re: Who is the most important woman to ever live?

I submit two Catherines for consideration:

1. St. Catherine of Siena. Literary giant and inspiration for the Pope returning the Papacy to Rome. Hugely brilliant and influential during an interesting time in European history.

2. Catherine the Great of Russia. She was both enlightened and tyrannical and helped move Russia into modernization and political dynamism. She greatly changed the course of European history by establishing Russia as an international player.