Ans: Lord Dalhousie, the Governor-General of India in the mid 1800s, released a set of annexations to strengthen British rule in India. He formulated a cunning policy that came to be known as the Doctrine of Lapse. This doctrine stated that if an Indian ruler passed away without a son to succeed him, the territory would become a part of British rule. This helped the British take over many kingdoms unjustly. Some of these kingdoms were Udaipur, Nagpur, Jhansi, and Satara.