GOVERNORS-GENERAL

GOVERNORS-GENERAL AND VICEROYS OF (v) Treaty of Bassein (1802).

INDIA : SIGNIFICANT EVENTS IN THEIR 5. Sir George Barlow 1805-1807
RULE Vellore Mutiny (1806).
Governors-Genera I 6. Lord Minto I 1807-1813
1. Warren Hastings 1773-1785 Treaty of Amritsar with Ranjit Singh (1809).
(i) Regulating Act of 1773. 7. Lord Hastings 1813-1823
(ii) Act of 1781, under which the powers of (i) Anglo-Nepal War (1814-16) and the Treaty
jurisdiction between the governor-general- of Sagauli, 1816.

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in-council and the Su-preme Court at (ii) Third Maratha War (1817-19) and
Calcutta, were clearly divided. dissolution of Maratha Confederacy;
(iii) Pitt’s India Act of 1784. creation of Bombay Presidency (1818).
(iii) Strife with Pindaris (1817-1818).

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(iv) The Rohilla War of 1774.
(v) The First Maratha War in 1775-82 and the (iv) Treaty with Sindhia (1817).
Treaty of Salbai in 1782. (v) Establishment of Ryotwari System by
(vi) Second Mysore War in 1780-84. Thomas Munro, governor of Madras (1820).
(vii) Strained relationships with Chait Singh, the 8. Lord Amherst 1823-1828
Maharaja of Benaras, which led to Hastings’ (i) First Burmese War (1824-1826).
subsequent im-peachment in England. (ii) Capture of Bharatpur (1826).
(viii)Foundation of the Asiatic Society of Bengal 9. Lord William Bentinck 1828-1835
(1784). (i) Abolition of sati and other cruel rites (1829).
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2. Lord Comwallis 1786-1793 (ii) Suppression of thugi (1830).
(i) Third Mysore War (1790-92) and Treaty of (iii) Charter Act of 1833.
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Seringa- patam (1792).
(iv) Resolution of 1835, and educational reforms
(ii) Cornwallis Code (1793) incorporating and introduction of English as the official
several judicial reforms, and separation of language.
revenue administration and civil jurisdiction.
(v) Annexation of Mysore (1831), Coorg (1834)
(iii) Permanent Settlement of Bengal, 1793. and Cen-tral Cachar (1834).
(iv) Europeanisation of administrative machinery (vi) Treaty of ‘perpetual friendship’ with Ranjeet
and in-troduction of civil services. Singh.
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3. Sir John Shore 1793-1798 (vii) Abolition of the provincial courts of appeal
(i) Charter Act of 1793. and circuit set up by Cornwallis, appointment
(ii) Battle of Kharda between the Nizam and the of commissioners of revenue and circuit.
Marathas (1795). 10. Lord Metcalfe 1835-1836
4. Lord Wellesley 1798-1805 New press law removing restrictions on the press
(i) Introduction of the Subsidiary Alliance in India.
System (1798); first alliance with Nizam of 11. Lord Auckland 1836-1842
Hyderabad. (i) First Afghan War (1838-42).
(ii) Fourth Mysore War (1799). (ii) Death of Ranjit Singh (1839).
(iii) Second Maratha War (1803-05). 12. Lord Ellenborough 1842-1844
(iv) Took over the administration of Tanjore (i) Annexation of Sindh (1843).
(1799), Surat (1800) and Carnatic (1801).
(ii) War with Gwalior (1843).
13. Lord Hardinge I 1844-1848 4. Lord Mayo 1869-1872
(i) First Anglo-Sikh War (1845-46) and the (i) Opening of the Rajkot College in Kathiawar
Treaty of Lahore (1846). and the Mayo College at Ajmer for political
(ii) Social reforms including abolition of female training of Indian princes.
infanti-cide and human sacrifice. (ii) Establishment of Statistical Survey of India.
14. Lord Dalhousie 1848-1856 (iii) Establishment of Department of Agriculture
(i) Second Anglo-Sikh War (1848-49) and and Com-merce.
annexation of Punjab (1849). (iv) Introduction of state railways.
(ii) Annexation of Lower Burma or Pegu (1852). 5. Lord Northbrook 1872-1876
(iii) Introduction of the Doctrine of Lapse and (i) Visit of Prince of Wales in 1875.
annexation of Satara (1848)/ Jaitpur and (ii) Trial of Gaekwar of Baroda.
Sambhalpur (1849), Udaipur (1852), Jhansi

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(iii) Kuka Movement in Punjab.
(1853), Nagpur (1854) and Awadh (1856).
6. Lord Lytton 1876-1880
(iv) “Wood’s (Charles Wood, President of the
(i) Famine of 1876-78 affecting Madras,
Board of Control) Educational Despatch” of
Bombay, Mysore, Hyderabad, parts of

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1854 and opening of Anglo-vernacular
central India and Punjab; ap-pointment of
schools and government colleges.
Famine Commission under the presiden-cy
(v) Railway Minute of 1853; and laying down of Richard Strachey (1878).
of first railway line connecting Bombay and
(ii) Royal Titles Act (1876), Queen Victoria
Thane in 1853.
assuming the title of ‘Kaiser-i-Hind’ or
(vi) Telegraph (4000 miles of telegraph lines to Queen Empress of India.
connect Calcutta with Bombay, Madras and
(iii) The Vernacular Press Act (1878).
Peshawar) and postal (Post Office Act, 1854)
reforms. (iv) The Arms Act (1878).
(v) The Second Afghan War (1878-80).
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(vii) Ganges Canal declared open (1854);
establishment of separate public works 7. Lord Ripon 1880-1884
(i) Repeal of the Vernacular Press Act (1882).
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department in every province.
(viii)Widow Remarriage Ait (1856). (ii) The first Factory Act (1881) to improve
15. Lord Canning 1856-1857 labour con-ditions.
(i) Establishment of three universities at (iii) Continuation of financial decentralisation.
Calcutta, Madras and Bombay in 1857. (iv) Government resolution on local self-
(ii) Revolt of 1857. government (1882).
Viceroys (v) Appointment of Education Commission
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1. Lord Canning 1858-1862 under chair-manship of Sir William Hunter

(1882).
(i) Transfer of control from East India Company
to the Crown, the Government of India Act, (vi) The Ilbert Bill controversy (1883-84).
1858. (vii) Rendition of Mysore.
(ii) ‘White Mutiny’ by European troops in 1859. 8. Lord Dufferin 1884-1888
(iii) Indian Councils Act of 1861. (i) The Third Burmese War (1885-86).
2. Lord Elgin I 1862-1863 (ii) Establishment of the Indian National
Wahabi Movement Congress.
3. Lord John Lawrence 1864-1869 9. Lord Lansdowne 1888-1894
(i) Bhutan War (1865) (i) Factory Act (1891).
(ii) Setting up of the High Courts at Calcutta, (ii) Categorisation of civil services into imperial,
Bombay and Madras (1865). provi-sional and subordinate.
(iii) Indian Councils Act (1892).
 (iv) Setting up of Durand Commission (1893) to (iv) Foundation of Sabarmati Ashram (1916)
define the Durand Line between India and after Gandhi’s return; launch of Champaran
Afghanistan (now between Pakistan and Satyagraha (1916), Kheda Satyagraha
Afghanistan). (1918), and Satyagraha at Ahmedabad
10. Lord Elgin II 1894-1899 (1918).
Two British officials assassinated by Chapekar (v) Montagu’s August Declaration (1917).
broth-ers (1897). (vi) Government of India Act (1919).
11. Lord Curzon 1899-1905 (vii) The Rowlatt Act (1919).
(i) Appointment of Police Commission (1902) (viii)Jallianwalla Bagh massacre (1919).
under Sir Andrew Frazer to review police (ix) Launch of Non-Cooperation and Khilafat
administration. Movements.
(ii) Appointment of Universities Commission (x) Foundation of Women’s University at Poona

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(1902) and passing of Indian Universities Act (1916) and appointment of Saddler ’s
(1904). Commission (1917) for reforms in
(iii) Establishment of Department of Commerce educational policy.

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and Industry. (xi) Death of Tilak (August 1, 1920).
(iv) Calcutta Corporation Ac’ (1899). (xii) Appointment of S.P. Sinha as governor of
(v) Ancient Monuments Preservation Act Bihar (the first Indian to become a governor).
(1904). 15. Lord Reading 1921-1926
(vi) Partition of Bengal (1905). (i) Chauri Chaura incident (February 5, 1922)
(vii) Curzon-Kitchener coi troversy. and the subsequent withdrawal of Non-
(viii)Younghusband’s Mission to Tibet 1904). Cooperation Move-ment.
12. Lord Minto II 1905-1910 (ii) Moplah rebellion in Kerala (1921).
(i) Popularisation of anti-partition and Swadeshi (iii) Repeal of the Press Act of 1910 and the
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Move-ments. Rowlatt Act of 1919.
(ii) Split in Congress in the annual session of (iv) Criminal Law Amendment Act and abolition
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1907 in Surat. of cotton excise.
(iii) Establishment of Muslim League by Aga (v) Communal riots in Multan, Amritsar, Delhi,
Khan (1906). Aligarh, Arvi and Calcutta.
13. Lord Hardinge II 1910-1916 (vi) Kakori train robbery (1925).
(i) Creation of Bengal Presidency (like Bombay (vii) Murder of Swami Shraddhanand (1926).
and Madras) in 1911. (viii)Establishment of Swaraj Party by C.R. Das
and Motilal Nehru (1922).
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(ii) Transfer of capital from Calcutta to Delhi

(1911). (ix) Decision to hold simultaneous examinations
(iii) Establishment of the Hindu Mahasabha for the ICS both in Delhi and London, with
(1915) by Madan Mohan Malaviya. effect from 1923.
(iv) Coronation durbar of King George V held 16. Lord Irwin 1926-1931
in Delhi (1911). (i) Visit of Simon Commission to India (1928)
14. Lord Chelmsford 1916-1921 and the boycott of the commission by the
(i) Formation of Home Rule Leagues by Annie Indians.
Besant and Tilak (1916). (ii) An All-Parties Conference held at Lucknow
(ii) Lucknow session of the Congress (1916). (1928) for suggestions for the (future)
Constitution of India, the report of which was
(iii) Lucknow pact between the Congress and
called the Nehru Report or the Nehru
Muslim League (1916).
Constitution.
 (iii) Appointment of the Harcourt Butler Indian (iv) Resignation of Bose in 1939 and formation
States Commission (1927). of the Forward Bloc (1939).
(iv) Murder of Saunders, the assistant (v) Lahore Resolution (March 1940) by the
superintendent of police of Lahore; bomb Muslim League, demand for separate state
blast in the Assembly Hall of Delhi (1929); for Muslims.
the Lahore Conspiracy Case and death of (vi) ‘August Offer” (1940) by the viceroy; its
Jatin Das after prolonged hunger strike criticism by the Congress and endorsement
(1929), and bomb accident in train in Delhi by the Mulsim League.
(1929). (vii) Winston Churchill elected prime minister of
(v) Lahore session of the Congress (1929); Puma England (1940).
Swaraj Resolution. (viii)Escape of Subhash Chandra Bose from India
(vi) Dandi March (March 12, 1930) by Gandhi (1941) and organisation of the Indian

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to launch the Civil Disobedience Movement. National Army.
(vii) ‘Deepavali Declaration’ by Lord Irwin (ix) Cripps Mission’s Cripps Plan to offer
(1929). dominion status to India and setting up of a
(viii) Boycott of the First Round Table Conference Constituent Assembly; its rejection by the

Movement.
17. Lord Willingdon 1931-1936
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(1930), Gandhi-Irwin Pact (1931) and
suspension of Civil Disobedience

(i) Second Round Table Conference (1931) and

failure of the conference, resumption of Civil
Disobedience Movement.
(ii) Announcement of Communal Award (1932)
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under which separate communal electorates
Congress.
(x) Passing of the ‘Quit India Resolution’ by the
Congress (1942); outbreak of ‘August
Revolution’; or Revolt of 1942 after the
arrest of national leaders.
(xi) ‘Divide and Quit’ slogan at the Karachi
session (1944) of the Muslim League.
19. Lord Wavell 1944-1947
(i) C. Rajagopalachari’s CR Formula (1944),
were set up. failure of Gandhi-Jinnah talks (1944).
(iii) ‘Fast unto death’ by Gandhi in Yeravada
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(ii) Wavell Plan and the Shimla Conference
prison, broken after the Poona Pact (1932). (1942).
(iv) Third Round Table Conference (1932). (iii) End of Second World War (1945).
(v) Launch of Individual Civil Disobedience (iv) Proposals of the Cabinet Mission (1946) and
(1933). its acceptance by the Congress.
(vi) The Government of India Act of 1935. (v) Observance of ‘Direct Action Day’ (August
(vii) Establishment of All India Kisan Sabha 16, 1948) by the Muslim League.
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(1936) and Congress Socialist Party by (vi) Elections to the Constituent Assembly,
Acharya Narendra Dev and Jayaprakash formation of Interim Government by the
Narayan (1934). Congress (September 1946).
(viii)Burma separated from India (1935).. (vii) Announcement of end of British rule jft
18. Lord Linlithgow 1936-1944 fn.dia by Clement Attlee (prime minister of
(i) First general elections (1936-37); Congress England) on Feb-ruary 20, 1947.
attained absolute majority. 20. Lord Mountbatten 1947-1948
(ii) Resignation of the Congress ministries after (i) June Third Plan (June 3, 1947) announced.
the out-break of the Second World War (ii) Introduction of Indian Independence Bill in
(1939). the House of Commons.
(iii) Subhash Chandra Bose elected as the (iii) Appointment of two boundary commissions
president of Congress at the fifty-first session under Sir Cyril Radcliff for the partition of
of the Congress (1938). Bengal and Punjab.