Theosophist, born in London, UK, the sister-in-law of Sir Walter Besant. After her separation in 1873 from her husband, the Rev Frank Besant, she became vice-president of the National Secular Society (1874). A close associate of Charles Bradlaugh, she was an ardent proponent of birth control and Socialism. In 1889, after meeting Madame Blavatsky, she developed an interest in theosophy, and went out to India, where she became involved in the independence movement.
Annie Wood Besant (Clapham, London October 1, 1847 – Adyar, India September 20, 1933) was a prominent Theosophist, women's rights activist, writer and orator.
Early life
Annie Wood was born in 1847 in London into a middle-class family of Irish origin. Annie was always proud of being Irish and supported the cause of Irish self-rule throughout her adult life.
Her father died when she was young and left the family almost penniless. She raised the money for a private tutor for Annie in this way.
Annie was educated privately by a female tutor as an Evangelical Christian.
As a young woman, Annie was also able to travel widely in Europe.
She was married in 1867 in Hastings, Sussex, to 26-year-old clergyman Frank Besant, younger brother of Walter Besant.
Soon Frank became vicar of Sibsey in Lincolnshire. Annie moved to Sibsey with him, and within a few years they had two children: Digby and Mabel.
The marriage was, however, a disaster. Annie wrote short stories, books for children and articles. Annie began to support farm workers who were fighting to unionise and to win better conditions. The tension came to a head when Frank struck Annie.
Annie began to question her own faith. Annie returned to Frank to make one last effort to repair the marriage. Annie was to remain Mrs Besant for the rest of her life.
Her husband was given sole custody of their two children.
Reformer and Secularist
She fought for the causes she thought were right, starting with freedom of thought, women's rights, secularism (she was a leading member of the National Secular Society alongside Charles Bradlaugh), birth control, Fabian socialism and workers' rights.
Once free of Frank Besant and exposed to new currents of thought, Annie began to question not only her long-held religious beliefs but also the whole of conventional thinking.
Soon she was earning a small weekly wage by writing a column for the National Reformer, the newspaper of the National Secular Society. Annie was a brilliant speaker, and was soon in great demand.
For many years Annie was a friend of the Society’s leader, Charles Bradlaugh. Annie lived with Bradlaugh and his daughters, and they worked together on many issues.
Bradlaugh was an atheist and a republican.
Besant and Bradlaugh became household names in 1877 when they published a book by the American birth-control campaigner Charles Knowlton. The Knowlton book caused great offence to the Churches, but Annie and Bradlaugh proclaimed in the National Reformer: "We intend to publish nothing we do not think we can morally defend.
The couple were arrested and put on trial for publishing the Knowlton book. As well as great opposition, Annie and Bradlaugh also received a great deal of support in the Liberal press.
The scandal lost Annie her children.
Bradlaugh’s political prospects were not damaged by the Knowlton scandal.
Meanwhile Besant built close contacts with the Irish Home Rulers and gave them support in her newspaper columns. Annie met the leaders of the movement.
However, Bradlaugh's parliamentary work gradually alienated Annie. Annie was searching for a real political outlet: politics where her skills as a speaker writer and organiser could do some real good.
Socialist
For Annie, politics, friendship and love were always closely intertwined. Her decision in favour of Socialism came about through a close relationship with George Bernard Shaw, a struggling young Irish author living in London, and a leading light of the Fabian Society. Annie was impressed by his work and grew very close to him too in the early 1880s. It was Annie who made the first move, by inviting Shaw to live with her. This he refused, but it was Shaw who sponsored Annie to join the Fabian Society.
Annie now began to write for the Fabians. - deepened the split between Annie and Bradlaugh, who was an individualist and opposed to Socialism of any sort.
Unemployment was a central issue of the time, and in 1887 some of the London unemployed started to hold protests in Trafalgar Square. Annie agreed to appear as a speaker at a meeting on 13 November. Annie offered herself for arrest, but the police refused to take the bait.
The events created a great sensation, and the newspapers dubbed it ‘Bloody Sunday’. Annie was widely blamed - or credited - for it.
Socialists saw the trade unions as the first real signs of working people’s ability to organise and fight for themselves.
Her most notable victory in this period was perhaps her involvement in the London matchgirls strike of 1888. Annie was drawn into this first really important battle of the ‘New Unionism’ by Herbert Burrows, a young socialist with whom she was for a time in love. Some of the match workers asked for help from Burrows and Annie in setting up a union.
Annie met the women and set up a committee, which led the women into a strike for better pay and conditions. Annie led demonstrations by ‘match-girls’. Annie then helped them to set up a proper union and a social centre.
At the time, the matchstick industry was an immensely powerful lobby, since electric light was not yet widely available, and matches were essential for lighting candles, oil lamps, gas lights and so on. (Only a few years earlier in 1872, lobbyists from the match industry had persuaded the British government to change its planned tax policy.) Besant's campaign was the first time anyone had successfully challenged the match manufacturers on a major issue, and was seen as a landmark victory of the early years of British Socialism.
Marxist
During 1884, Annie had developed a very close friendship with Edward Aveling, a young socialist teacher, who lived in her house for a time. Annie seems to have fallen in love with Aveling, but it is not clear that he felt the same way. However, Aveling left Annie to live with Eleanor Marx, daughter of Karl Marx. This led to permanent ill-feeling between Annie and Eleanor and probably pushed Annie towards the rival Fabians at that time.
It seems that Morris played a large part in converting Annie to Marxism, but it was to the SDF, not his Socialist League, that she turned in 1888.
Soon after joining the Marxists, Annie stood for election to the London School Board.
Annie drove about with a red ribbon in her hair, speaking at noisy meetings. She made clear that her Socialism had a feminist side too: “I ask the electors to vote for me, and the non-electors to work for me because women are wanted on the Board and there are too few women candidates.” Astonishingly, Annie came out on top of the poll in Tower Hamlets, with over 15,000 votes. Annie wrote in the National Reformer: “Ten years ago, under a cruel law, Christian bigotry robbed me of my little child. Now the care of the 763,680 children of London is placed partly in my hands.” Annie was also closely involved in the struggle for the "Dockers’ Tanner". Annie was crucial in this. Annie spoke for the dockers at public meetings and on street corners.
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Besant was a prolific writer and a powerful orator. Annie's intellectual journey had always involved a spiritual dimension, a quest for transformation of the whole person. When Blavatsky died in 1891, Annie was left as one of the leading figures in Theosophy.
Soon after becoming a member of the Theosophical Society she went to India for the first time (in 1893). The remainder of the Society was then led by Henry Steel Olcott and Besant and is today based in Chennai, India and is known as the Theosophical Society Adyar. Besant Nagar, a neighborhood (near the Theosophical Society) in Chennai is named in her honor.
President
Together with Charles Webster Leadbeater, whom she had first met in London in Apr 1894, she investigated the universe, matter and the history of mankind through clairvoyance. In 1908 he was taken back into the fold through the agency of Besant, who had been elected president of the Theosophical Society in 1907 upon the death of the previous president Henry Steel Olcott.
Up until Besant's presidency, the society had as one of its foci Theravada Buddhism and the island of Ceylon, where Henry Olcott did the majority of his useful work. Under Besant's leadership there was a decisive turn away from this and a refocusing of their activities on "The Aryavarta", as she called central India. Besant actively courted Hindu opinion more than former Theosophical leaders.
Annie set up a new school for boys at Varanasi: the Central Hindu College.
Krishnamurti
Soon after Besant's inheritance of the presidency, in 1909, Leadbeater discovered Jiddu Krishnamurti on the private beach that was attached to the societies headquarters at Adyar.
Eventually, in 1929, Krishnamurti ended up disbanding the Order of the Star of the East, which had been founded to support him and of which he had been made the leader.
The Home Rule Movement
As well as her religious activities, Annie continued to participate in concrete political struggles.
In 1914 war broke out in Europe. Annie said: “England’s need is India’s opportunity,” a clear echo of an Irish nationalist slogan.
In 1916 Annie launched the Home Rule League, once again modelling demands for India on Irish models. In June 1917 Annie was arrested and interned at a hill station.
The government was forced to give way and to make vague but significant concessions. Annie was freed in September to a tremendous welcome from crowds all over India.
After the war, there could be no going back. It was Annie who first called him Mahatma (Great Soul), using the vocabulary of Theosophy.
The new leadership too was committed to action that was both militant and non-violent, but there were differences between them and Annie.
Later years
She tried to accommodate Krishnamurti's views into her life, but never really succeeded. Annie Besant died in 1933 and was survived by her daughter, Mabel.
Trivia
She is the great-grandmother of Andrew Castle, a television presenter and former professional tennis player.
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