In the aftermath of the Seven Years’ War, a variety of conquered territory became part of the British empire, from Minorca to Quebec to Bengal, and the new subject there debated the meaning of their status of subjecthood, with many capitalizing on its ambiguities for gain. Hannah Weiss Muller, in Subjects and Sovereign (Oxford University Press) argues that it was the fluidity and imprecision of “subject” that made it so useful to such a diverse group of people.
