| Treaty of Amritsar | 1846 | Kashmir transferred to Gulab Singh, founding the Dogra rule there |
| Treaty of Bhairowal | 1846 | Followed Lahore; a British Resident placed at Lahore |
| Treaty of Gandamak | 1879 | Ended the first phase of the Second Anglo-Afghan War |
There are two Treaties of Amritsar, thirty-seven years apart, and confusing them is the most common error in this section. The 1809 one is with Ranjit Singh and is about the Sutlej boundary. The 1846 one is with Gulab Singh and is about Kashmir. If a question mentions Ranjit Singh, the answer is 1809; if it mentions Kashmir or the Dogras, it is 1846.
Sugauli with Nepal and Yandaboo with Burma are the two that examiners pair against each other, and the way to hold them apart is by decade — 1816 Nepal, 1826 Burma.
5. Policies that worked like treaties
Two British instruments are asked in the same breath as treaties, and both attach to a named Governor-General.
| Instrument | Associated with | Key facts |
|---|---|---|
| Subsidiary Alliance | Lord Wellesley | The ruler kept a British force, paid for it, and surrendered foreign relations. Hyderabad was the first to accept, in 1798 |
| Doctrine of Lapse | Lord Dalhousie | A state without a natural heir lapsed to the Company. Satara was the first annexed, in 1848; Jhansi and Nagpur followed |
Both are asked as name-to-Governor-General questions, and both are asked for their first case — Hyderabad for the Subsidiary Alliance and Satara for the Doctrine of Lapse. The annexation of Awadh in 1856 was made on the ground of misgovernance rather than lapse, and that distinction is a favourite question.
6. Agreements of independent India
| Agreement | Year | Between |
|---|---|---|
| Indus Waters Treaty | 1960 | India and Pakistan, brokered by the World Bank |
| Panchsheel Agreement | 1954 | India and China; the five principles of peaceful coexistence |
| Tashkent Agreement | 1966 | India and Pakistan, after the 1965 war; signed by Lal Bahadur Shastri |
| Simla Agreement | 1972 | India and Pakistan, after the 1971 war; Indira Gandhi and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto |
| Lahore Declaration | 1999 | India and Pakistan; Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Nawaz Sharif |
| Ganga Water Sharing Treaty | 1996 | India and Bangladesh, on sharing at the Farakka Barrage |
Tashkent and Simla are the pair most often confused. Tashkent came after the 1965 war and was signed by Lal Bahadur Shastri, who died there the following day. Simla came after the 1971 war and was signed by Indira Gandhi. Attaching the Prime Minister to each is the quickest way to separate them.
7. Previous year questions
- The Treaty of Allahabad was signed in which year? — 1765
- Which treaty gave the Company the Diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Odisha? — Treaty of Allahabad
- The Treaty of Salbai ended which war? — First Anglo-Maratha War
- Under which treaty did Peshwa Baji Rao II accept the Subsidiary Alliance? — Treaty of Bassein, 1802
- The Treaty of Srirangapatnam was signed with which ruler? — Tipu Sultan
- Which treaty ended the Second Anglo-Mysore War? — Treaty of Mangalore, 1784
- The Treaty of Sugauli was signed with which country? — Nepal
- The Treaty of Yandaboo ended which war? — First Anglo-Burmese War
- Under which treaty was Kashmir transferred to Gulab Singh? — Treaty of Amritsar, 1846
- The Treaty of Amritsar of 1809 was signed with which ruler? — Ranjit Singh
- The Subsidiary Alliance was introduced by which Governor-General? — Lord Wellesley
- Which state was the first to accept the Subsidiary Alliance? — Hyderabad
- The Doctrine of Lapse was associated with which Governor-General? — Lord Dalhousie
- Which state was the first annexed under the Doctrine of Lapse? — Satara
- The Tashkent Agreement was signed by which Indian Prime Minister? — Lal Bahadur Shastri
8. How to revise this topic
Revise by war, not by year. Almost every colonial treaty exists to end or begin a war, and once the war is fixed the treaty and the year come with it. Run the sequence as four blocks — Bengal, Maratha, Mysore, and the northern and eastern frontier — and the dates arrange themselves.
Then handle the deliberate confusions separately, because that is where the marks are actually lost. Two Treaties of Amritsar. Salbai ending a war and Bassein starting one. Madras with Haidar Ali against Mangalore and Srirangapatnam with Tipu. Sugauli in 1816 against Yandaboo in 1826. Tashkent with Shastri against Simla with Indira Gandhi. Six pairs, and if you can separate each one in both directions the topic is finished.
Finally keep Wellesley and Dalhousie with their first cases — Hyderabad and Satara. Those four facts answer a surprising share of modern-history questions on their own.
9. Frequently Asked Questions
Which treaty is asked most often in exams?
The Treaty of Allahabad of 1765, for granting the Company the Diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Odisha after the Battle of Buxar. It is the moment a trading company became a territorial power, and it is asked by year, by parties and by consequence.
What is the difference between the two Treaties of Amritsar?
The 1809 treaty was with Ranjit Singh and fixed the Sutlej as the limit of his expansion. The 1846 treaty transferred Kashmir to Gulab Singh and founded Dogra rule there. If the question mentions Ranjit Singh it is 1809; if it mentions Kashmir it is 1846.
Which Anglo-Mysore war did not end in a treaty?
The fourth, in 1799, which ended with the death of Tipu Sultan at Srirangapatnam rather than with a negotiated settlement. The first ended at Madras in 1769, the second at Mangalore in 1784 and the third at Srirangapatnam in 1792.
Who introduced the Subsidiary Alliance and the Doctrine of Lapse?
Lord Wellesley introduced the Subsidiary Alliance, first accepted by Hyderabad in 1798. Lord Dalhousie applied the Doctrine of Lapse, under which Satara was annexed first in 1848, followed by states including Jhansi and Nagpur.
What is the difference between the Tashkent and Simla agreements?
Tashkent followed the 1965 war and was signed by Lal Bahadur Shastri, who died there the next day. Simla followed the 1971 war and was signed by Indira Gandhi with Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Attaching the Prime Minister to each keeps them apart.
For more History topics in simple language, see our Battles of Plassey and Buxar and Governors-General and Viceroys posts, or browse the History section. Preparing for a specific exam? Start with the SSC CGL guide or join the 100 Hour GS Course.