Origins & Early Life

Annie Besant (; née Wood; 1 October 1847 – 20 September 1933) was an English socialist, theosophist, freemason, educationist, and activist involved in women's rights, Home Rule, and Indian nationalism. She gave support to both Irish and Indian self-rule. She had been the first female president of the Indian National Congress in 1917. She became a prominent speaker for the National Secular Society (NSS), a writer, and a close friend of Charles Bradlaugh.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

In 1877 they were prosecuted for publishing a book by birth control campaigner Charles Knowlton. Thereafter, she became involved with union actions, including the Bloody Sunday demonstration and the London matchgirls strike of 1888. She was a leading speaker for both the Fabian Society and the Marxist Social Democratic Federation (SDF). She was also elected to the London School Board for Tower Hamlets, topping the poll, even though few women were qualified to vote then. In 1890 Besant met Helena Blavatsky, and over the next few years her interest in theosophy grew, whilst her interest in secular matters waned.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

She became a member of the Theosophical Society and a prominent lecturer on the subject. As part of her theosophy-related work...

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