Governor-Generals and Viceroys of India Notes for UPSC
Komal Gupta
UPSC Exam Expert & Content Editor
In this note
- 1.Titles: Governor-General of Bengal, of India and Viceroy
- 2.Governors-General of Bengal and India (1773 to 1856)
- 3.Viceroys of India (1858 to 1947)
- 4.Tricks to Remember the Order
- 5.Policies and Trends: The Bigger Picture
- 6.Common Prelims Traps
- 7.Education, Press and Local Government Policies
- 8.Quick Revision
- 9.Related Notes to Read Next
- 10.Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
PDF Notes: Governor-Generals and Viceroys of India Notes for UPSC
Premium PDF · one-time payment of ₹5 · instant access
The British ruled India through a long line of Governors-General and Viceroys. Each of them is linked with some war, law, reform or policy that shaped Indian history. Questions on this topic are asked almost every year in the UPSC Prelims in the form of "Which of the following was associated with which Governor-General?", and in the Mains it is the base for understanding the colonial administration. This note gives a clear, period-wise summary of the important rulers, their reforms and events, with tables and memory tricks, in simple language.
Titles: Governor-General of Bengal, of India and Viceroy
The office changed its name with the law. The Regulating Act of 1773 created the post of Governor-General of Bengal (the first was Warren Hastings). The Charter Act of 1833 made him the Governor-General of India, and Lord William Bentinck became the first holder of this title. After the Revolt of 1857, the Government of India Act, 1858 transferred power from the East India Company to the Crown, and the Governor-General was called the Viceroy as the representative of the Crown; Lord Canning was the last Governor-General and the first Viceroy. In 1947, Lord Mountbatten was the last Viceroy and the first Governor-General of independent India, and C. Rajagopalachari was the last and the only Indian Governor-General (1948 to 1950).
Governors-General of Bengal and India (1773 to 1856)
| Governor-General | Important events and reforms |
|---|---|
| Warren Hastings (1773-85) | First Governor-General of Bengal; first Anglo-Maratha war; Rohilla war; founded the Asiatic Society (1784) with William Jones; impeached after his return |
| Lord Cornwallis (1786-93) | Permanent Settlement of Bengal (1793); Cornwallis Code; separation of revenue and judicial functions; reorganised the civil services (called the "father of Civil Services") and police; Third Anglo-Mysore war and the Treaty of Seringapatam (1792) |
| Sir John Shore (1793-98) | Policy of non-intervention; Charter Act of 1793 |
| Lord Wellesley (1798-1805) | Subsidiary Alliance (first with Hyderabad); Fourth Anglo-Mysore war (Tipu killed in 1799); Second Anglo-Maratha war; Fort William College (1800) |
| Lord Minto I (1807-13) | Treaty of Amritsar with Ranjit Singh (1809); Charter Act of 1813 |
| Lord Hastings (1813-23) | Anglo-Nepal war and the Treaty of Sugauli (1816); Third Anglo-Maratha war and the end of the Peshwa; destruction of the Pindaris; Ryotwari system (by Thomas Munro) in Madras |
| Lord Amherst (1823-28) | First Anglo-Burmese war and the Treaty of Yandabo (1826) |
| Lord William Bentinck (1828-35) | Abolition of sati (1829); suppression of thugs (by William Sleeman); English as the medium of higher education (Macaulay's Minute, 1835); Charter Act of 1833; first Governor-General of India; Mahalwari system in the North-West Provinces |
| Charles Metcalfe (1835-36) | Removed restrictions on the press (called the "liberator of the Indian press") |
| Lord Auckland (1836-42) | First Anglo-Afghan war (1839-42) |
| Lord Hardinge I (1844-48) | First Anglo-Sikh war and the Treaty of Lahore (1846); steps against female infanticide |
| Lord Dalhousie (1848-56) | Doctrine of Lapse (annexed Satara, Jhansi, Nagpur and others); Second Anglo-Sikh war and the annexation of Punjab (1849); first railway line from Bombay to Thane (1853); telegraph (1852); modern postal system (1854); Wood's Despatch (1854); Public Works Department; annexation of Awadh (1856) |
Viceroys of India (1858 to 1947)
| Viceroy | Important events and reforms |
|---|---|
| Lord Canning (1856-62) | Revolt of 1857; Government of India Act 1858; universities at Calcutta, Bombay and Madras (1857); Indian Penal Code (1860); Indian Councils Act 1861; Hindu Widow Remarriage Act (1856) |
| Lord Lawrence (1864-69) | Bhutan war; telegraph link with Europe; High Courts at Calcutta, Bombay and Madras |
| Lord Mayo (1869-72) | Financial decentralisation; started the Statistical Survey; Rajkumar College at Ajmer; assassinated in the Andamans in 1872 |
| Lord Lytton (1876-80) | Vernacular Press Act (1878); Arms Act (1878); Delhi Durbar (1877) when Queen Victoria was proclaimed Empress of India; Second Anglo-Afghan war; reduced the age for the civil service examination to 19 |
| Lord Ripon (1880-84) | Repealed the Vernacular Press Act; Local Self-Government Resolution (1882), earning him the title "father of local self-government"; first Factory Act (1881); Hunter Commission on education (1882); Ilbert Bill controversy (1883) |
| Lord Dufferin (1884-88) | Foundation of the Indian National Congress (1885); Third Anglo-Burmese war |
| Lord Lansdowne (1888-94) | Indian Councils Act 1892; Age of Consent Act (1891); Factory Act (1891); Durand Line (1893) |
| Lord Curzon (1899-1905) | Partition of Bengal (1905); Indian Universities Commission and Act (1904); Ancient Monuments Preservation Act (1904) and the Archaeological Survey; Co-operative Credit Societies Act (1904); Delhi Durbar (1903); expedition to Tibet |
| Lord Minto II (1905-10) | Morley-Minto Reforms (Indian Councils Act 1909) with separate electorates; Muslim League founded (1906); Surat split (1907) |
| Lord Hardinge II (1910-16) | Annulment of the partition of Bengal and shifting of the capital from Calcutta to Delhi (announced at the Delhi Durbar of 1911); bomb attack on him in 1912 |
| Lord Chelmsford (1916-21) | Montagu Declaration (1917); Government of India Act 1919 (Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms, dyarchy); Rowlatt Act (1919); Jallianwala Bagh massacre (1919); Non-Cooperation and Khilafat movements |
| Lord Reading (1921-26) | Moplah rebellion; Chauri Chaura (1922); repeal of the Rowlatt Act; Swaraj Party; Kakori case |
| Lord Irwin (1926-31) | Simon Commission (1927); Nehru Report (1928); Lahore Congress and Poorna Swaraj (1929); Civil Disobedience and the Dandi March (1930); Gandhi-Irwin Pact (1931) |
| Lord Willingdon (1931-36) | Second Round Table Conference; Communal Award and the Poona Pact (1932); Government of India Act 1935 |
| Lord Linlithgow (1936-43) | Provincial elections of 1937; Second World War; August Offer (1940); Cripps Mission (1942); Quit India Movement (1942) |
| Lord Wavell (1943-47) | Wavell Plan and the Simla Conference (1945); Cabinet Mission (1946); interim government; Direct Action Day |
| Lord Mountbatten (1947) | 3 June Plan; Indian Independence Act 1947; the last Viceroy; the first Governor-General of free India |
Tricks to Remember the Order
Break the list into groups. For the early Governors-General, use "Hastings, Cornwallis, Shore, Wellesley" as the first block, and link them with "Rules, Settlement, Non-intervention, Alliances". For the reformers, remember "Bentinck for Social reforms, Dalhousie for Railways and Lapse". For the Viceroys, remember the famous sequence "Canning, Lawrence, Mayo, Lytton, Ripon, Dufferin, Lansdowne, Elgin, Curzon, Minto, Hardinge, Chelmsford, Reading, Irwin, Willingdon, Linlithgow, Wavell, Mountbatten", and attach one event to each: Canning (Crown rule), Lytton (Vernacular Press Act), Ripon (Local self-government), Dufferin (Congress), Curzon (Partition of Bengal), Minto (Muslim League and reforms), Hardinge (Delhi capital), Chelmsford (Jallianwala), Irwin (Dandi), Linlithgow (Quit India), Wavell (Cabinet Mission), Mountbatten (Partition).
Policies and Trends: The Bigger Picture
For Mains, look at the policies in phases. In the early phase (till 1818), the British expanded by wars and alliances, using the Subsidiary Alliance and the policy of ring-fence. In the second phase (1818 to 1857), annexation continued through the Doctrine of Lapse and wars, along with social and educational reforms and the beginning of modern infrastructure. After 1858, the Crown consolidated its rule, and the main policies were divide-and-rule, economic exploitation and cautious constitutional reforms in reaction to the rise of nationalism. The Viceroys such as Ripon showed a liberal side, while Lytton and Curzon showed an authoritarian side, which in turn fuelled the national movement. This approach helps to write analytical answers beyond facts.
Common Prelims Traps
Examiners often mix up related names: Lord Hastings (1813 to 1823) and Warren Hastings (1773 to 1785); Lord Minto I and Lord Minto II; Elgin I and Elgin II; Hardinge I and Hardinge II. Remember that the Doctrine of Lapse belongs to Dalhousie but the Subsidiary Alliance belongs to Wellesley; the abolition of sati belongs to Bentinck; the Permanent Settlement belongs to Cornwallis; the Vernacular Press Act belongs to Lytton and was repealed by Ripon. Another trap is the date of the shift of the capital: it was announced in 1911, but the new Delhi was inaugurated in 1931.
Education, Press and Local Government Policies
Three themes run across the careers of the Governors-General and Viceroys. First, education: from Wellesley's Fort William College and Bentinck's acceptance of Macaulay's Minute (1835), through Wood's Despatch (1854) and the three universities of 1857, to the Hunter Commission (1882) and Curzon's Universities Act (1904), the British shaped education to produce clerks and officers, while also, unintentionally, a new educated Indian middle class. Second, the press: Metcalfe freed it in 1835, Lytton restricted it by the Vernacular Press Act (1878), Ripon repealed that Act, and later Viceroys brought new controls during the national movement. Third, local government: Mayo's financial decentralisation (1870) and Ripon's resolution (1882) opened the way to municipal and district boards, which later developed into the Panchayati Raj institutions. Tracing these themes gives you an organised way to remember scattered facts and also to write good Mains answers.
Quick Revision
- Warren Hastings: first GG of Bengal; Bentinck: first GG of India; Canning: last GG and first Viceroy; Mountbatten: last Viceroy.
- Cornwallis: Permanent Settlement; Wellesley: Subsidiary Alliance; Dalhousie: Doctrine of Lapse and railways.
- Lytton: Vernacular Press Act; Ripon: local self-government; Curzon: Partition of Bengal.
- Irwin: Dandi; Linlithgow: Quit India; Wavell: Cabinet Mission.
This topic is all about linking a name with an event. Make a one-page chart, revise it regularly, and add the analytical themes to score both in Prelims and Mains.
Related Notes to Read Next
Continue your preparation with these related notes from the same subject:
- Revolutionary Nationalism and Subhas Chandra Bose INA Notes
- Land Revenue Systems and Economic Impact of British Rule Notes
- Peasant, Tribal and Labour Movements in Modern India Notes
- All Modern Indian History notes
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Who was the first Governor-General of Bengal?
Warren Hastings was the first Governor-General of Bengal under the Regulating Act of 1773.
Who was the first Governor-General of India?
Lord William Bentinck became the first Governor-General of India under the Charter Act of 1833.
Who was the first Viceroy of India?
Lord Canning was the last Governor-General and the first Viceroy of India after the Government of India Act, 1858.
Who was the last Viceroy of India?
Lord Mountbatten was the last Viceroy of India and the first Governor-General of independent India.
Who was the only Indian Governor-General?
C. Rajagopalachari was the only Indian Governor-General of India, serving from 1948 to 1950.
Who introduced the Permanent Settlement?
Lord Cornwallis introduced the Permanent Settlement in Bengal in 1793.
Who introduced the Subsidiary Alliance?
Lord Wellesley introduced the Subsidiary Alliance, with Hyderabad being the first state to accept it.
Who abolished sati?
Lord William Bentinck abolished the practice of sati in 1829.
Who started the Doctrine of Lapse?
Lord Dalhousie applied the Doctrine of Lapse and annexed states like Satara, Jhansi and Nagpur.
Who is called the father of local self-government in India?
Lord Ripon is called the father of local self-government in India for his Resolution of 1882.
Which Viceroy partitioned Bengal?
Lord Curzon partitioned Bengal in 1905.
Under which Viceroy was the capital shifted from Calcutta to Delhi?
The shift of the capital was announced in 1911 under Viceroy Lord Hardinge II.
Previous chapter
Constitutional Developments in British India (1773 to 1935)
Next chapter
Revolutionary Nationalism and Subhas Chandra Bose INA Notes
Komal Gupta
UPSC Exam Expert & Content Editor
Komal is a senior UPSC exam strategist with 8+ years of experience helping aspirants crack CSE, CDS and NDA exams. She writes in-depth notification breakdowns, exam pattern guides and preparation strategies.