List of Governors-General & Viceroys of India with Major Events

Governors-General & Viceroys of India (British India):

In 1600, the East India Company (EIC) acquired a charter from the ruler of England, Queen Elizabeth I, granting it the sole right to trade with the East. The British transformed from a commercial power to one of the world's most powerful nations in a period of about three centuries.

• Within the period of time the East India Company was transformed from a trading company to a territorial colonial power. Through the Governor-General and Viceroys, the British were able to establish imperial power in India.

 

Governor-General of Bengal (1773-1833):

When the East India Company arrived in India, Bengal was under the control of a position known as "Governor of Bengal."

• Madras and Bombay had their own governors, respectively.
• The first Governor of Bengal was Robert Clive.
• However, after the passing of Regulating Act 1773, the post of Governor of Bengal was converted into "Governor-General of Bengal".
• The first Governor-General of Bengal was Warren Hastings.

 

Governor-General of India (1833-58):

By virtue of the Charter Act of 1833, the office of "Governor-General of Bengal" was once more changed to "Governor-General of India."

• The first Governor-General of India was William Bentinck.
• This post was mainly for administrative purposes and reported to the Court of Directors of the East India Company.

Viceroy (1858-1947):

After the revolt in 1857, company rule was ended, and India came directly under British crown control.

• Government of India Act 1858 passed which changed the name of post-Governor General of India by Viceroy of India.
• The Viceroy was appointed directly by the British government.
• The first Viceroy of India was Lord Canning.

 

List of Important Governors-General & Viceroys of India with Major Events
Warren Hastings (1773-1785)	Regulating Act of 1773 Pitt’s India Act of 1784 The Rohilla War of 1774 The First Maratha War in 1775-82 (Treaty of Salbai) Second Mysore War in 1780-84
Lord Cornwallis (1786-1793)	Third Mysore War (1790-92) (Treaty of Seringapatam in 1792) Cornwallis Code (1793) Permanent Settlement of Bengal, 1793 Father of Civil Service in India
Lord Wellesley (1798-1805)	Introduction of the Subsidiary Alliance 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)	Anglo-Nepal War (1814-16) (Treaty of Sagauli, 1816) Third Maratha War (1817-19) Establishment of Ryotwari System (1820)
Lord William Bentinck (1828-1835)	The first Governor-General of India Abolition of Sati System (1829) Charter Act of 1833
Lord Auckland (1836-1842)	First Afghan War (1838-42)
Lord Dalhousie (1848-1856)	Second Anglo-Sikh War (1848-49) The annexation of Lower Burma (1852) Introduction of the Doctrine of Lapse Wood’s Despatch 1854 Laying down of first railway line connecting Bombay and Thane in 1853 Establishment of PWD
Lord Canning (1856-1862)	Revolt of 1857 Establishment of three universities at Calcutta, Madras and Bombay in 1857 Abolition of East India Company and transfer of control to the Crown by the Government of India Act, 1858 Indian Councils Act of 1861
Lord John Lawrence (1864-1869)	Establishment of the High Courts at Calcutta, Bombay and Madras (1865) Bhutan War (1865)
Lord Lytton (1876-1880)	The Vernacular Press Act (1878) The Arms Act (1878) The Second Afghan War (1878-80) Queen Victoria assumed the title of ‘Kaiser-i-Hind’ or Queen Empress of India
Lord Ripon (1880-1884)	Repeal of the Vernacular Press Act (1882) The first Factory Act (1881) Government resolution on local self-government (1882) Hunter Commission on education (1882) The Ilbert Bill controversy (1883-84)
Lord Dufferin (1884-1888)	Establishment of the Indian National Congress (1885)
Lord Lansdowne (1888-1894)	Factory Act (1891). Indian Councils Act (1892). Setting up of Durand Commission (1893)
Lord Curzon (1899-1905)	Appointment of Police Commission (1902) Appointment of Universities Commission (1902) Indian Universities Act (1904). Partition of Bengal (1905)
Lord Minto II (1905-1910)	Swadeshi Movements. (1905-11) Surat Split of Congress (1907) Establishment of Muslim League (1906) Morley-Minto Reforms (1909)
Lord Hardinge II (1910-1916)	Annulment of Partition of Bengal (1911) Transfer of capital from Calcutta to Delhi (1911). Establishment of the Hindu Mahasabha (1915)
Lord Chelmsford (1916-1921)	Lucknow pact (1916) Champaran Satyagraha (1917) August Declaration (1917) Government of India Act (1919) The Rowlatt Act (1919) Jallianwalla Bagh massacre (1919) Launch of Non-Cooperation and Khilafat Movements (1920-…)
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 to India (1927) Harcourt Butler Indian States Commission (1927) Nehru Report (1928) Deepavali Declaration (1929) Lahore session of the Congress –Purna Swaraj Resolution (1929) Dandi March and the Civil Disobedience Movement (1930) First Round Table Conference (1930) Gandhi-Irwin Pact (1931)
Lord Willingdon (1931-1936)	Communal Award (1932) Second & Third Round Table Conference (1932) Poona Pact in 1932 Government of India Act of 1935
Lord Linlithgow (1936-1944)	Tripuri Crisis & formation of Forward Bloc (1939) Resignation of the Congress ministries after the outbreak of the Second World War (1939) Lahore Resolution of the Muslim League (demand for a separate state for Muslims) (1940) ‘August Offer’ (1940) Formation of the Indian National Army (1941) Cripps Mission (1942) Quit India Movement (1942)
Lord Wavell (1944-1947)	C. Rajagopalachari’s CR Formula (1944) Wavell Plan and the Simla Conference (1945) Cabinet Mission (1946) Direct Action Day (1946) Announcement of end of British rule in India by Clement Attlee (1947)
Lord Mountbatten (1947-1948)	June Third Plan (1947) Redcliff commission (1947) India’s Independence (15 August 1947)
Chakravarti Rajagopalachari (1948-1950)	Last Governor-General of India, before the office, was permanently abolished in 1950

 

PYQ of UPSC CSE and Practice MCQ:

 

Que. The Partition of Bengal made by Lord Curzon in 1905 lasted until (UPSC CSE 2014)

 

(a) the First World War when Indian troops were needed by the British and the partition was ended.

(b) King George V abrogated Curzon’s Act at the Royal Darbar in Delhi in 1911

(c) Gandhiji launched his Civil Disobedience Movement

(d) the Partition of India, in 1947 when East Bengal became East Pakistan

Answer (b)

 

Que. Consider the following pairs:

        Major Events                                          Governor/Viceroy

(1) Simon Commission                                         Lord Reading        

(2) Permanent Settlement                                      Lord Cornwallis   

(3) Doctrine of Lapse                                            Lord Dalhousie

(4) Ilbert Bill                                                         Lord Ripon

How many pairs given above are correctly matched?

(a) Only one pair

(b) Only two pairs

(c) Only three pairs

(d) All four pairs

Answer (c)

Source: NCERT