All You Need to Know About The British Governors Generals During British Period in India

Warren Hastings was the first Governor-General of India (of Bengal), Lord William Bentinck was the first formal Governor-General of British India, and Lord Mountbatten was the first Governor-General of the Dominion of India.

First governor-general of India

When the East India Company got a Royal Charter from Queen Elizabeth I on December 31, 1600, British dominion over India began as a trade organisation. The British transformed from commercial power to one of the world’s most powerful governments in less than three centuries.

Despite being a small island nation, Britain was able to build one of the world’s biggest empires. The expression “the empire on which the Sun never sets” can be used to describe the empire’s size.

Britain was able to accomplish this incredible accomplishment because of the powerful and efficient bureaucracies it built in its colonies. The British were able to establish dominance in India through Governors-General.

The Governor-General of India (1773–1950, from 1858 to 1947, the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, frequently abbreviated to Viceroy of India) was the British monarch’s representative in India and, following India’s independence in 1947, the Indian head of state’s representative. 

The post of Governor-General of the Presidency of Fort William was established in 1773. Only Fort William was under his direct command, but he oversaw other East India Company officers in India. 

In 1833, the official was given complete authority over all of India, and he became known as the “Governor-General of India.”

As a result of the Indian Rebellion the previous year, the East India Company’s territory and assets were placed under the direct authority of the British Crown in 1858, and the Company’s reign in India was replaced by the British Raj. 

The Governor-General (today sometimes known as the Viceroy) was the head of the Indian central government, which oversaw the administration of British India’s provinces such as the Punjab, Bengal, Bombay, Madras, the United Provinces, and others.

History of First governor-general of India

The British East India Company (established in 1600) ruled over much of the Indian subcontinent, ostensibly acting as the Mughal emperor’s agent. Presidents or governors of the Bengal Presidency were the first British administrators. 

With the enactment of the Regulating Act of 1773, the British government acquired partial responsibility for the governance of India, prompted by corruption within the business. 

The Presidency of Fort William in Bengal was governed by a governor-general and the Supreme Council of Bengal. The Act established the first governor-general and Council.

Governor General’s Responsibilities

Initially, the Governor-authority General was limited to the Bengal Presidency of Fort William. The Regulating Act gave them more authority over foreign affairs and defence. The Crown refused the other East India Company Presidencies (Madras, Bombay, and Bencoolen) the ability to wage war on or make peace with an Indian ruler without the Governor-General and Council of Fort William’s prior assent.

Last Governor-General Of British India

A governor-general was appointed to manage Fort William, Kolkata, beginning in 1773. The governor came to have increased influence over all of the East India Company’s possessions as time went on. 

Control of the regions was handed to the crown in 1858, following the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and concerns about mismanagement within the East India Company. 

Instead of the East India Company’s Court of Directors, the title of viceroy was adopted, and persons were nominated by the king on the recommendation of the British government. 

The title of viceroy was dropped when India and Pakistan gained independence in 1947, and while governors continued to function as representatives of King George VI, India and Pakistan were led by their national governors-general.

Rajaji or C.RBetter known as  Rajaji (Rajaji, the Scholar Emeritus), was an Indian politician, writer, lawyer, and freedom campaigner who lived from 9 December 1878 to 25 December 1972. When India became a republic in 1950, Rajagopalachari was the final Governor-General. 

He was also the first governor-general to be born in India since all prior governors-generals had been British nationals. He was also the Indian National Congress’s leader, the Premier of the Madras Presidency, the Governor of West Bengal, the Indian Union’s Minister for Home Affairs, and the Chief Minister of Madras state. 

Rajagopalachari formed the Swatantra Party and was one of the first people to be awarded the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour.

Conclusion:

The Governor-General of India is the leader of the British government in India and, later, the representative of the British Monarch following India’s independence. The post of Governor-General of the Presidency of Fort William was established by the British government in 1773. Only Fort William was under his direct command, but he oversaw other British East India Company officers in India. In 1833, the British Crown gave the official control over all of British India, and he was given the title of Governor-General of India.