Textbook
History of Modern India
The old-NCERT modern India classic, from the decline of the Mughals to independence.
British Crown Rule (Raj)
1858 – 1947
Map layer: Colonial Rule & Princely States
Direct Crown rule after 1857, alongside hundreds of princely states.
Who ruled when
Move along the chart to see which powers existed in any year; click a bar for its page, or empty space to open the map.
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 |
| 1897 | Battle of Saragarhi 12 September is observed as Saragarhi Day; the Saragarhi Memorial Gurdwara stands at Ferozepur. |
British Raj (Crown Rule) |
| 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) |
📚 Recommended reading for this era
Textbook
A Brief History of Modern India
The most-used exam book for modern India; dense, well organised and revision-friendly.
Reference
India's Struggle for Independence
The standard narrative of the national movement from 1857 to 1947.
Reference
From Plassey to Partition and After
A balanced, analytical history of colonial India; excellent for Mains answers.
We may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. See all recommended books →
📄 Research papers
Paper🏛 Library access
Law, State and Agrarian Society in Colonial India
How colonial courts and property law reshaped land, caste and the village.
Paper🏛 Library access
🇮🇳 Indian scholarship
Archaeology and identity in colonial India
How archaeology in colonial India — from the ASI to the Harappan discovery — became tied to identity.
Paper🏛 Library access
🇮🇳 Indian scholarship
Landownership and Inequality in Madras Presidency: 1853-54 to 1946-47
Nearly a century of land records measuring how unequal landholding was in the Madras Presidency.
Paper🏛 Library access
🇮🇳 Indian scholarship
The Indian capitalist class and imperialism before 1947
Where Indian business stood between the British Raj and the national movement.
🕸 Connections 28 links
Explore connections full screen ↗Everything on YugMap linked to this page — and why. Hover a dot in the graph, or pick from the list.
🗂 Era 1
- Modern IndiaPart of this era
⏳ Periods 2
- Sikh EmpireCame before
- Dominion of IndiaCame after
🏛 Kingdoms & empires 6
- Kingdom of Nepal 1816 – 2008A main power of this period
- British Raj (Crown Rule) 1858 – 1947A main power of this period
- Kingdom of Bhutan 1907 – presentA main power of this period
- British Ceylon 1796 – 1948A main power of this period
- Emirate of Afghanistan 1823 – 1926A main power of this period
- Kingdom of Afghanistan 1926 – 1973A main power of this period
👤 People 6
- Lalon Fakir c. 1774 – c. 1890Lived in this period
- Kunwar Singh 1777 – 1858Lived in this period
- Mirza Ghalib 1797 – 1869Lived in this period
- Thomas Babington Macaulay 1800 – 1859Lived in this period
- Tantia Tope 1814 – 1859Lived in this period
- Bhanubhakta Acharya 1814 – 1868Lived in this period
⚔ Events 6
- Government of India Act — Crown rule begins 1858Happened in this period
- Indian National Congress founded 1885Happened in this period
- Durand Line agreed 1893Happened in this period
- Swadeshi movement launched 1905Happened in this period
- Ugyen Wangchuck becomes first King of Bhutan 1907Happened in this period
- Lucknow Pact 1916Happened in this period
🔧 Technology 4
- Electric light arrives 1879Made or discovered in this time
- Darjeeling Himalayan Railway 1881Made or discovered in this time
- First commercial electricity: Sidrapong 1897Made or discovered in this time
- Steel from Jamshedpur 16 February 1912Made or discovered in this time
📄 Research 3
- Law, State and Agrarian Society in Colonial India D. A. Washbrook · 1981Research on this topic
- Archaeology and identity in colonial India Nayanjot Lahiri · 2000Research on this topic
- Landownership and Inequality in Madras Presidency: 1853-54 to 1946-47 Dharma Kumar · 1975Research on this topic