Answer: If the Nawab of Awadh had a natural successor
Notes: The annexation of Awadh in 1856 by the British Empire was executed under the policy of Doctrine of Lapse enacted by Lord Dalhousie. Despite the Nawab of Awadh having been a faithful ally of the British since the Battle of Buxar, accusations of misgovernance by Nawab Wajid Ali were used as grounds for annexation. Had the Nawab possessed a natural heir, the application of Doctrine of Lapse, which allowed the British to take control of states without a natural heir, would been void and could have averted the annexation.
