Difference Between Governor General and Viceroy: India got independence from British rule on August 15, 1947. Have you ever wondered how the British governed India? The positions of the Governor General and Viceroys have a significant impact in shaping the history of the subcontinent.
The Governor General and Viceroy both were responsible for the country on behalf of the East India Company and the British Crown. The responsibilities were maintaining law and order and implementing British policies in India.
Questions on Governor General and Viceroys of India will be asked in the UPSC prelims exam GS Paper 1 and Mains General Studies Paper 1.
Governor-General and Viceroy
The British government assumed partial control over the governance of India with the passage of the Regulating Act 1773. The Governor General's office was created when Warren Hastings was the first to hold the title. By virtue of the Regulating Act of 1773, the office of the Governor of Bengal was extended into the Governor-General of Bengal, and the presidencies of Bombay and Madras were placed under his authority. The title Governor General of India was introduced in the year 1833, with William Bentinck being the first to hold this title; however, the viceroy title was first introduced in 1858 after the Indian Rebellion of 1857, after which the British Crown took direct control of India. Let’s delve into their differences and understand their significance.
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Governor-General
Warren Hastings was the Governor of Bengal in 1772 and then became the 1st Governor General of Bengal through the Regulating Act of 1773. The Charter Act 1833 replaced the governor-general and Council of Fort William with the governor-general and Council of India.
Originally, the Governor General had power only over the presidency of Fort William in Bengal.
The status of the Governor General of Bengal was changed to General General of India with the Charter Act of 1833, with Lord William Bentick becoming the first General General of India. The post was effective from April 22, 1834. Check the table list below for all Governors General.
| Governors-General | Major Events During Regime |
| Warren Hastings (1773-1785) | 1st Governor General of Bengal Regulating Act 1773 Supreme Court Established in 1774 Pitt’s India Act of 1784 The First Maratha War in 1775-82 and the Treaty of Salbai in 1782 Second Mysore War in 1780-84 |
| Lord Cornwallis (1786-1793) | Third Mysore War (1790-92) Treaty of Seringapatam (1792) Cornwallis Code (1793) Permanent Settlement of Bengal, 1793 |
| Lord Wellesley (1798-1805) | Fourth Mysore War (1799) Second Maratha War (1803-05) |
| Lord Minto I (1807-1813) | Treaty of Amritsar with Ranjit Singh (1809) |
| Lord Hastings (1813-1823) | Anglo-Nepal War (1814-16) Treaty of Sagauli, 1816 Third Maratha War (1817-19) and dissolution of Maratha Confederacy |
| Lord Amherst (1823-1828) | First Burmese War (1824-1826) |
| Lord William Bentinck (1828-1835) | 1st Governor General of India Abolition of Sati System (1829) Charter Act of 1833 |
| Lord Auckland (1836-1842) | First Afghan War (1838-42) |
| Lord Hardinge I (1844-1848) | First Anglo-Sikh War (1845-46) Treaty of Lahore (1846). |
| Lord Dalhousie (1848-1856) | Second Anglo-Sikh War (1848-49) The annexation of Lower Burma (1852) Introduction of the Doctrine of Lapse Wood’s Despatch 1854 Laying down of first railway line connecting Bombay and Thane in 1853 Establishment of PWD |
| Lord Canning (1856-1862) | Revolt of 1857 Abolition of East India Company and transfer of control to the Crown by the Government of India Act, 1858 Indian Councils Act of 1861 |
Viceroy and Governor-General of India
The Viceroy and Governor-General of India, commonly known as the Viceroy of India, came into effect after the revolt of 1857 by the Government of India Act 1858. After the Revolt of 1857, the Government of India Act, 1858 was passed, which changed the name of the Governor-General of India to Viceroy and Governor-General of India. The first Viceroy of India was Lord Canning. Check the table below for list of Viceroys of India and major events in their regime
| Viceroys | Major Events During Regime |
| Lord Canning (1856-1862) | Revolt of 1857 Abolition of East India Company and transfer of control to the Crown by the Government of India Act, 1858 Indian Councils Act of 1861 |
| Lord John Lawrence (1864-1869) | Establishment of the High Courts at Calcutta, Bombay and Madras (1865) |
| Lord Lytton (1876-1880) | The Vernacular Press Act (1878) The Arms Act (1878) The Second Afghan War (1878-80) |
| Lord Ripon (1880-1884) | Hunter Commission on education (1882) |
| Lord Dufferin (1884-1888) | Establishment of the Indian National Congress (1885) |
| Lord Lansdowne (1888-1894) | Indian Councils Act (1892). |
| Lord Curzon (1899-1905) | Indian Universities Act (1904). Partition of Bengal (1905) |
| Lord Minto II (1905-1910) | Swadeshi Movements. (1905-11) Establishment of Muslim League (1906) Morley-Minto Reforms (1909) |
| Lord Hardinge II (1910-1916) | Transfer of capital from Calcutta to Delhi (1911). |
| Lord Chelmsford (1916-1921) | Government of India Act (1919) The Rowlatt Act (1919) Jallianwalla Bagh massacre (1919) |
| Lord Reading (1921-1926) | Chauri Chaura incident (1922) Establishment of Swaraj Party (1922) |
| Lord Irwin (1926-1931) | Simon Commission to India (1927) Harcourt Butler Indian States Commission (1927) First Round Table Conference (1930) Gandhi-Irwin Pact (1931) |
| Lord Willingdon (1931-1936) | Second & Third Round Table Conference (1932) Government of India Act of 1935 |
| Lord Linlithgow (1936-1944) | Formation of the Indian National Army (1941) Cripps Mission (1942) Quit India Movement (1942) |
| Lord Wavell (1944-1947) | Cabinet Mission (1946) Direct Action Day (1946) Announcement of end of British rule in India by Clement Attlee (1947) |
| Lord Mountbatten (1947-1948) | Redcliff commission (1947) India’s Independence (15 August 1947) |
| Chakravarti Rajagopalachari (1948-1950) | The last Governor-General of India, office, was permanently abolished in 1950 |
Difference Between Governor General and Viceroy of India
Check the table below to learn about the key difference between governors-general and viceroys.
| Feature | Governor-General of India | Viceroy of India |
| Time Period | 1773–1858 | 1858–1947 |
| First Office Holder | Warren Hastings | Lord Canning |
| Established By | Regulating Act of 1773 | Government of India Act 1858 |
| Role and Authority | Chief executive of British territories in India | Representative of the British monarch in India |
| Reporting Authority | British East India Company | British Crown |
| Primary Function | Administrative and fiscal reforms, expansion of territories | Political and administrative control, diplomatic representation |
| Significant Changes | Charter Act of 1833 (expanded powers) | Indian Rebellion of 1857 (transition to Crown rule) |
| End of Tenure | 1858 (title changed to Viceroy) | 1947 (India's independence) |
| Residence | Fort William, Calcutta (Kolkata) | Viceroy's House, Delhi (now Rashtrapati Bhavan) |
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