List of viceroys of India: History, Tenure and Events

Viceroys of India (1856-1947)

The Viceroy of India or previously known as the governor-general of India was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom and after Indian Independence in 1947, Viceroy became the representative of the Indian head of state. Viceroy generally means a representative of a King or Queen who rules another country for him or her. After the revolt of 1857, the existence and rule of the Viceroy came under the British. Before Viceroy, Governor Generals ruled India. The first viceroy of India was Lord Canning who ruled India from 1856 to 1862.

List Of Chief Justice In India (1950-2021)

Viceroy of India: History

• British came to India as traders after receiving a royal charter from Queen Elizabeth I.
• Trading in India was the start of British rule and within no time they took over the trading business in India.
• In Kolkata, a governor-general was appointed to look after the fortification of William.
• After the revolt of 1857, control of the region was passed to the crown from the East Indian Company.
• The title of Governor General was also changed to Viceroy of India.
• The first viceroy of India was Lord Canning and the last Viceroy of India (British) was Lord Mountbatten.
• The only Indian to become a Viceroy of India was Chakravarti Rajagopalachari after freedom.

List of Viceroys of India

Viceroy of India	Tenure		Events or Achievement
	From	To
Lord Canning	1856	1862	First Viceroy of India Abolished doctrine of lapse East India Company was abolished and powers/controls were transferred to the Crown Indian Councils Act of 1861.
Lord John Lawrence	1864	1869	High Court of Calcutta and Madras were established. Bhutan War in 1865
Lord Lytton	1876	1880	Second Afghan war in 1878-1880 Arms Act in 1878 The Vernacular Press Act in 1878 Tax on Cotton was abolished for the British traders
Lord Ripon	1880	1884	Vernacular Press act was repealed in 1882 Hunter Commission on Education in 1882
Lord Dufferin	1884	1888	Indian National Congress was established in 1885. The third Burmese war took place from 1885-1886.
Lord Lansdowne	1888	1894	Indian Councils Act in 1892 Durand Commission was set up in 1893.
Lord Curzon	1899	1905	Indian University Act in 1904 Partition of Bengal in 1905
Lord Minto II	1905	1910	Swadeshi Movement from 1905-1911 Establishment of Muslim League in 1906
Lord Hardinge II	1910	1916	Transfer of capital from Calcutta to Delhi Establishment of the Hindu Mahasabha.
Lord Chelmsford	1916	1921	The Rowlatt Act in 1919 Jallianwala Bagh Massacre in 1919 Lucknow Pact in 1916 Champaran satyagraha in 1917
Lord Reading	1921	1926	Chauri Chaura Incident in 1922 Establishment of Swaraj Party in 1922 Withdrawal of Non-Cooperation Movement.
Lord Irwin	1926	1931	Simon Commission Party in 1927 First Round Table Conference in 1930 Gandhi-Irwin Pact in 1931
Lord Willingdon	1931	1936	Poona Pact in 1932 Government of India Act of 1935.
Lord Linlithgow	1936	1944	Second World War in 1939 Formation of the Indian National Army in 1941 Quit India Movement in 1942
Lord Wavell	1944	1947	Cabinet Mission in 1946 Direct Action Day in 1946 Announcement of the end of British rule in 1947
Lord Mountbatten	1947	1948	Last Viceroy of India (British) Redcliff Commission in 1947 Independence of India in 1947
Chakravarti Rajagopalachari	1948	1950	Last Viceroy of India before the permanent removal of the office in 1950

 List of Viceroy of India

FAQs related to Viceroys of India

1. Who was the first viceroy of India?
Ans. Lord Canning was the first viceroy of India. He served as viceroy of India for four years from 1858 to 1862.

2. Who was the last Viceroy of India?
Ans. Lord Mountbatten was the last Viceroy of India.

3. Who is a viceroy?
Ans. The title of Viceroy was given to the governor-general of India. It was a major change after the British Parliament passed a new Act in 1858 and transferred the powers of the East India Company to the British Crown.

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