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| image_caption  = Annie Besant in the early 20th century
| image_caption  = Annie Besant in the early 20th century
| birth_date    = {{Birth date|1847|10|01}}
| birth_date    = {{Birth date|1847|10|01}}
| birth_place    = [[London]], [[England]], [[United Kingdom]]
| birth_place    = London, England, United Kingdom
| death_date    = {{Death date and age|1933|09|20|1847|10|01}}
| death_date    = {{Death date and age|1933|09|20|1847|10|01}}
| death_place    = Adyar, Madras Presidency, [[British India]] (now [[Chennai]], [[Tamil Nadu]])
| death_place    = Adyar, Madras Presidency, British India (now Chennai, Tamil Nadu)
| resting_place  = Theosophical Society Adyar, Chennai
| resting_place  = Theosophical Society Adyar, Chennai
| nationality    = British (later naturalized in India)
| nationality    = British (later naturalized in India)
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| years_active  = 1870s–1933
| years_active  = 1870s–1933
| known_for      = Home Rule Movement, Theosophical Society, [[Indian National Congress]]
| known_for      = Home Rule Movement, Theosophical Society, [[Indian National Congress]]
| notable_works  = ''The Ancient Wisdom'', ''The Law of Population'', founding [[Central Hindu College]]
| notable_works  = ''The Ancient Wisdom'', ''The Law of Population'', founding Central Hindu College
| spouse        = Frank Besant (separated)
| spouse        = Frank Besant (separated)
| children      = 2
| children      = 2
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| website        = <!-- No official website -->
| website        = <!-- No official website -->
| age_at_death  = 85
| age_at_death  = 85
}}'''Annie Besant''' (1 October 1847 – 20 September 1933) was a British social reformer, theosophist, and one of the most prominent figures in India's early nationalist movement. She was the first woman to preside over the [[Indian National Congress]] in 1917 and a major voice in India’s Home Rule Movement.<ref>{{cite web |title=Annie Besant | Biography & Facts |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Annie-Besant |website=Encyclopaedia Britannica |publisher=Britannica |access-date=29 July 2025}}</ref>
}}'''Annie Besant''' 1 October 1847- 20 September 1933 was a notable British-born social reformer, women’s rights activist, and theosophist. She became a strong supporter of Indian self-rule. Under her leadership, the Theosophical Society grew worldwide. She also led educational and political movements in India. She co-founded the Home Rule League, started the newspaper New India, and became the first woman president of the Indian National Congress in 1917.<ref>{{cite web |title=Annie Besant | Biography & Facts |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Annie-Besant |website=Encyclopaedia Britannica |publisher=Britannica |access-date=29 July 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=New Google Doodle Celebrates Indian Self‑Rule Advocate Annie Besant’s 168th Birthday |url=https://time.com/4057074/annie-besant/ |website=Time Magazine |access-date=6 August 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=ANNIE BESANT (1847‑1933) |url=https://www.ts-adyar.org/annie-besant-1847-1933 |website=Theosophical Society Adyar |access-date=6 August 2025}}</ref>


== Early Life and Reform Work ==
== Early Life and Education ==
Born Annie Wood in [[London]], Besant grew up in a middle-class family. She married Frank Besant, an Anglican clergyman, but their ideological differences led to separation in 1873. Afterward, she became active in the National Secular Society and Fabian Society, advocating for workers' rights, secularism, and women's emancipation.
Annie Wood Besant was born on 1 October 1847 in London, England, to William Burton Persse Wood and Emile Roche Morris Wood. After her father and younger brother passed away during her childhood, her mother raised her in Harrow. She received her education from Ellen Marryat, who encouraged her independence, discipline, and excellence in literature, theology, and science.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Annie Wood Besant (1847–1933) |url=https://embryo.asu.edu/pages/annie-wood-besant-1847-1933 |website=Embryo Project Encyclopedia |access-date=6 August 2025}}</ref>


She published works on birth control and was famously tried (and acquitted) in 1877 for publishing the controversial pamphlet The Law of Population. She led the 1888 Bryant and May matchgirls strike, marking a turning point in labor rights for women in Britain.<ref>[https://www.britannica.com/biography/Annie-Besant Britannica – Annie Besant]</ref>
In 1867, she married Reverend Frank Besant and had two children. After a difficult marriage and a crisis of faith influenced by family tragedies, they legally separated in 1873. This period marked her shift from devout Christianity to secular activism and intellectual independence.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Annie Besant Biography - Facts, Childhood, Family Life & Achievements |url=https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/annie-besant-3626.php |website=TheFamousPeople.com |access-date=6 August 2025}}</ref>
 
==Social Reform & Political Work in India==
After becoming a prominent member of the National Secular Society and the Fabian Society in Britain, Besant accepted Theosophy in 1889 and moved to India in 1893. She engaged deeply with Indian culture, adopting local dress and beliefs. She committed herself to a life of spiritual and national service.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Remembering Annie Besant: The woman who started Home Rule League - India Today |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/gk-current-affairs/story/annie-besant-839130-2016-10-01 |website=India Today |access-date=6 August 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=ANNIE BESANT (1847‑1933) |url=https://www.ts-adyar.org/annie-besant-1847-1933 |website=Theosophical Society Adyar |access-date=6 August 2025}}</ref>
 
In 1897, she founded the Central Hindu College in Varanasi to blend Western learning with traditional Indian values. This college later became the center of Banaras Hindu University, India’s leading university established by Madan Mohan Malaviya.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Educational Reforms of Annie Besant |url=https://www.nextias.com/blog/annie-besant/ |website=NextIAS |access-date=6 August 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=ANNIE BESANT (1847‑1933) |url=https://www.ts-adyar.org/annie-besant-1847-1933 |website=Theosophical Society Adyar |access-date=6 August 2025}}</ref>
 
By 1914, she made a political move. She started the weekly journal Commonweal and acquired the Madras Standard, renaming it New India. Through these platforms, she strongly advocated for Indian self-rule. She criticized colonial policies and rallied public support.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Annie Besant: A Pioneering Social Reformer and Freedom Fighter |url=https://www.nextias.com/blog/annie-besant/ |website=NextIAS |access-date=6 August 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=ANNIE BESANT (1847‑1933) |url=https://www.ts-adyar.org/annie-besant-1847-1933 |website=Theosophical Society Adyar |access-date=6 August 2025}}</ref>
 
In 1916, she co-founded the All India Home Rule League with Bal Gangadhar Tilak. This was a nationwide campaign for greater autonomy for India within the British Empire. Her arrest by colonial authorities in June 1917 caused widespread protests. This led to her release and added support for constitutional reform.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Indian Home Rule movement |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Home_Rule_movement |website=Wikipedia |access-date=6 August 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=ANNIE BESANT (1847‑1933) |url=https://www.ts-adyar.org/annie-besant-1847-1933 |website=Theosophical Society Adyar |access-date=6 August 2025}}</ref>
 
In 1917, during the Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress, she became the first woman president. She guided the party into a new era by connecting the Congress with youthful activism and broad nationalist feelings.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Remembering Annie Besant: The woman who started Home Rule League - India Today |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/gk-current-affairs/story/annie-besant-839130-2016-10-01 |website=India Today |access-date=6 August 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=ANNIE BESANT (1847‑1933) |url=https://www.ts-adyar.org/annie-besant-1847-1933 |website=Theosophical Society Adyar |access-date=6 August 2025}}</ref>


== Role in Theosophy and Indian Education ==
== Role in Theosophy and Indian Education ==
In 1889, Besant joined the Theosophical Society, embracing Eastern philosophy and spirituality. She moved to India in 1893 and became deeply involved in Indian society. In 1898, she founded the [[Central Hindu College]] in Varanasi, which later became part of [[Banaras Hindu University]].<ref>[https://www.nextias.com/blog/annie-besant/ Next IAS – Annie Besant Biography]</ref>
Annie Besant’s spiritual and reform journey changed religious thought and education in India. She joined the Theosophical Society in 1889 and became its most influential leader in the country. She became President of the Society in 1907 and guided its headquarters in Adyar, Madras, during a significant time of growth and cultural integration.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Annie Besant (1847‑1933) |url=https://embryo.asu.edu/pages/annie-wood-besant-1847-1933 |website=Embryo Project Encyclopedia |access-date=6 August 2025}}</ref>
 
Under her leadership, the Society promoted the rediscovery of Indian spirituality, Upanishadic wisdom, and universal brotherhood—presenting Indian cultural heritage as morally and philosophically sophisticated while advocating religious tolerance and social upliftment.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Theosophy Society in India |url=https://www.studyiq.com/articles/theosophical-society/ |website=StudyIQ |access-date=6 August 2025}}</ref>
 
In 1898, Besant founded the Central Hindu College in Varanasi, based on the ideas of Theosophy. With help from Indian royals, the college combined Indian spiritual values with Western scientific education. It later became the core of Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in 1917 after she generously handed over the institution and its campus to Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Education and Theosophy |url=https://theosophy.world/encyclopedia/education-and-theosophy |website=Theosophy World |access-date=6 August 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Annie Besant and the cause of Indian independence |url=https://www.indiavideo.org/text/theosophical-society-annie-besant-570.php |website=IndiaVideo.org |access-date=6 August 2025}}</ref>
 
Besant also worked to expand Theosophical and national education through the Theosophical Educational Trust, which she established in 1913. Under her leadership, schools, including separate institutions for boys and girls, spread across India. They focused on moral development, vocational skills, and rational thinking, all at a low cost.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Education and Theosophy |url=https://theosophy.world/encyclopedia/education-and-theosophy |website=Theosophy World |access-date=6 August 2025}}</ref>
 
Her educational philosophy emphasized inclusivity. She aimed to reduce exclusion by lowering fees, integrating physical education, promoting reasoning over rote learning, and making education fit national needs. Besant believed this would enable Indians to regain economic and social leadership from colonial rule.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mrs. Annie Besant: A Social Reformer |url=https://www.wisdomlib.org/history/compilation/triveni-journal/d/doc69126.html |website=Wisdomlib.org / Triveni Journal |access-date=6 August 2025}}</ref>


== Nationalist Politics ==
== Nationalist Politics ==
In 1914, Besant began publishing the newspaper ''New India'', advocating for Swaraj (self-rule). She co-founded the Home Rule League in 1916 with [[Bal Gangadhar Tilak]] and played a pivotal role in demanding constitutional reforms from the British Raj.
Annie Besant moved from being a spiritual reformer to a well-known nationalist leader in 1913 and 1914. She embraced India’s fight for self-government by actively participating in politics. She joined the Indian National Congress and used her writing skills to support the push for Home Rule through publications like Commonweal and New India.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Annie Besant (1847‑1933) |url=https://www.ts-adyar.org/annie-besant-1847-1933 |website=Theosophical Society Adyar |access-date=6 August 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Annie Besant Biography - Facts, Childhood, Family Life & Achievements |url=https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/annie-besant-3626.php |website=TheFamousPeople.com |access-date=6 August 2025}}</ref>
 
In September 1916, she co-founded the All India Home Rule League with Bal Gangadhar Tilak. While Tilak led the organization based in Maharashtra, Besant built a national network that included provinces such as Madras, United Provinces, Bengal, and Punjab. Her leadership significantly increased public involvement in the fight for self-rule.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Annie Besant (1847‑1933) |url=https://www.ts-adyar.org/annie-besant-1847-1933 |website=Theosophical Society Adyar |access-date=6 August 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=How Dr. Annie Besant was Responsible for the Home Rule Movement in India? |url=https://www.historydiscussion.net/history-of-india/how-dr-annie-besant-was-responsible-for-the-home-rule-movement-in-india/2583 |website=HistoryDiscussion.net |access-date=6 August 2025}}</ref>


Her arrest in 1917 sparked national protests and led to her being elected the first woman President of the [[Indian National Congress]].
Her political activism led to her arrest and internment at Ootacamund in June 1917. This sparked mass protests across India. Major leaders and the public condemned the British actions, which resulted in her release by August 1917. This event also increased the influence of the Home Rule League.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Remembering Annie Besant: The woman who started Home Rule League - India Today |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/gk-current-affairs/story/annie-besant-839130-2016-10-01 |website=India Today |access-date=6 August 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Grit and gumption: Annie Besant and the Indian freedom movement – Frontline |url=https://frontline.thehindu.com/the-nation/grit-and-gumption-annie-besant-and-the-indian-freedom-movement/article38467206.ece |website=Frontline (The Hindu) |access-date=6 August 2025}}</ref>
 
At the 1907 Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress, she became the first woman to preside. This opened up new opportunities for women in nationalist leadership. Her speech called for constitutional reform and emphasized Indian responsibility within the system of responsible governance.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Remembering Annie Besant: The woman who started Home Rule League - India Today |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/gk-current-affairs/story/annie-besant-839130-2016-10-01 |website=India Today |access-date=6 August 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Annie Besant |url=https://www.ts-adyar.org/annie-besant-1847-1933 |website=Theosophical Society Adyar |access-date=6 August 2025}}</ref>
 
Despite her early prominence, her influence waned after 1919, when she opposed Mahatma Gandhi’s advocacy of non-cooperation and civil disobedience. She maintained faith in constitutional methods over mass agitation, which contrasted with the rising mainstream nationalist approach and eventually sidelined her politically.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Grit and gumption: Annie Besant and the Indian freedom movement – Frontline |url=https://frontline.thehindu.com/the-nation/grit-and-gumption-annie-besant-and-the-indian-freedom-movement/article38467206.ece |website=Frontline (The Hindu) |access-date=6 August 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Annie Besant (1847‑1933) |url=https://www.ts-adyar.org/annie-besant-1847-1933 |website=Theosophical Society Adyar |access-date=6 August 2025}}</ref>


== Later Years and Legacy ==
== Later Years and Legacy ==
Even after independence became more radicalized under [[Mahatma Gandhi]], Besant continued promoting education, interfaith dialogue, and international Theosophy. She passed away in 1933 at the Theosophical Society campus in Adyar, where she was cremated.
After 1919, Annie Besant gradually stepped back from nationalist politics because her support for constitutional reform did not align with Mahatma Gandhi’s mass civil disobedience campaigns. Still, she continued to be a strong supporter of Indian self-rule and education, traveling extensively and publishing in India and abroad.
 
Until illness struck in 1931, Besant served continuously as International President of the Theosophical Society. She traveled widely and led conventions aimed at making Theosophy a force for social change and spiritual renewal.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Annie Besant (1847‑1933) – TS Adyar |url=https://www.ts-adyar.org/annie-besant-1847-1933 |website=Theosophical Society Adyar |access‑date=6 August 2025}}</ref>
 
Her spiritual outreach grew through initiatives she founded, like the Theosophical Order of Service in 1908. This organization carried out humanitarian, educational, and relief work around the world, leaving a lasting legacy of her belief in “a union of those who love in the service of all that suffers.”


Her contributions are remembered in both Indian nationalism and global spiritualism. Roads, institutions, and awards across India bear her name.
Besant passed away on 20 September 1933 in Adyar (Madras), aged 85, and requested her ashes be immersed in the Ganges at Varanasi—a final symbolic union with the land she adopted as her home.


== See Also ==
== See Also ==
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[[Category:Articles needing expansion]]
[[Category:Articles needing more references]]
[[Category:1847 births]]
[[Category:1847 births]]
[[Category:1933 deaths]]
[[Category:1933 deaths]]
[[Category:Indian National Congress politicians]]
[[Category:British social reformers]]
[[Category:Indian National Congress presidents]]
[[Category:People from London]]
[[Category:People from London]]
[[Category:Indian writers]]
[[Category:Women writers]]
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