Governor – General and Viceroy of India

Role: Governor – General and Viceroy of India

Governor – General and Viceroy of India – British rule over India began as a trading entity when the East India Company received a Royal Charter from Queen Elizabeth I on 31 December 1600. Within a span of nearly three centuries, British rule transformed from a mercantile power to one of the world’s largest political powers. 

Despite being a small island nation, Britain was able to establish itself as one of the largest empires in the world, often referred to as ‘an empire whose sun never set’. 

Governor – General and Viceroy of India

Britain achieved this feat in the backdrop of the strong and efficient bureaucracy of its colonies. In India, he established control through the British Governor-General and Viceroy.

• Governor-General of Bengal (1773–1833): When the East India Company came to India, it established its control over Bengal through the post of ‘Governor of Bengal’. The first governor of Bengal was Robert Clive .
  • Other Presidencies, Bombay and Madras had their own governors.
  • However , after the passage of the Regulating Act-1373 , the post of ‘ Governor of Bengal ‘ was renamed as ‘ Governor-General of Bengal ‘. First Governor of Bengal-General Warren Hastings were (Warren Hastings).
  • Through this Act (Regulating Act-1773) the Governors of Bombay and Madras acted under the Governor-General of Bengal.
• India’s Governor-General (1833-58): Charter Act by changing the designation of 1833 by the Governor-General (Governor-General of Bengal Bengal) again, ” Governor-General of India has been ‘(Governor-General of India) . India’s first Governor-General William Bantik were (William Bentinck).
  • The post was primarily for administrative purposes and was to be reported to the Court of Directors of the East India Company.
• Viceroy (1858–1947): After the revolt of 1857, the rule of the company was abolished and India came under direct control of the British crown.
  • The Government of India Act 1858 was passed which changed the name of the Governor General of India to ‘ Viceroy of India ‘.
  • The Viceroy was directly appointed by the British Government.
  • India’s first Viceroy Lord Canning was (Lord Canning).
• Important Governors-General and Viceroy of India and important events related to them

Governor-General and Viceroy	Important events during the reign
Warren Hastings (1773–1785)	Regulating Act-1773 Pitts India Act-1784 Rohila War of the year 1774 The First Maratha War from the year 1775-82 and the Treaty of Salbai in the year 1782 Second Mysore War in the year 1780-84
Lord Cornwallis (1786–1793)	Third Mysore War (1790–92) and Treaty of Srirangapatam (1792) Cornwallis Code (1793) Permanent Settlement of Bengal, 1793
Lord Wellesley (1798–1805)	Introduction to subsidiary treaty system (1798) Fourth Mysore War (1799) Second Maratha War (1803–05)
Lord Minto I (1807–1813)	Treaty of Amritsar with Ranjit Singh (1809)
Lord Hastings (1813–1823)	The Anglo-Nepal War (1814–16) and the Treaty of Sugauli, 1816 Third Maratha War (1817–19) and dissolution of Maratha Confederation Establishment of the Ryotwadi System (1820)
Lord Amherst (1823–1828)	First Burma War (1824–1826)
Lord William Bentick (1828–1835)	Abolition of Sati (1829) Charter Act of 1833
Lord Auckland (1836–1842)	First Afghan War (1838–42)
Lord Hardinge I (1844-1848)	First Anglo-Sikh War (1845–46) and Treaty of Lahore (1846) Social reforms like abolition of female feticide
Lord Dalhousie (1848–1856)	Second Anglo-Sikh War (1848–49) Takeover of Lower Burma (1852) Introduction to Doctrine of Lapse Wood Dispatch (1854) The first railway line connecting Bombay and Thane was laid in the year 1853. Establishment of Public Works Department (PWD)
Lord Canning (1856–1862)	The uprising of 1857 Establishment of three universities in Calcutta, Madras and Bombay in the year 1857 Abolition of the East India Company and direct control of the British Crown by the Government of India Act, 1858 (Government of India Act, 1858) Indian Council Act of 1861
Lord John Lawrence (1864–1869)	Bhutan War (1865) Establishment of High Courts at Calcutta, Bombay and Madras (1865).
Lord Lytton (1876–1880)	Vernacular Press Act (1878) Arms Act (1878) Second Afghan War (1878–80) Queen Victoria holds the title of ‘Kaiser-i-Hind’ or Empress of India
Lord Ripon (1880–1884)	Repeal of the Vernacular Press Act (1882) First Factory Act (1881) Government Resolution on Local Self-Government (1882) Ilbert Bill controversy (1883-84) Hunter Commission on Education (1882)
Lord Dufferin (1884–1888)	Third Burma War (1885–86) Establishment of the Indian National Congress (1885)
Lord Lansdowne (1888–1894)	Factories Act (1891) Indian Council Act (1892) Durand Commission established (1893)
Lord Curzon (1899–1905)	Appointment of Police Commission (1902) Appointment of University Commission (1902) Indian Universities Act (1904) Partition of Bengal (1905)
Lord Minto II (1905–1910)	Swadeshi Movement (1905–1911) Congress split at Surat session (1907) Establishment of Muslim League (1906) Morley-Minto Reformation (1909)
Lord Hardinge II (1910-1916)	Cancellation of Bengal Partition (1911) Calcutta to Delhi Capital Transfer (1911) Establishment of Hindu Mahasabha (1915)
Lord Chelmsford (1916-1921)	Lucknow Pact (1916) Champaran Satyagraha (1917) August announcement of Montague (1917) Government of India Act (1919) Rowlatt Act (1919) Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (1919) Non-cooperation and the beginning of the Khilafat Movement
Lord Reading (1921–1926)	Chauri-Chaura incident (1922) Withdrawal of Non-Cooperation Movement (1922) Establishment of Swaraj Party (1922) Kakori Train Robbery (1925)
Lord Irwin (1926–1931)	Simon Commission’s Visit to India (1927) Harcourt Butler State Commission of India (1927) Nehru Report (1928) Deepawali Declaration (1929) Lahore Convention of the Congress (Purna Swaraj Sankalp) 1929 Dandi March and Civil Disobedience Movement (1930) First Round Table Conference (1930) Gandhi-Irwin Pact (1931)
Lord Willingdon (1931–1936)	Communal Award (1932) Second and Third Round Table Conference (1932) Poona Pact (1932) Government of India Act-1935
Lord Linlithgow (1936–1944)	Congress ministers resign after World War II (1939) begins Tripuri Crisis and Formation of Forward Bloc (1939) Lahore Resolution of Muslim League (Demand for a separate state for Muslims) 1940 August Proposal (1940) Formation of Indian National Army (1941) Cripps Mission (1942) Quit India Movement (1942)
Lord Wavell (1944–1947)	C. Rajagopalachari’s CR Formula (1944) Wavell Plan and Shimla Conference (1942) Cabinet Mission (1946) Direct Action Day (1946) Clement Attlee announced the end of British rule in India (1947)
Lord Mountbatten (1947–1948)	June Third Plan (1947) Redcliffe Commission (1947) Independence to India (15 August 1947)
Chakravarti Rajagopalachari (1948–1950)	The last Governor-General of India and the first Indian Governor-General were  This post (Governor-General) was abolished permanently in the year 1950.

FAQ

Is Viceroy and Governor General same?

In Government of India Act 1858, Governor General of India get replace by Viceroy. Governor General is appointed by East India Company. Where as, Viceroy is Direct representative of British Crown.

Who is the first Indian Governor General of India?

Chakravarti Rajagopalachari who was a fierce Mahatma Gandhi loyalist, made Hindi a compulsory language in Tamil schools when he was CM. popularly known as Rajaji

Top seven best Viceroy of India?

Top 7 British Viceroys of India Viceroy 1. Lord Canning as First Viceroy, (1858-62) Viceroy 2. Lord Elgin (1862-63) Viceroy 3. Sir John Lawrence, (1864-69) Viceroy 4. Lord Mayo, (1869-72): Viceroy 5. Lord Northbrook, (1872-76) Viceroy 6. Lord Lytton, (1876-80) Viceroy 7. Lord Ripon (1880-84)

Who is the first British Viceroy of India?

Charles John Canning

Who is first lady governor of India?

Sarojini Naidu is the first female to become a governor of Indian