What Was Doctrine Of Lapse?

Doctrine means principle and lapse means that which goes. The doctrine declared if an indian ruler died without a natural male heir , then his kingdom would lapse that it become the part of   east indian company's territory.It was under the control of Lord Dalhousie  
Example=SATHPURA,JHANSI,NAGPUR,UDAIPUR ,SAMBALPUR was annexed by the company due to this reason.

Doctrine of lapse was a policy of east india company introduced by lord dalhousie to annex indian states according to doctrine if the king died without any natural heir then his land would be taken from him.

It was a annexation policy by the british East india company..it was introduced by lord dalhousie Governor -general of india.Under the doctrine princely territory under the direct rule of the East india company would automatically be annexed if the ruler was either incompetent or died without a direct heir.

The doctrine of lapse was  also one of the main reasons of political disgruntlement in India causing the revolt of 1857. Lord Dalhousie legalized this policy in 1848 and annexed several states including satara and jhansi. According to this policy, any state with no natural heir to the throne would automatically come under the rule of the east India Company.

Cheers

The doctrine which was used by the british government in india to annex the
territories of indian rulers who died without leaving any natural successors

In Indian history, formula devised by Lord Dalhousie, governor-general of India (1848–56), to deal with questions of succession to Hindu Indian states. It was a corollary to the doctrine of paramountcy, by which Great Britain, as the ruling power of the Indian subcontinent, claimed the superintendence of the subordinate Indian states and so also the regulation of their succession