Richard Wellesley vs Salome Zourabichvili

Wellesley formalized the Subsidiary Alliance system, requiring Indian states to accept British troops and a British resident in exchange for protection. States like Hyderabad, Mysore, and the Maratha Peshwa accepted these alliances, effectively making them British protectorates and expanding British influence without direct rule.

Richard Wellesley was appointed Governor-General of India in 1798. He pursued an aggressive policy of territorial expansion through the Subsidiary Alliance system, which brought many Indian states under British control without direct annexation.

Wellesley ordered the invasion of Mysore in 1799, leading to the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War. British forces captured Seringapatam and killed Tipu Sultan. The kingdom was divided, with the British taking direct control of large territories and restoring the Wodeyar dynasty as a client state.

Wellesley launched the Second Anglo-Maratha War in 1803, defeating the Maratha Confederacy in a series of battles including Assaye and Laswari. The war resulted in the British gaining control of Delhi, Agra, and large parts of central India, and the Maratha Peshwa becoming a British dependent.

Zourabichvili was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs under President Mikheil Saakashvili. She was a French-born diplomat who had served as French ambassador to Georgia, and her appointment was seen as a bridge between Georgia and Europe.

Zourabichvili was granted Georgian citizenship by President Saakashvili, allowing her to serve as Foreign Minister. She had previously been a French citizen, and this dual citizenship was a prerequisite for her ministerial role.

Zourabichvili was dismissed as Foreign Minister after a public dispute with the parliamentary speaker and other officials. She accused the government of authoritarian tendencies, leading to her dismissal and subsequent move into opposition politics.

After her dismissal, Zourabichvili founded the political party 'The Way of Georgia' (Saqartvelos Gza). The party positioned itself as a centrist, pro-Western alternative to the ruling United National Movement.

Zourabichvili won the presidential election in a runoff with 59.5% of the vote, becoming the first female president of Georgia. She ran as an independent candidate, backed by the ruling Georgian Dream party.