In the category of Historical
Woman, I select
Agnes of Rome.
The reason I choose her over so many worthier candidates is that she symbolizes for me, the suffering and woe that was attendant upon being a woman in a "man's world."
In the last century or two, things have certainly changed for the better. But for thousands of years before the life of the average woman could be terrible.
There are many fantastic legends grown up around this Agnes (not to be confused with other famed Agnes' in the Roman Cathoic church) but I choose to strip her story down to the basics.
She was betrothed against her will and refused the marriage. So at 12 years old she was condemned to death for her crime. Roman law did not allow executions of virgins, so she was dragged to a brothel to have that technicality corrected.