The British ruled India for nearly two centuries — first through the East India Company and, after 1858, directly under the British Crown. The men who headed this administration evolved from the Governor-General of Bengal to the Governor-General of India and finally the Viceroy. These notes cover the most important administrators, their reforms, the major British Acts, and the three land-revenue systems — all high-yield, repeatedly-tested topics.
British rule in India is divided into two clear phases, and the title of the chief administrator changed as the structure changed.
Who was the first Viceroy of India (1858)?
Who was the 1st Governor-General of India (1833)?
Company rule lasted from 1757 to , after which Crown rule began.
Warren Hastings was the 1st Governor-General of in 1773.
The Governor-Generals belong mainly to the Company era. Each is famous for one or two landmark reforms — examiners love matching the person to the reform.
| Governor-General | Tenure | Key Works |
|---|---|---|
| Warren Hastings | 1773–1785 | 1st GG of Bengal; Regulating Act 1773; Asiatic Society (with Jones, 1784); impeached over the Rohilla War, Nand Kumar & Chait Singh of Awadh |
| Lord Cornwallis | 1786–1793 | Permanent Settlement 1793 (Zamindari); reformed the civil service — *"Father of Civil Service in India"*; separated revenue & judiciary |
| Lord Wellesley | 1798–1805 | Subsidiary Alliance — first state to accept it was Hyderabad |
| Lord William Bentinck | 1828–1835 | 1st GG of India; abolished Sati (1829); suppressed Thuggee; introduced English education |
| Lord Dalhousie | 1848–1856 | Doctrine of Lapse; first railway (1853); telegraph; PWD; annexed Awadh — *"Father of Modern India / maker of modern India"* |
The Permanent Settlement of 1793 was introduced by which Governor-General?
The Doctrine of Lapse is associated with which Governor-General?
Lord William Bentinck abolished in 1829.
Lord introduced the Subsidiary Alliance, first accepted by Hyderabad.
These three define the early Company administration; their reforms reshaped revenue, services and diplomacy.
Lord Cornwallis is called the 'Father of' which service in India?
The first Indian state to accept the Subsidiary Alliance was?
Warren Hastings was impeached in England over the Rohilla War and the trial of Nand .
The Permanent Settlement (1793) was an agreement between the Company and the Bengali .
Bentinck is the most celebrated social reformer among the Governor-Generals.
Lord William Bentinck abolished Sati (1829) with the strong support of whom?
On whose Minute (1835) did English become the medium of higher education?
Lord William Bentinck was the first to be designated Governor-General of in 1828.
Bentinck suppressed , the organised highway robbery and ritual murder.
Dalhousie was the great annexationist and moderniser whose policies helped trigger the 1857 revolt.
The first train in India ran on which route in 1853 under Lord Dalhousie?
Under the Doctrine of Lapse, what happened to a state if a ruler died without a natural heir?
Lord Dalhousie annexed in 1856 on the charge of misgovernance.
Lord Dalhousie is known as the maker of India for his railways, telegraph and PWD.
After the Revolt of 1857, the Government of India Act 1858 transferred power to the Crown and the chief administrator became the Viceroy. This table is one of the most frequently asked in SSC.
| Viceroy | Tenure | Key Works |
|---|---|---|
| Lord Canning | 1856–1862 | Last GG & 1st Viceroy; Govt of India Act 1858; faced the Revolt of 1857 |
| Lord Mayo | 1869–1872 | First census (1872); financial decentralisation; killed by a convict in the Andaman Islands |
| Lord Lytton | 1876–1880 | Vernacular Press Act 1878; Arms Act; Delhi Durbar 1877 (Victoria proclaimed *Kaiser-i-Hind*) |
| Lord Ripon | 1880–1884 | Local Self-Government 1882 — *"Father of Local Self-Government"*; repealed Vernacular Press Act; Ilbert Bill; first regular census (1881) |
| Lord Dufferin | 1884–1888 | Indian National Congress founded (1885) during his tenure |
| Lord Curzon | 1899–1905 | Partition of Bengal (1905); triggered the Swadeshi Movement |
| Lord Minto II | 1905–1910 | Morley-Minto Reforms / Indian Councils Act 1909 (separate electorates) |
| Lord Hardinge II | 1910–1916 | Capital shifted Calcutta → Delhi (1911); Delhi Durbar 1911; bomb attempt on him |
| Lord Chelmsford | 1916–1921 | Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms (GoI Act 1919); Rowlatt Act; Jallianwala Bagh (1919) |
| Lord Reading | 1921–1926 | Chauri Chaura (1922); Gandhi first imprisoned |
| Lord Irwin | 1926–1931 | First Round Table Conference; Simon Commission; Gandhi-Irwin Pact; Dandi March |
| Lord Willingdon | 1931–1936 | Second & Third Round Table Conferences; Communal Award / Poona Pact (1932) |
| Lord Linlithgow | 1936–1943 | Cripps Mission; Quit India Resolution (1942) |
| Lord Wavell | 1943–1947 | Shimla Conference; Cabinet Mission (1946) |
| Lord Mountbatten | 1947–1948 | Last Viceroy; oversaw the Partition & Independence (1947) |
The Partition of Bengal (1905) was carried out by which Viceroy?
During whose viceroyalty was the Indian National Congress founded (1885)?
Lord was the last Governor-General and the 1st Viceroy, and faced the Revolt of 1857.
The capital was shifted from Calcutta to Delhi in 1911 during the tenure of Lord II.
Curzon's most notorious act lit the fire of the early nationalist movement.
The Partition of Bengal directly launched which movement?
In which year was Bengal reunited?
Lord Curzon carried out the Partition of Bengal in the year .
The Partition of Bengal divided the province on lines.
Ripon is remembered as the most liberal Viceroy, who empowered Indians at the local level.
Lord Ripon is hailed as the 'Father of' which institution in India?
Which Bill, associated with Lord Ripon, sought to allow Indian judges to try British offenders?
Lord Ripon introduced Local Self-Government in the year .
Lord Ripon repealed the Press Act of Lytton.
The British devised three different systems to collect land revenue, each in a different region — a guaranteed exam table.
| System | Introduced By | Area | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Permanent Settlement (Zamindari) | Lord Cornwallis (1793) | Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, parts of UP | Zamindars were owners & revenue-collectors; revenue fixed permanently; cultivators became tenants |
| Ryotwari System | Thomas Munro & Captain Read (1820) | Madras, Bombay, Assam | Revenue collected directly from the ryot (peasant); peasant was the owner; revenue revised periodically |
| Mahalwari System | Holt Mackenzie / R.M. Bird (1822) | North-West Provinces, Punjab, Central India | Revenue assessed on the mahal (village/estate); collected by the village headman; periodic revision |
The Ryotwari System was introduced by whom?
Under the Mahalwari System, revenue was assessed on the?
The Permanent Settlement (Zamindari) system was introduced by Lord .
The Ryotwari system collected revenue directly from the (peasant).
The legal framework of British rule evolved through a chain of Acts — from the Regulating Act to the eventual self-government provisions.
| Act | Year | Key Provisions |
|---|---|---|
| Regulating Act | 1773 | First step to control the Company; made Warren Hastings the GG of Bengal; Supreme Court at Calcutta (1774) |
| Pitt's India Act | 1784 | Created the Board of Control; dual control of Company & British Govt |
| Charter Act | 1813 | Ended the Company's trade monopoly (except tea & China); allowed Christian missionaries |
| Charter Act | 1833 | Made Bentinck the 1st GG of India; centralised administration; ended Company's commercial role |
| Charter Act | 1853 | Introduced open competition for the civil services; separated legislative & executive functions |
| Government of India Act | 1858 | Ended Company rule; transferred power to the Crown; created the office of Secretary of State for India |
| Indian Councils Act | 1861 | Began the process of association of Indians with law-making |
| Indian Councils Act | 1892 | Enlarged councils; introduced an indirect election principle |
| Indian Councils Act (Morley-Minto) | 1909 | Introduced separate electorates for Muslims |
| Government of India Act (Montagu-Chelmsford) | 1919 | Introduced dyarchy in the provinces |
| Government of India Act | 1935 | Provincial autonomy; basis of the later Indian Constitution |
The Regulating Act of 1773 made Warren Hastings the?
The Government of India Act 1858 transferred power to whom?
The Indian Councils Act (Morley-Minto) of 1909 introduced electorates for Muslims.
The Government of India Act (Montagu-Chelmsford) of 1919 introduced in the provinces.
The evolution of British administration is best remembered as a chain of Acts.
The three land-revenue systems split by region:
The transfer of power after the great revolt:
In the evolution of British administration, Pitt's India Act (1784) created which body?
Which Act ended Company rule and transferred power to the Crown, creating the office of Viceroy?
The Zamindari (Permanent Settlement) system was introduced by Cornwallis in Bengal-Bihar-.
The Regulating Act of was the first step to control the Company.
The Revolt of 1857 is a separate chapter; here it matters only as the turning point that ended Company rule.
Under which Governor-General/Viceroy did the Revolt of 1857 break out?
The biggest result of the Revolt of 1857 was the transfer of power via which Act?
The Revolt of 1857 transferred power from the Company to the British .
Resentment over Dalhousie's annexations and the Doctrine of was among the causes of the 1857 revolt.
Take 5 questions at a time — tap an option to check. After each round, revise the notes above and take the retest for 5 fresh questions, until you've mastered the whole chapter.