BRITISH GOVERNOR GENERALS and VICEROYS :1. Warren Hastings : (1772-85) First Governor General
of Bengal of East India Company. Appointment of
Board of Revenue - Interference in Rohilla War, Nanda
Kumar’s murder, the case of Chet Singh and acceptance
of bribes. Impeachment proceedings in London
prolonged for seven years.
2. Lord Cornwallis : (1786-93) Permanent Settlement of
Bengal. Reorganisation of the Revenue Courts -
Criminal Courts - compilation of Cornwallis Code.
3. Sir John Shore : (1793-98) Non-intervention policy.
4. Lord Wellesley : (1798-1805) Subsidiary Alliance - a
scheme to keep British forces under the Indian rulers
- opened a college to train the Company’s servants in
Calcutta. He is called the “Father of the Civil Service
in India”.
5. Sir George Barlow : (1805-1807) Mutiny in Vellore.
6. Lord Minto I : (1807-1813) Treaty of Amritsar.
7. Marquess of Hastings : (1813-1823) He was the first to
appoint Indians to high posts. The first venacular
newspaper Samachar Patrika began to be published.
Passed the Tenancy Act to protect the cultivators.
8. Lord Amherst : (1823-1828) Mutiny of Barrackpur.
The Indians refused to be carried away by ships
to Burma and it led to mutiny.
9. Lord William Bentinck : (1829-1835) English accepted
as the medium of instruction after the famous
Macaulay's recommendations-Medical College of
Calcutta was started. Abolition of Sati, suppression of
thugee, banning of female infanticide, abolition of
human sacrifice, reform in the Hindu Law of inheritance.
First Governor of India under East India Company.
10. Sir Charles Metcalfe : (1835-1836) He removed the
restrictions on the vernacular press.
11. Lord Auckland : (1836-1842) Grand Trunk Road from
Calcutta to Delhi.
12. Lord Hardinge : (1844-1848) The First Sikh War (1845-
1846 AD) started in his period. The success in this war
extended the British Empire upto the Doab of Jallunder.
13. Lord Dalhousie : (1848-1856) Doctrine of Lapse -
annexing the princely states whose ruler died without
a natural heir. Accordingly, Satara, Jaipur, Sambalpur,
Baghat, Udaipur, Jhansi and Nagpur annexed. Simla
made summer capital. First Railway Line was laid from
Bombay to Thana in 1853. Competitive examination for
the I.C.S. began.
Viceroys of India :Lord Canning : (1856 -1858) Hindu Widow re-marriage
Act. First Universities in India were established at
Calcutta, Madras and Bombay. On May 10, 1857, the
Sepoy Mutiny called First War of Indiependence
began. Mutiny was suppressed. Queen Victoria’s
Proclamation called Magna Carta of India was
announced. East India Company Rule ended. Canning
was appointed the first Viceroy of India. He had given
amnesty to persons who took part in mutiny. Lord
Canning is therefore called “Canning the Clemency”.
Penal Code was prepared. High Courts were set up at
Calcutta, Bombay and Madras.
1. Lord Lawrence : (1864-1869) Telegraphy System was
opened between India and Europe.
2. Lord Mayo: (1869-1872) First Census was taken in 1871
3. Lord Northbrook : (1872-1876) Suez Canal was opened
and trade between India and England greatly flourished.
4. Lord Lytton : (1876-1880) Famine Fund was created.
Vernacular Press Act was passed. Indian Arms Act
forbade Indians from keeping or dealing in arms
without the permission of the Government.
5. Lord Ripon : (1880-1884) The Vernacular Press Act was
repealed. Formed Local self-Government, was called the
“Father of Local Self-Government”. Factory Act was
passed. 1881 census was taken and it would be
repeated after every 10 years.
6. Lord Dufferin : (1884-1888) In his period Burma (now
Myanmar) was invaded in 1895 and then was annexed
to the British empire in 1889. Indian National Congress
was formed during this time. Public Service Commission
was appointed in 1886.
7. Lord Lansdowne : (1888-1894) A weekly holiday was
awarded to all factory workers.
8. Lord Curzon : (1899-1905) Agricultural Banks were
established. He founded the Agricultural Research
Institute at Pusa in Bengal. Ancient Monuments
Protection Act passed. Archaeological Department was
established. Partition of Bengal in 1905 created
trouble. Emperor George cancelled the partition.
9. Lord Minto II : (1905-1910) Minto-Morley Reforms.
10. Lord Hardinge II : (1910-1916) Capital shifted from
Calcutta to Delhi in 1911. Foundation of the Banaras
Hindu University, Banaras, Pandit Madan Mohan
Malaviya was the founder-Chancellor of this University.
11. Lord Chelmsford : (1916-1921) Rowlatt Act called
Black Act was passed. Under the Act Government
armed itself with unlimited rights even to detain a person
and arrest him without producing him before a Court.
The Jallianwala Bagh Tragedy took place in April 13,
1919 under the command of Gen. Dyer. Khilafat
Movement, Non co-ooperation movement took place.
12. Lord Reading : (1921-1926) Visit of Prince of Wales.
Moplah Rebellion (1921) on the South Western coast
of India.
13. Lord Irwin : (1926-31) Simon Commission. Demand for
complete Independence. Civil Disobedience Movement
(1930) First Round Table conference-Gandhi-Irwin Pact.
14. Lord Wellington : (1931-1936) Second and Third
Round Table Conferences - Communcal Award - Poona
Pact - Government of India Act 1935 passed. Cripps
Mission. Quit India Movement (1942).
15. Lord Linlithgow : (1936-1943) During his viceroyalty,
provincial autonomy was established. The State of Pakistan
for the Muslims was demanded by Muslim League leader,
Jinnah. Second World War broke out in 1939.
16. Lord Wavell : (1943-1947) Simla Conference. Muslim
League launched “Direct Action Day”.
17. Lord Mountbatten : (1947-48) Deputed by the British
Prime Minister Lord Atlee. Indian Independence Act
1947 passed-India and Pakistan created under the
Mountbatten Plan - Lord Mountbatten became the first
Governor General of Free India and the last
Viceroy of India. India attained Independence on
August 15, 1947.
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