Annie Besant

Annie Besant was born in 1847. In 1866, she met and married Reverend Frank Besant. However, her uncompromising, independent spirit could not align with her husband's traditional views, leading to their separation after a few years. Following the divorce, Besant renounced Christianity and, in 1874, became a member of the Secular Society. She developed a close relationship with Charles Bradlaugh, the publisher of the radical magazine "National Reformer," and in the following years, she wrote several articles on women's rights issues. She was highly active in writing and was elected to the London School Board in 1899. In the 1890s, she joined the religious movement of Theosophy, founded by Helena Blavatsky in 1875. She traveled to India, where she lived until her death in 1933.