Annie Besant was an Indian nationalist, political reformer, women’s rights activist, theosophist, and theosophist. She was a prominent female personality in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries who actively advocated for a variety of issues, including secularism, birth control, Fabian socialism, women’s rights, and workers’ rights. Besant’s anti-religious ideas drove her to labor relentlessly as a reformist and secularist early in her life. Through her articles, essays, and public speeches, she questioned the Church of England’s legitimacy and advocated for a secular state. Besant first gained attention for her birth-control campaign, which she co-led with reformer Charles Bradlaugh. She rose to prominence as a renowned Fabian socialist, but then converted to theosophy. Besant served to propagate Theosophical principles over the world, particularly in India, as a member and then President of the Theosophical Society. She first visited India in 1893 and quickly became active in the Indian national movement for independence. She vigorously battled for Indian independence and theosophical issues to the end of her life.
Childhood and Adolescence
Annie Besant was born Annie Wood in Clapham, London, on October 1, 1847, into a middle-class Irish family.
Due to the family’s financial constraints, Annie was placed in the care of her mother’s friend Ellen Marryat when her father died.
Annie received a good education while under Marryat’s care. She traveled to Europe in her early years. These journeys influenced a lot of her future thinking and worldview.
Later the Years
Annie Besant developed a political inclination after her marriage to Frank Besant, an Anglican minister. Her political outlook was informed by her relationship with English radicals and Manchester Martyrs of the Irish Republican Fenian Brotherhood.
Following her marriage, Besant developed her writing talents and began publishing short tales, articles, and children’s books.
She grew more radical in her beliefs during the duration of her marriage. She began to doubt her faith and, because she no longer believed in Christianity, she stopped receiving Communion.
Annie and Frank split up in 1873 because of their differing perspectives. She eventually departed with her daughter Mabel for England. She went to the Birkbeck Literary and Scientific Institution on a part-time basis to study.
She became well-known for her extreme ideas, openly supporting freedom of thought, women’s rights, secularism, contraception, Fabian socialism, and worker’s rights.
Along with Charles Bradlaugh, she became a leading member of the National Secular Society (NSS) and the South Place Ethical Society. She soon began to question traditional thinking in general.
Besant began writing articles critical of the Church. She openly criticized Church’s status, describing it as a state-sponsored religion. She started writing a short weekly piece for the NSS journal, National Reformer, in the 1870s. Both NSS and Besant had one goal in mind: to build a secular state and eliminate Christianity’s special privilege.
She became a public speaker after being gifted with outstanding oratory talents. She gave lectures and spoke on a variety of topics all around the world. She demanded progress, reform, and freedom from the government in her public statements.
While Besant had earned notoriety through her writings and public speeches, it was when she collaborated with Charles Bradlaugh on a book on birth control that she became a household name.
The book suggested that in order to be happy, a working-class family should have a limited number of children. It was highly divisive, and the Catholic Church opposed it. The pair were put on trial for obscenity, but they were acquitted.
As she became more affected by Socialist organizations, Besant’s political ideas changed. She formed tight ties with Irish Home Rulers, advocating for Irish peasants and chastising landowners.
During this time, she became friends with Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw. She eventually began writing about Fabian socialism and delivering public lectures about it.
In 1887, she spoke at a demonstration in Trafalgar Square organized by a group of jobless Londoners. The day is known as Bloody Sunday because it resulted in the deaths and arrests of hundreds of people.
She became part of the London matchgirls strike in 1888. The strike began as young women at Bryant and May’s match factory were subjected to harsh working conditions and low pay. The protest was well-received by the people, and it finally resulted in better working conditions and higher compensation.
Besant embraced Marxism in 1888 and rose to become its most eloquent spokesman. She was elected to the London School Board the same year. She also became involved in the London Dock Strike during this time. It, like the matchgirls strike, received a lot of public support.
She became a Theosophist in 1889. In 1893, she traveled to India as a member of the Theosophical Society. She was a strong supporter of the Theosophical organization, as well as the Indian freedom struggle and independence.
She was the President of the Theosophical Society in 1908. She emphasized Aryavarta’s teachings under her leadership. She also founded The Central Hindu College, a new institution for boys.
She founded the All India Home Rule League in 1916 with Lokmanya Tilak. It was the first political group in the country to demand a government change, and it was modeled after Irish nationalist activities. The league, unlike the Indian National Congress, worked all year.
Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya labored tirelessly to build a single Hindu university in Varanasi. Thus, Banaras Hindu University was founded in October 1917, with Central Hindu College, founded by Besant, as its first constituent college.
She was the first woman President of the Indian National Congress in 1917, in addition to her theosophical endeavors. She went on to become the editor of the ‘New India’ journal, where she spoke out against British control in India.
She was arrested in 1917 for protesting British rule. Interestingly, several Indian nationalist organizations from around the country opposed her imprisonment, leading to her eventual release. Her liberation bolstered India’s conviction in independence from the British Raj and self-government.
She vigorously promoted and campaigned for Indian independence and theosophical causes to the end of her life.
Annie’s Major Projects
Charles Knowlton, a proponent of birth control, wrote a book that Besant and Chares Bradlaugh published. As a result of the public outcry over the book, she rose to popularity. The Church rejected it because of its very contentious nature.
Besant was an outspoken supporter of workers’ and women’s rights. She was a key figure in the 1888 London matchgirls strike and the 1888 London Dock Strike. In both situations, she aided in the improvement of working conditions and the rise of compensation.
She presided over the Theosophical Society as its President. During her presidency, she became involved in the Indian independence movement. The Home Rule League was formed by her. She also founded the Hindu University of Banaras. In 1917, Besant became the first woman to serve as President of the Indian National Congress.
Personal History and Legacy
Annie married Frank Besant, an evangelical Anglican, in 1867. Frank had a job as a minister.
The couple moved to Sibsey, Lincolnshire after Frank Besant was appointed as the vicar of Sibsey. Arthur and Mabel, their two children, were born to them.
Due to their extreme viewpoints, Annie and Frank’s marriage did not endure long. Finances, political and religious convictions, and freedom were all key points of contention between the two. In 1873, they divorced.
She lost custody of her children after the publishing of the scandalous book on birth control, as Frank Besant established in court that she was unfit to care for them.
Besant formed strong friendships with renowned politicians such as Charles Bradlaugh, George Bernard Shaw, and Edward Aveling after her divorce.
She was the legal guardian of Jiddu Krishnamurti and his younger brother Nityananda during her presidency of the Theosophical Society. Jiddu Krishnamurti came to regard her as his surrogate mother as their relationship got stronger.
She fell gravely ill in 1931. On September 20, 1933, she died at Adyar, Madras Presidency, British India. Her remains were cremated.
Besant Nagar, a neighborhood in Chennai near the Theosophical Society, was named for her after she died. Besant Hill School, which was founded by her contemporaries, has been renamed in her honor.
Estimated Net worth
Annie is one of the wealthiest civil rights leaders and one of the most well-known. Annie Besant has an estimated net worth of $8 million, according to Wikipedia, Forbes, and Business Insider.