Difference Between Governor-General and Viceroy: The Governor-General and Viceroy played a significant role in shaping the history of the country. A lot of students assume that the governor-general and viceroy play the same role or are in the same position but in different terms, in fact, they are completely different positions and both of them have a significant amount of power. Their official powers are very important as they serve the royal family or the country in different ways by collecting revenue from the citizens or the nominations of the lesser officials in the country.
This article will go in-depth about the viceroy and governor-general difference and their roles and then we will see how both of them are different from each other(Viceroy And Governor General Difference).
What is the Difference Between Governor General and Viceroy
Governor-General: The Governor-General is appointed to represent the monarch of a sovereign state in the governing of an independent country or region. During the British colonization period, it had become self-governing in the British Empire therefore the term Governor-General was originated. Up to the 1920s, the governors-general that were appointed by the British Government was all British subjects and they had acted as agents for the government in each respective dominion, also at the same time they were representing the monarch.
The Governor Generals not only held prerogative powers which were provided by the monarch but also they had executive powers on the country they were assigned to. The imperial government had the power to override control of the governor-generals region but this was often difficult because of the distance of the various territories from London. The governor-general was also the commander in chief of the army in that area.
Viceroy: Viceroy is a person who runs a political entity as the representative or in the name of the monarch of the region. The viceroy title is given to members of viceroys, nobility, governing commissions and Governors who a lot of the times would interleave until the last viceroy. In India when the Portuguese had come to the country the official name was Estado da India and this had included all the possessions in the Indian ocean. In Goa from 1510, the viceroys would preside in the state and governed its positions from the Indian Ocean, Southern Africa to Southeast Asia and Australasia. During the British empire, no statutory position was given to Viceroys of the country.
Difference between Governor-General and Viceroy
In India, the governor General Post was created with the passing of the Charter Act of 1833, where William Bentick became the first Governor-General. The government of India in 1858 changed the name of governor General to Viceroy after the revolt of 1857. The governor-general post was created mostly for administrative purposes and this was directly reported to the directors of the East India Company.
The viceroy was different as they had to directly report to the crown as the viceroy had more diplomatic powers. Chakravarti Rajagopalachari was the last Governor-General of India and the last Viceroy of India was Lord Louis Mountbatten.
FAQ’s on Governor General And Viceroy Difference
Question 1.
Is Governor General And Viceroy Same
Answer:
No, governor general vs viceroy are different.