Following the revolt of 1857, the company rule was abolished, and India came under the direct control of the British crown. The Government of India Act of 1858 was passed, which replaced the post-Governor General of India with Viceroy of India. The Viceroy was appointed directly by the British government. Lord Canning was the first Viceroy of India. In this article, we will discuss the Viceroys of India which will be helpful for UPSC exam preparation.

Lord Canning (1858 - 1862)

• From 1856 to 1862, Lord Canning served as Governor General of India.
• During his tenure, the Government of India Act of 1858 was passed, which established the office of Viceroy to be held by the same person who was Governor General of India.
• As a result, Lord Canning also served as the first Viceroy of India.
• The Mutiny of 1857, which he successfully suppressed, the passage of the Indian Councils Act, 1861, which introduced the portfolio system in India, the withdrawal of the "Doctrine of Lapse," which was one of the main reasons for the mutiny of 1858, the introduction of the Code of Criminal Procedure, the enactment of the Indian High Courts Act, the Indian Penal Code (1858), the Bengal Rent Act (1859), the introduction of income tax on an experimental

Lord Elgin-I (1862 - 1863)

• James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin and 12th Earl of Kincardine (20 July 1811 – 20 November 1863) was a British colonial administrator and diplomat.
• He was Governor of Jamaica from 1842 to 1846, Governor-General of the Province of Canada from 1847 to 1854, and Viceroy of India from 1862 to 1863.
• Lord Elgin is said to have shied away from the pomp and circumstance of previous Governor Generals in favour of taking the train.
• The Wahabis, a violent and fanatical group of Mohammedans in the northwest, were defeated during his reign.
• The main event of his time was the Ambala campaign in the Northwest frontier to put down a tribal insurgency.
• Sir William Denison, the governor of Madras, succeeded him as interim governor-general under the Act of 1861.

*For detailed notes of this topic, check this link Lord Elgin-I (1862-1863)

Lord Lawrence (1864 - 1869)

• From 1864 to 1869, Lord John Lawrence was Governor General and Viceroy of India.
• The Great Famines of Odisha, Rajputana, and Bundelkhand, Famine Commissions, the opening of telegraphic lines between Europe and India, the enactment of the Punjab Tenancy Act, the War with Bhutan, the policy of "masterly inactivity," and other significant events occurred during his tenure.
• During the First Anglo-Sikh War of 1845-1846, he brilliantly organised the supply of the British army in Punjab and was appointed commissioner of Jalandhar.
• During the Second Anglo-Sikh War, he served on the Punjab Board of Administration under his elder brother, Sir Henry Montgomery Lawrence.
• Lord Lawrence handled Afghanistan and Persia with caution. On the death of Dost Mohammed on June 9, 1863, Lawrence recognised Sher Ali, the third son and acknowledged heir of the Dost, as Amir of Afghanistan, and his son, Mohammed Ali, as heir apparent.
• Submarine telegraphy between India and Europe via the Persian Gulf began in 1865. In 1868, the Punjab and Oudh Tenancy Acts were passed.
• Sir John Lawrence stepped down in January 1869. In 1869, Lord Mayo succeeded Lord Lawrence.

*For detailed notes of this topic, check this link Lord Lawrence (1864-1869)

Lord Mayo (1869 - 1872)

• Lord Mayo was the Viceroy of India from January 12, 1869 to February 8, 1872. He began the process of decentralisation of finance.
• He pursued a non-interventionist foreign policy. He established Mayo College in Ajmer to educate the children of aristocratic families.
• During his tenure, India's census began. He was the first Governor General to be assassinated in office by Pathan Sher Ali in Port Blair.
• Lord Mayo carried on his predecessor's policy of Masterly inactivity. He welcomed Sher Ali, Amin of Kabul, to Ambala and held a Durbar in his honour.
• In 1875, Mayo College was founded in Ajmer to educate young Rajput princes. Colonel Sir Oliver St John became the school's first principal.
• On Mayo's orders, the first census in India was conducted in 1871. He oversaw the Indian Statistical Survey.
• Lord Mayo also established the Departments of Revenue, Agriculture, and Commerce.
• He also introduced the most improved rifle, the Snider, and rifled guns for artillery, as well as improvements in troop sanitation.

*For detailed notes of this topic, check this link Lord Mayo (1869-1872)

Lord Northbrook (1872 - 1876)

• Thomas George Baring, 1st Earl of Northbrook (22 January 1826 – 15 November 1904) was a British Liberal statesman.
• Gladstone appointed him Viceroy of India from 1872 to 1876.
• His major achievements came as an energetic reformer dedicated to improving the quality of government in the British Raj.
• He reduced taxes and overcame bureaucratic barriers in an effort to reduce both hunger and widespread social unrest.
• Between 1880 and 1885, he was the First Lord of the Admiralty.
• The deposition of Gaikwad of Baroda in 1875, the visit of Prince of Wales, the Bihar Famine, and the Kuka Movement in Punjab were all significant events during his reign.

*For detailed notes of this topic, check this link Lord Northbrook (1872-1876)

Lord Lytton (1876 - 1880)

• Edward Robert Lytton Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Earl of Lytton (8 November 1831 – 24 November 1891) was an English statesman, Conservative politician, and poet (who used the pseudonym Owen Meredith).
• He was Viceroy of India from 1876 to 1880, during which Queen Victoria was proclaimed Empress of India, and British Ambassador to France from 1887 to 1891.
• His tenure as Viceroy was criticised for its ruthlessness in both domestic and foreign affairs.
• Lord Lytton, the Viceroy of India from 1876 to 1880, used to write poems under the pen name Owen Meredith.
• During his reign, a Royal Titles Act was passed, bestowing the title of Empress of India on Queen Victoria, and a magnificent Delhi Darbar was held in 1877, at which Queen Victoria was adorned with the title Qaiser-i-Hind.
• Aligarh College was established in 1877, and the Vernacular Press Act and the Arms Act were enacted in 1878.
• The eligibility age for civil service was reduced from 21 to 18 years. During his tenure, the second Anglo-Afghan war was also fought, which proved to be very costly.

*For detailed notes of this topic, check this link Lord Lytton (1876-1880)

Lord Ripon (1880 - 1884)

• George Frederick Samuel Robinson, 1st Marquess of Ripon was a British politician who served in every Liberal cabinet since 1861.
• Lord Ripon instituted numerous reforms to help local Indians during his tenure as Viceroy.
• The introduction of local self-government, the first of its kind in British India, was the most significant of these reforms. As a result, he became known as the "Good Viceroy of India."
• From 1880 to 1884, Lord Ripon served as Viceroy of India. This liberal politician is well-known for many reforms in India's internal administration.
• In 1882, the Vernacular Press Act was repealed. In 1882, a resolution initiated the establishment of local self-government in India.
• The Hunter Commission was formed in 1882 to reform education. The minimum age for entering the Civil Service has been raised to 21 years.
• The First Factory Act was enacted in 1881, following the introduction of the Ilbert Bill in a severely weakened state.
• The years 1882 and 1883 are remembered for these monumental measures. One significant event was the repeal of Lord Ripon’s predecessor Lord Lytton's 1878 Vernacular Press Act.

*For detailed notes of this topic, check this link Lord Ripon (1880-1884)

Lord Dufferin (1884 - 1888)

• Frederick Temple Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 1st Marquess of Dufferin (21 June 1826 – 12 February 1902) was a British public servant and prominent member of Victorian society.
• In his youth, he was a popular figure in Queen Victoria's court, and he became well-known to the general public after publishing a best-selling account of his travels in the North Atlantic.
• From 1884 to 1888, Lord Dufferin served as Governor General of India and Viceroy.
• During his tenure, the Third Burmese War resulted in the annexation of all of Burma, and the Burmese ruler was exiled to India.
• AO Hume established the Indian National Congress in 1885.
• The Panjdeh Incident occurred in 1885, when Russian forces seized Afghan territory south of the Amu Darya near the site of Panjdeh, which is now in Turkmenistan.
• This resulted in a diplomatic crisis between Russia and the United Kingdom.

*For detailed notes of this topic, check this link Lord Dufferin (1884-1888)

Lord Lansdowne (1888 - 1894)

• Lord Lansdowne was Governor General and Viceroy of India from 1888 to 1894.
• During his tenure, the Indo-Afghan border, known as the Durand Line, was established.
• The Indian Council Act of 1892 was passed, and an indirect election system was established in India.
• Lord Lansdowne was appointed Viceroy of India the same year he left Canada.
• The office, which he held from 1888 to 1894, was offered to him by Conservative Prime Minister Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, and marked the pinnacle of his career.
• He worked to reform the army, police, local governments, and the mint.
• In 1890, there was an Anglo-Manipur War in which Manipur was subjugated, with Lansdowne securing the death penalty for the instigator despite significant opposition from Britain.
• His attempt in 1893 to limit jury trials was, however, rejected by the home government. He returned to England in 1894. His policies exacerbated tensions between Hindus and Muslims

*For detailed notes of this topic, check this link Lord Lansdowne (1888-1894)

Lord Elgin-II (1894 - 1899)

• Victor Alexander Bruce, 9th Earl of Elgin, 13th Earl of Kincardine, known as Lord Bruce until 1863, was a right-wing British Liberal politician who served as Viceroy of India from 1894 to 1899.
• Prime Minister Arthur Balfour charged him with conducting an investigation into the conduct of the Boer War from 1902 to 1903.
• The Elgin Commission was the first of its kind in the British Empire, and it travelled to South Africa to gather oral testimony from men who had fought in the battles.
• During his reign, the borders of China and Siam were demarcated, an Anglo-Russian convention was signed (1895), Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee was celebrated (1897), a Famine Commission (Lyall Commission) was appointed in 1897, a plague broke out in Bombay (1896), and Plague Commissioner Rand was assassinated in Pune by the Chapekar brothers (1897).

*For detailed notes of this topic, check this link Lord Elgin-II (1894-1899)

Lord Curzon (1899 - 1905)

• George Nathaniel Curzon (11 January 1859 – 20 March 1925), born in Kedleston Hall, England, was a British statesman and foreign secretary who played a significant role in British policy making during his terms in office.
• Lord Curzon succeeded Lord Elgin as Viceroy of India from 1899 to 1905. He was India's youngest Viceroy at the age of 39.
• He was one of the most contentious and influential people to hold that position.
• Important events during his tenure include:
  • Chappania Akal Famine of 1899-1900,
  • the appointment of the Famine Commission under Sir Anthony McDonnell,
  • the Commission on Irrigation under Colin Scott Moncrieff,
  • the Police Commission under Andrew Frazer,
  • the Education Commission aka Raleigh Commission,
  • the enactment of the Indian Universities Act, 1904,
  • the Land Resolution of 1902,
  • the Punjab Land Alienation Act 1900,
  • the establishment of Imperial Departments of Agriculture and Commerce, Industry.
  • The Indian Coinage and Paper Currency Act of 1899;
  • the establishment of a training college for army officers in Quetta;
  • the Calcutta Corporation Act of 1899;
  • the Ancient Monuments Protection Act of 1904;
  • the military expedition to Tibet,
  • the occupation of Chumby Valley,
  • and the most reviled Partition of Bengal

*For detailed notes of this topic, check this link Lord Curzon (1899-1905)

Lord Minto-II (1905 - 1910)

• Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 4th Earl of Minto, was the Viceroy of India. He was the eighth Governor-General of Canada before becoming Viceroy.
• From 1905 to 1910, Lord Minto served as Governor General and Viceroy of India.
• During his tenure, some of the most important laws in British India's history were passed, including the establishment of the Muslim League, the split of the INC in Surat, and the grant of separate electorates to Muslims.
• As a result, Lord Minto carried out Lord Curzon's wishes.

*For detailed notes of this topic, check this link Lord Minto-II (1905-1910)

Lord Hardinge-II (1910 - 1916)

• From 1910 to 1916, Lord Hardinge served as India's Viceroy. He had joined the diplomatic service in 1880 and had served as first secretary and Ambassador to Russia in Tehran.
• His administrative experience, on the other hand, was nil. This young viceroy was sympathetic to the Indians and hoped to gain their favour.
• Some important events during his tenure include:
  • The Delhi Durbar of 1911;
  • The annulment of the partition of Bengal (1911);
  • The transfer of capital from Calcutta to Delhi (1911);
  • The Delhi Conspiracy Case (1912);
  • The departure of Mahatma Gandhi to South Africa;
  • The outbreak of the First World War (1914);
  • The formation of the Home Rule League by Tilak;
  • The foundation of Benaras Hindu University;
  • The foundation of the Ghadar Party;
  • The Komagatamaru incident;
  • The foundation of the Indian Independence League at Berlin (1914).

*For detailed notes of this topic, check this link Lord Hardinge-II (1910-1916)

Lord Chelmsford (1916 - 1921)

• From 1916 to 1921, Lord Chelmsford (1868-1933) was Viceroy and Governor General of India.
• He was born on August 12, 1868, in Winchester, England, and attended Winchester and Magdalen College, Oxford. In 1916, he succeeded Lord Hardinge as Viceroy of India.
• His time in India began following the British army's defeat in Mesopotamia, and Indian dissatisfaction grew as the First World War progressed.
• During his tenure, significant events included the Lucknow Pact (1916), the Khilafat Movement, Gandhi's emergence as a national leader, the passage of the Rowlatt Act and the Jallianwalla Bagh Tragedy (1919), the Non-Cooperation Movement, the Third Afghan War and Treaty of Rawalpindi, the August Declaration (1917), and the Montague-Chelmsford Reforms (1919).

*For detailed notes of this topic, check this link Lord Chelmsford (1916-1921)

Lord Reading (1921 - 1926)

• Lord Reading succeeded Lord Chelmsford as Governor-General and Viceroy of India in 1921.
• He was born into a poor Jewish family but rose through the ranks to become Chief Justice of England through talent and hard work. British faced many challenges during his tenure.
• The Non-cooperation Movement had reached its zenith and was abruptly ended in 1922. Strikes were common throughout the country.
• During this time, there was a sudden increase in communal growth and fringe elements in both the Hindu and Muslim communities.
• Other events included:
  • the visit of the Prince of Wales to India (1921),
  • the repeal of the Rowlatt Act (1919),
  • the Criminal Law Amendment Act,
  • the Moplah Rebellion (1921),
  • the Simultaneous Examinations of Civil Services in London and Delhi (1923),
  • the establishment of Vishwa Bharati University (1922),
  • the foundation of the Communist Party of India (1921),
  • the formation of the Swaraj Party (1923),
  • the Kakori Train Robbery (1925), and others.

*For detailed notes of this topic, check this link Lord Reading (1921-1926)

Lord Irwin (1926 - 1931)

• Lord Irwin was a senior British Conservative politician of the 1930s who served as Viceroy of British India from 3 April 1926 to 18 April 1931.
• During his tenure, major events occurred during the Indian Independence War, cementing his reputation in Britain as one of the most capable Viceroys of India.
• On April 3, 1926, Lord Irwin was appointed the 30th Viceroy and Governor-General of India. This was the most turbulent period in Indian politics.
• The following significant events occurred during this period:
  • Simon Commission Visit (1928),
  • Nehru Report (1928),
  • Jinnah's 14 Points,
  • Murder of Saunders in 1929,
  • Bomb thrown in Assembly Hall in Delhi by Bhagat Singh,
  • Foundation of HSRA, Death of Lala Lajpat Rai, Execution of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev (1931),
  • Chittagong Armoury Raid (1930),
  • Civil Disobedience Movement and Dandi March (1930),
  • First Round Table Conference in London and Gandhi-Irwin Pact,
  • Demand for Poorna Swarajya Session in Lahore.

*For detailed notes of this topic, check this link Lord Irwin (1926-1931)

Lord Willingdon (1931 - 1936)

• Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon (September 12, 1866 – August 12, 1941) was a British Liberal politician and administrator who served as the 13th Governor General of Canada since Confederation, as well as Viceroy and Governor-General of India.
• From 18 April 1931 to 18 April 1936, Lord Willingdon served as the Viceroy and Governor General of India.
• The Second and Third Round Table Conferences, the relaunch of the Civil Disobedience Movement, Ramsay MacDonald's Communal Award (1932), the Poona Pact (1932), the Government of India Act 1935, and the separation of Burma from India were all significant events during this period.

*For detailed notes of this topic, check this link Lord Willingdon (1931-1936)

Lord Linlithgow (1936 - 1944)

• Lord Linlithgow reigned as Viceroy of India for eight years, from 1936 to 1944. Parts of the Government of India Act 1935 came into force during this time period in 1937.
• Other events included:
  • the resignation of Congress Ministries to protest Indian involvement in World War II;
  • the start of World War II (1939),
  • the resignation of Subhash Chandra Bose and the establishment of the "Forward Block";
  • the escape of SC Bose from India,
  • Jinnah's two nations theory;
  • the Atlanta Charter;
  • the August Offer (1940);
  • the establishment of the Indian National Army;
  • the Cripps Mission (1942);
  • the launch of the Quit India Movement;
  • the demand for divide and quit;
  • the Bengal Famine of 1943.

*For detailed notes of this topic, check this link Lord Linlithgow (1936-1944)

Lord Wavell (1944 - 1947)

• Archibald Percival Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell served in many British Empire conflicts before becoming Viceroy of India during the most critical period of the Independence struggle.
• Lord Linlithgow stepped down as Viceroy of India in the summer of 1943, and was succeeded by Lord Wavell, as the Viceroy of India from 1 October 1943 to 21 February 1947.
• The most significant events during his tenure were the Great Bengal Famine (1943), the Rajagopalachari Formula (1944), the Simla Conference (1945), the end of WWII with Japan's surrender, the Cabinet Mission (1946), Direct Action Day (1946), and the Interim Government under Nehru.

*For detailed notes of this topic, check this link Lord Wavell (1944-1947)

Lord Mountbatten (1947 - 1948)

• From 12 February 1947 to 15 August 1947, Lord Mountbatten was Viceroy of India, and from 15 August 1947 to 21 June 1948, he was the first Governor General of Free India.
• During his presidency, India gained independence in the form of two dominions, India and Pakistan.
• As the last Viceroy, he would oversee the British withdrawal from India and ensure a smooth transition to power, but his efforts would be futile because the partition of India he had attempted to prevent would occur regardless.
• Lord Mountbatten was a key figure in the transfer of power to the Indian Union in 1947.
• Although his decision to transfer power at such a rapid pace, by moving the date from July 1948 to August 1947, is criticised on several counts, he did his best to ensure the formation of a strong Indian union and good Indo-British relations post-independence.

*For detailed notes of this topic, check this link Lord Mountbatten (1947-1948)

Conclusion

The viceroyalty was disbanded after the country gained independence in August 1947. The governor-general was once again the representative of the British sovereign. The only Indian governor-general was C.Rajagopalachari.