princely states, but the policy was not solely his invention.

The princely state of Kittur, ruled by Kittur Chennamma (the queen at the time), was taken over by the East India Company in 1824, when, after the death of her husband and son, she adopted a new son and attempted to make him heir to the throne, which the British refused to accept. This development has similarities with the later 'doctrine of lapse', which the Court of Directors