What title did Queen Victoria assume for India in 1876?

In 1876, Queen Victoria assumed the title Empress of India. The title was formally recognized by the Royal Titles Act 1876, promoted by Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli and passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

The change followed the transfer of authority over India from the East India Company to the British Crown after the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Victoria was already queen of the United Kingdom, but the new imperial title symbolized the closer constitutional relationship between the British monarchy and British India.

Victoria accepted the title on 1 May 1876. She was not crowned in India, and the title did not make her the day-to-day ruler of the subcontinent. Administration remained in the hands of the British government, the Secretary of State for India, and the Viceroy, who represented the Crown locally.

A frequent mix-up concerns the year 1877, when Victoria was proclaimed Empress of India at the Delhi Imperial Assemblage. The title itself was assumed in 1876; the major public proclamation in India took place the following year.