Lord Warren Hastings (1772-1785)

Lord Warren Hastings succeeded Clive in 1772 and remained in India till 1785. During his reign. Shah Alam, the Mughal Emperor transferred his head-quarters from Allahabad to Delhi. Lord Warren Hastings dis-continued his annuity and transferred the two districts held by him to Nawab of Awadh.

Regulating Act : It was passed by the British Parliament in 1773 to overhaul the administrative apparatus of the Company. According to this legislation, Hastings was appointed the First Governor General of India, and a council of four men was constituted to advise him. Three out of 4 members of the council were bitterly opposed to Hastings and it created difficulties.

Read Also: Phases of British Rule in India

Execution of Raja Nand Kumar: He was executed by Hastings in 1775 for allegedly conspiring against the British.

Haider Ali : He was the ruler of Mysore at the time and was a terror to the English. He was defeated by English forces in 1781 at the Battle of Porto Novo. He died in 1782 and was succeeded by his son Tipu who in 1783 signed the Treaty of Mangalore with the English.

Begums of Awadh : Under the orders of hastings, the mother and grandmother of Nawab Wazir of Awadh were relieved forcibly of their valuable treasures in a manner amounting to dacoity. For this inhuman and barbarous act and other failings, Hastings was later impeached by British Parliament.