Governors-General and Viceroys is one of the most repeated topics in Modern History. Every SSC exam asks 1 to 2 questions from here. The questions are easy. You only need the list in your memory. This post gives you the full list in tables, plus 15 real previous year questions.
Key Points (Quick Revision)
- Warren Hastings — first Governor-General of Bengal (1773)
- Lord William Bentinck — first Governor-General of India (1833)
- Lord Canning — last Governor-General and first Viceroy (1858)
- Lord Mountbatten — last Viceroy, and first Governor-General of free India
- It was always the same person. Only the title changed with the work.
1. Governor-General and Viceroy — what is the difference?
This is where most students get confused. The answer is simple. It was one and the same person. Only the title changed with the job he was doing.
When he ran the administration of British India, he was the Governor-General. When he dealt with the princely states, he stood for the British King. There he was the Viceroy.
| Governor-General | Viceroy | |
|---|---|---|
| Job | Ran British India | Represented the Crown |
| Dealt with | British territory (direct rule) | Princely states (kings) |
| Created by | Regulating Act 1773 | Government of India Act 1858 |
| Meaning | Chief Governor | "In place of the King" |
2. How the title changed — 3 steps
- Before 1773: there were three separate Governors — Bengal, Bombay and Madras. Bengal was the most important.
- Regulating Act 1773: the Governor of Bengal became Governor-General of Bengal. First one: Warren Hastings.
- Charter Act 1833: the post became Governor-General of India. First one: William Bentinck.
- Act of 1858: after the 1857 revolt, the Crown took over. A new title was added — Viceroy. First one: Lord Canning.
3. Important Governors-General (1773–1858)
| Governor-General | Tenure | Key Work |
|---|---|---|
| Warren Hastings | 1773–1785 | First GG of Bengal; ended Dual Government; Supreme Court Calcutta (1774); Asiatic Society (1784) |
| Lord Cornwallis | 1786–1793 | Permanent Settlement (1793); Cornwallis Code; Daroga system |
| Lord Wellesley | 1798–1805 | Subsidiary Alliance (1798); Fort William College (1800); Treaty of Bassein (1802) |
| Lord Minto I | 1807–1813 | Treaty of Amritsar with Ranjit Singh (1809) |
| Lord Hastings | 1813–1823 | Policy of Paramountcy; Third Anglo-Maratha War |
| Lord William Bentinck | 1828–1835 | First GG of India; ended Sati (1829); English Education Act (1835) |
| Lord Metcalfe | 1835–1836 | Known as "Liberator of the Press" |
| Lord Dalhousie | 1848–1856 | Doctrine of Lapse; took over Awadh; first railway line (1853) |
📌 Exam Focus
- Asked most often: Cornwallis = Permanent Settlement, Wellesley = Subsidiary Alliance, Dalhousie = Doctrine of Lapse
- Common mistake: Lord Hastings and Warren Hastings are two different people
- Sure-shot area: first and last questions come almost every year — keep those fixed in memory
4. Important Viceroys (1858–1947)
| Viceroy | Tenure | Key Events |
|---|---|---|
| Lord Canning | 1856–1862 | Revolt of 1857; Act of 1858; Police Department and ASI (1861); Widow Remarriage Act |
| Lord Mayo | 1869–1872 | First Census of India (1871); killed while in office |
| Lord Northbrook | 1872–1876 | Prince of Wales visited India (1875) |
| Lord Lytton | 1876–1880 | Vernacular Press Act (1878); first Delhi Durbar |
| Lord Ripon | 1880–1884 | Local self-government; removed the Press Act; full census (1881) |
| Lord Dufferin | 1884–1888 | Indian National Congress was formed (1885) |
| Lord Curzon | 1899–1905 | Partition of Bengal (1905); Railway Board |
| Lord Minto II | 1905–1910 | Muslim League (1906); Morley-Minto Reforms; Surat Split |
| Lord Chelmsford | 1916–1921 | Jallianwala Bagh (1919); Rowlatt Act; Non-Cooperation Movement |
| Lord Reading | 1921–1926 | Chauri Chaura (1922); Kakori case |
| Lord Irwin | 1926–1931 | Simon Commission; Dandi March; Gandhi-Irwin Pact |
| Lord Linlithgow | 1936–1944 | August Offer (1940); Quit India Movement |
| Lord Wavell | 1944–1947 | Wavell Plan (1945); Shimla Conference |
| Lord Mountbatten | 1947–1948 | Last Viceroy; Mountbatten Plan; first GG of free India |
5. How it is asked in exams — 15 PYQs
- Dual Government in Bengal was started by which Governor-General? — Lord Clive (SSC CGL 2023)
- Dalhousie called which state "a cherry that will drop into our mouth one day"? — Awadh (SSC MTS 2023)
- Who was the Governor-General when Permanent Settlement was introduced in 1793? — Charles Cornwallis (SSC CHSL 2023)
- Who brought the Daroga system in place of Zamindari Thanedars? — Lord Cornwallis (SSC CGL 2022)
- In which year did the English Education Act (Macaulay's Minute) come? — 1835 (SSC CGL 2022)
- Subsidiary Alliance (1798) is linked with which Governor-General? — Lord Wellesley (SSC CGL 2024)
- Sati was banned in 1829 under whom? — Lord William Bentinck (SSC CGL 2023)
- Doctrine of Lapse is linked with whom? — Lord Dalhousie (SSC CPO 2024)
- The Revolt of 1857 and the Police Department (1861) came under whom? — Lord Canning (SSC GD 2024)
- The first Census of India (1871) is linked with whom? — Lord Mayo (RRB NTPC 2025)
- The Vernacular Press Act (1878) came under whom? — Lord Lytton (SSC CGL 2024)
- The Congress was formed in 1885 under which Viceroy? — Lord Dufferin (SSC CGL 2024)
- The Partition of Bengal (1905) happened during whose tenure? — Lord Curzon (SSC CHSL 2024)
- The Chauri Chaura incident (1922) happened under which Viceroy? — Lord Reading (SSC CPO 2024)
- Who was the last Governor-General of British India? — Lord Mountbatten (SSC MTS 2023)
6. Quick Revision — read this before the exam
⚡ At a Glance
- Act of 1773 → GG of Bengal (Warren Hastings) · Act of 1833 → GG of India (Bentinck) · Act of 1858 → Viceroy (Canning)
- Cornwallis = Permanent Settlement + Cornwallis Code + Daroga system
- Wellesley = Subsidiary Alliance · Dalhousie = Doctrine of Lapse + first railway (1853)
- Dufferin = Congress (1885) · Curzon = Partition of Bengal (1905) · Minto II = Muslim League (1906)
- Mountbatten = last Viceroy + first Governor-General of free India
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Governor-General and Viceroy?
It was the same person with two titles. When he ran the administration of British India, he was called Governor-General. When he dealt with the princely states, he acted for the British Crown, and there he was called Viceroy. The Viceroy title started with the Government of India Act 1858.
Who was the first Governor-General of Bengal?
Warren Hastings became the first Governor-General of Bengal under the Regulating Act of 1773. During his time the Dual Government was ended, the Supreme Court at Calcutta was set up in 1774, and the Asiatic Society was founded in 1784.
Who was the first Governor-General of India?
Lord William Bentinck. The Charter Act of 1833 changed the post from Governor-General of Bengal to Governor-General of India, and Bentinck was the first to hold it. He is best known for ending Sati in 1829 and the English Education Act of 1835.
Who was the first and last Viceroy of India?
Lord Canning was the first Viceroy, after the Government of India Act 1858. Lord Mountbatten was the last Viceroy. After independence, Mountbatten also became the first Governor-General of free India.
How many questions come from this topic in exams?
On average 1 to 2 questions appear in every SSC exam such as CGL, CHSL, MTS and GD. Most of them ask you to match a person with an event, like Doctrine of Lapse or Partition of Bengal. It is one of the most repeated topics in Modern History.
For more notes in simple language, see our History section and Static GK notes. To cover the full General Studies syllabus, you can join the 100 Hour GS Course, or read the SSC CGL exam guide first.