British Crown Rule (Raj)

1858 – 1947

Map layer: Colonial Rule & Princely States

Direct Crown rule after 1857, alongside hundreds of princely states.

🗺 Map at start (1858) Map at midpoint (1903) Zoomed timeline

Main polities of this period

Name	Type	Span	Region	Capital
Kingdom of Nepal ★	Kingdom	1816 – 2008	Himalaya	Kathmandu
British Raj (Crown Rule) ★	Colonial power	1858 – 1947	Pan-Indian	Calcutta, New Delhi from 1911
Kingdom of Bhutan ★	Kingdom	1907 – present	Himalaya	Punakha, later Thimphu
British Ceylon	Colonial power	1796 – 1948	Sri Lanka	Colombo
Emirate of Afghanistan	Kingdom	1823 – 1926	Northwest	Kabul
Kingdom of Afghanistan	Kingdom	1926 – 1973	Northwest	Kabul

Also existing during this period

Holkar State (Indore)

Central · 1731 – 1948

Scindia State (Gwalior)

Central · 1731 – 1948

Portuguese Estado da Índia

Coastal · 1505 – 1961

Portuguese Diu

Coastal · 1535 – 1961

Portuguese Daman

Coastal · 1559 – 1961

Danish India

Coastal · 1620 – 1869

Fort St George, Madras

Coastal · 1639 – 1858

French India

Coastal · 1668 – 1954

Bombay (English East India Company)

Coastal · 1668 – 1858

Chandernagore

Coastal · 1673 – 1950

Pondichéry

Coastal · 1674 – 1954

Mahé

Coastal · 1721 – 1954

Yanam

Coastal · 1731 – 1954

Karaikal

Coastal · 1739 – 1954

Hyderabad State (Nizams)

Deccan · 1724 – 1948

Bhutan under the Zhabdrung (Druk Desi)

Himalaya · 1616 – 1907

Sultanate of the Maldives

Islands · c. 1153 – 1968

Jat Kingdom of Bharatpur

North · 1722 – 1947

Koch Kingdom (Kamata / Cooch Behar)

Northeast · 1515 – 1949

Pakistan (West & East)

Northwest · 1947 – 1971

British East India Company

Pan-Indian · 1600 – 1858

Dominion of India

Pan-Indian · 1947 – 1950

Kingdom of Mysore

South · 1399 – 1950

Travancore

South · 1729 – 1949

Kachwahas of Amber (Jaipur)

West · c. 1128 – 1949

Marwar (Rathore)

West · c. 1226 – 1949

Mewar (Sisodia)

West · 1326 – 1949

Gaekwad State (Baroda)

West · 1721 – 1949

Events

Year	Event	Polity
1858	Government of India Act — Crown rule begins The Crown took over India, governed by a Viceroy and a Secretary of State.	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1858	Rani Lakshmibai falls at Gwalior
1859	Indigo revolt in Bengal The Indigo Commission of 1860 ended forced indigo cultivation.	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1869	Birth of Mahatma Gandhi
1872	First census of British India	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1875	Arya Samaj and Aligarh (MAO) College founded	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1876	Indian Association founded	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1877	Delhi Durbar: Victoria proclaimed Empress of India	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1878	Second Anglo-Afghan War	Emirate of Afghanistan
1878	Vernacular Press Act Indian-language newspapers were curbed; repealed in 1881.	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1883	Ilbert Bill controversy European opposition forced the bill to be diluted, stirring Indian nationalism.	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1885	Indian National Congress founded It became the principal organisation of the freedom movement.	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1887	Maldives becomes a British protectorate	Sultanate of the Maldives
1893	Durand Line agreed The frontier between British India and Afghanistan was fixed.	Emirate of Afghanistan
1899	Birsa Munda's Ulgulan Birsa died in custody in 1900; the Chota Nagpur Tenancy Act followed in 1908.	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1905	Partition of Bengal It triggered the Swadeshi movement and was annulled in 1911.	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1905	Swadeshi movement launched Boycott of British goods and promotion of Indian industry.	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1906	All-India Muslim League founded	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1907	Ugyen Wangchuck becomes first King of Bhutan	Kingdom of Bhutan
1907	Surat split of the Congress The Congress divided into Moderates and Extremists.	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1908	Khudiram Bose executed	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1909	Morley-Minto Reforms Separate electorates for Muslims were introduced.	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1911	Capital moved from Calcutta to Delhi	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1911	Delhi Durbar annuls the Partition of Bengal Bengal was reunited and the capital moved to Delhi.	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1913	Rabindranath Tagore wins the Nobel Prize	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1913	Ghadar Party founded
1915	Gandhi returns to India	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1916	Lucknow Pact The Congress and the Muslim League agreed on joint constitutional demands.	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1916	Home Rule Leagues launched	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1917	Champaran Satyagraha	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1918	Kheda Satyagraha Revenue collection was suspended for the poorest farmers.	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1918	Ahmedabad mill strike Gandhi's fast won the workers a 35 per cent wage increase.	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1919	Jallianwala Bagh massacre Nationwide outrage followed and Tagore renounced his knighthood.	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1919	Third Anglo-Afghan War; Afghan independence The Treaty of Rawalpindi recognised Afghanistan's control of its foreign affairs.	Emirate of Afghanistan
1919	Rowlatt Act Gandhi called a nationwide Rowlatt Satyagraha.	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1919	Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms Dyarchy was introduced in the provinces.	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1920	Non-Cooperation Movement	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1920	Khilafat Movement Joined with Non-Cooperation in a united Hindu-Muslim struggle.	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1922	Chauri Chaura incident	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1923	Swaraj Party founded Nationalists contested legislative elections to wreck them from within.	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1925	Kakori train action Bismil, Ashfaqulla Khan, Rajendra Lahiri and Roshan Singh were hanged.	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1928	Simon Commission boycotted Lala Lajpat Rai died after a police lathi-charge.	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1928	Nehru Report Proposed dominion status; rejected by the Muslim League.	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1928	Bardoli Satyagraha The revenue hike was rolled back and Vallabhbhai Patel was hailed as 'Sardar'.	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1929	Purna Swaraj resolution at Lahore	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1929	Central Legislative Assembly bombing Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt courted arrest.	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1930	Salt March to Dandi Gandhi broke the salt law, launching the Civil Disobedience Movement.	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1930	Chittagong armoury raid	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1931	Gandhi-Irwin Pact	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1931	Execution of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1931	Karachi Congress resolution on Fundamental Rights	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1932	Poona Pact	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1932	Communal Award Gandhi's fast against separate electorates for Depressed Classes led to the Poona Pact.	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1935	Government of India Act 1935	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1937	Provincial elections under the 1935 Act The Congress formed ministries in most provinces.	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1939	Congress ministries resign Protest at India being declared at war without consultation.	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1940	Lahore Resolution	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1942	Quit India Movement Congress leaders were jailed, but the movement showed British rule was untenable.	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1942	Cripps Mission Its offer of post-war dominion status was rejected.	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1943	Bengal famine	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1944	Battles of Imphal and Kohima Allied victory; the Japanese and INA were forced to retreat.	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1945	INA trials at the Red Fort Public outrage led to the sentences being remitted.	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1945	Simla Conference Failed over the League's claim to nominate all Muslim members.	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1946	Royal Indian Navy mutiny	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1946	Direct Action Day riots	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1946	Cabinet Mission Proposed a three-tier federation that ultimately failed.	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1946	Constituent Assembly first meets	British Raj (Crown Rule)
1947	Independence and Partition India and Pakistan became independent dominions amid mass migration and violence.	Dominion of India
1947	Pakistan comes into being	Pakistan (West & East)
1947	First Kashmir war
1947	Mountbatten Plan British India was to be partitioned into India and Pakistan.	British Raj (Crown Rule)