GOVERNORS-GENERAL AND VICEROYS

OF INDIA
List of Governors-General of Bengal
Year Governor-General of Major Reforms & Events
Bengal
1772- Warren Hastings First Governor-General of Bengal
1785 End to the dual system of administration
Regulating Act of 1773
Supreme Court at Calcutta
Asiatic Society of Bengal
First Anglo-Maratha War and Treaty of Salbai
First English translation of Bhagavad Gita
Pitt’s India Act-1784
1786- Lord Cornwallis Establishment of Appellate courts and lower grade courts
1793 Establishment of Sanskrit college
Third Anglo-Mysore War and Treaty of Seringapatam
Introduction of Permanent Settlement and civil services
1793- Sir John Shore Charter act of 1793
1798 Policy of Non-intervention
Battle of Kharda
1798- Lord Wellesley Introduction of Subsidiary Alliance System
1805 Fourth Anglo- Mysore war and the Treaty of Bassein
Second Anglo – Maratha war
Establishment of Madras presidency
Establishing Fort William College at Calcutta
1805- Sir George Barlow The Acting Governor-General of India until the arrival of Lord Minto,
1807 Diminished the area of British territory because of his passion for
economy and retrenchment,
The Mutiny of Vellore took place in 1806
1807- Lord Minto I Concluded the treaty of Amritsar with Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1809,
1813 Introduced the Charter Act of 1813
1813- Lord Hastings The policy of Non-intervention came to an end
1823 third Anglo-Maratha war
Abolition of Peshwaship
Establishment of the Ryotwari System in Madras (By Thomas Munroe)
and Bombay
Mahalwari system in north-western Provinces and Bombay
1823- Lord Amherst The annexation of Assam leading to the first Burmese war of 1824,
1828 The mutiny of Barrackpore in 1824
Governors-General of India
Year Governors-General of Major Reforms
India
1828- Lord William Bentinck First Governor-General of India (Charter Act of 1833 made Governor-
1835 General of Bengal as Governor-General of India.)
Abolition of Sati
Suppression of Thugee, infanticide and child sacrifices.
English Education Act of 1835
Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata
1835- Lord Charles Metcalfe ‘Liberator of the Indian press
1836 detached all restraints on an open press
1836- Lord Auckland Dedicated himself to the improvement of native schools and the
1842 expansion of the commercial industry of India
The first Anglo-Afghan war
1842- Lord Ellenborough Sindh was annexed
1844
1844- Lord Hardinge I First Anglo Sikh War (1845-46)
1848
Lord Dalhousie introduced ‘Doctrine of Lapse‘
(Governors-General of Doctrine of Good
India)
Charles Wood Dispatch
Post Office Act, 1854
1st Railway line connecting Bombay and Thane
Established engineering college in Roorkee
Second Anglo-Sikh War
First telegraph line
Establishment of the Public Works Department
Abolition of titles and pensions.
Started Competitive examination for Indian Civil Services
Widow Remarriage Act
1856- Lord Canning Three universities at Calcutta, Madras and Bombay in 1857 were
1857 established
Revolt of 1857 took place
Note – Post-1857 Revolt, Governor-General of India was made
Viceroy of British India and Canning became the first Viceroy of
India/British India.
Viceroys in India from 1858 to 1947
Viceroy Tenure Achievement
Lord Canning 1858- • Abolished doctrine of lapse
1862
Lord Elgin 1862 – • Wahabi Movement
1863
Lord 1864 – • Establishment of High court in Calcutta, Madras during his
Lawrence 1869 reign.
• Anglo-Bhutanese war
Lord Mayo 1869 – • Financial Distribution between centre and state introduced for
1872 the first time
• First Census in 1872
• Mayo College for the royal elite was set up
• Lord Mayo was the only Governor-General who was killed in
India. He was killed by Sher Ali Afridi in Port Blair
• Establishment of Statistical Survey of India
Lord 1872 – • Civil Marriage and Arya Samaj marriage introduced
Northbrook 1876 • Universal Marriage Act introduced in 1872
• Intercaste Marriage allowed
• Kuka Movement in Punjab
Lord Lytton 1876 – • Vernacular Press Act, 1878
1880 • Arms Act, 1878
• Nationalist view – Due to High rate of taxation purchasing
power had reduced.
• Government view – Drought is natural phenomena due to which
people became poor
• Ignored severe famine and organized durbar. Proclaimed Queen
Victoria “The Empress of India”
• Abolished tax on cotton for British traders
• Maximum age to take up civil services exam lowered from 21 to
19
Lord Ripon 1880 – • Was the most loved Governor-General
1884 • Repealed the controversial Arms and Vernacular press act
• Set up Local self-governments – Panchayats and Municipal
Boards due to which he was known as Father of Self
Government
• 2 new universities opened – Punjab University 1884, Allahabad
University 1887
• Illbert Bill – Indian judge cannot try English Judge
• Appointment of Hunter Commission
Lord Dufferin 1884 – • III Anglo-‐Burmese war (1885-‐1886)
1888
 • Indian National Congress was founded in 1885
Lord 1888 – • Indian Councils Act, 1892 (Indirect election was introduced for
Lansdowne 1894 the first time)
• Factory Act, 1891
Lord Elgin II 1894 – • First British Officer called Rands was killed.
1899 • He was killed by Chapekar (Ramkrishna & Damodar) Brothers.
This was the first political murder.
Lord Curzon 1899 – • Indian Universities act – to control Indian Universities
1905 • Raleigh Commission
• Partition of Bengal
• Curzon-Kitchener controversy
Lord Minto II 1905 – • Morley – Minto reforms
1910
Lord Hardinge 1910 – • Mesopotamian Campaign
II 1916 • Transfer of Capital from Calcutta to Delhi
• Hindu Mahasabha was established by Madan Mohan Malaviya
Lord 1916 – • Home Rule League Movements
Chelmsford 1921 • Rowlatt Act was passed
• Montague – Chelmsford reform was passed
Lord Reading 1921 – • Swaraj Party was formed
1926 • Chauri – Chaura incident took place
Lord Irwin 1926 – • Launch of civil disobedience movement and Dandi march
1931 • First round table conference was held
Lord 1931 – • Second & Third Round Table Conference
Willingdon 1936 • Poona pact was signed
• Communal award was started
Lord 1936 – • Cripps Mission
Linlithgow 1944 • Quit India movement
Lord Wavell 1944 – • CR Formula 1944
1947 • Launch of Direct Action day
• Wavell Plan & Shimla conference
Lord 1947-48 • June 3rd Plan
Mountbatten • Last Viceroy and First Governor-General of free India