Princely state

A semi-autonomous polity in the Indian subcontinent ruled by a hereditary monarch under British paramountcy before Indian independence in 1947.

British paramountcy: The doctrine that gave the British Crown supreme authority over princely states while leaving them internal autonomy. It established the superior authority under which princely states retained their rulers.
Hyderabad State: A large princely state in south-central India ruled by the Nizam until its incorporation into India in 1948. Its size and delayed accession made it a major test of the princely-state system.
East India Company: An English joint-stock company that governed large parts of India before the British Crown took direct control in 1858. Company expansion created many of the treaties and dependencies that became princely states.
Instrument of Accession: A legal document by which a princely ruler transferred authority over specified subjects to India or Pakistan. It provided the principal formal route for a state to join one of the new dominions.
British India: The territories of the Indian subcontinent governed directly by the British Crown or, earlier, the East India Company. Directly administered provinces contrasted with states that kept hereditary rulers under British supervision.
Subsidiary alliance: A treaty system in which Indian rulers accepted British troops and foreign-policy control in exchange for protection. These alliances often brought rulers into the political order later governed through paramountcy.
Jammu and Kashmir (princely state): A Himalayan princely state ruled by the Dogra dynasty from 1846 until its accession to India in 1947. Its ruler's accession amid conflict shaped the later India–Pakistan dispute over Kashmir.
Indian Rebellion of 1857: A widespread uprising against East India Company rule that began in 1857 and led to direct Crown government in India. After the rebellion, British policy relied more explicitly on alliances with loyal princely rulers.
V. P. Menon: An Indian civil servant who helped negotiate the accession and integration of princely states after independence. His negotiations translated political agreements into a large-scale integration process.
Direct rule: A system in which an imperial power governs territory through its own officials rather than local rulers. Princely-state administration preserved dynasties where direct rule replaced local sovereign authority.

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