Who was the most important person in history?

[exatreide]

I picked Khan, not only for shaping the single largest empire in World history, but for also the long lasting effects that came from it..

With out Khan, Russia would be radically different, and possibly non existant in it's current state. With out Khan's empire the Turks would not have been driven into central Asia, the Byzantinine Empire would have last much longer, the crusades would have been a radiclly different affair. Not only because he was a kick ass General, but for the Empire he Spawned.

[Anathema]

Ex:

Khan's empire predated the Turks' arrival into Asia Minor by over 200 years (edit: is supposed to be the other way around, first the Turks came and 200 years later Khan). Turkish tribes settled in Asia Minor after inflicting a crushing defeat on the Byzantines at Manzikert, somewhere around 1000 AD IIRC.

Genghis' descendents destroyed the Seljuk sultanate, creating chaos among the Turks and prolonging the demise of Byzantium for a good while. Later on the Ottomans would rise from the ashes.

[exatreide]

Ah yes I stand corrected, however the defeat caused by the Mongols to the turks sewed the seeds for Osman the great and the other turks to rise. Still...Khan was very important I put him as a equl to Alexander.

[thomas]

I wanted to pick both christ and muhammed: spawned the two largest religions in the world that have been at war since the two (religions) met. In the end I picked christ because he served as the template for many, including ghandi.

[nemafakei]

Positive criteria:

Fame

Known by almost everyone in the world.

Followers

Over a billion, as I recall, support his ideas in name, although as such a universal banner, the message has been severely diluted - a large portion of his followers rarely consider or understand his ideas, and of those that do, many take selectively for their own ends.

Martyrs

He did, and many more after him.

Power in life

While popular, he was not spectacularly successful in this repect during his lifetime - certainly not notably more than any other intellectual at the time. His true success was the lasting power of his ideas.

Power in death

By death, he had been virtually abandoned by friends and population alike.

Harbinger of change

Many institutions, wars, and so forth have been in his name, but this may easily have been as a cultural tool, without which the same sorts of events may have happened anyway. Many later thinkers have been heavily influenced.

Founder of civilization

While many of his ideas are accepted as common truth or at least common heritage, many are routinely ignored. Nevertheless, he has left his imprint on most of European culture.

Chain reaction

Not his events. Later influences set off countless

Legendary

There is ample historical record to suggest that he existed and that most of his ideas were original. Supernatural powers seem to have been witnessed, but these are impossible to verify.

Resurgent

After his death and the subsequent oppression of his followers, his school flourished and became the norm in some of the very places where it was once most reviled.

Negative criteria:

Defeat

Execution put a temporary halt to the spread of his ideas, and subsequent oppression and demonisation of his followers almost wiped out his school of thought.

Figurehead

Frequently a figurehead for actions opposed to his ideals.

Obsolete

Often still very relevant, although many messages must be taken in context. The central theme should probably be applied vigorously to his most vehement proponents.

Stigma

He now has very few opponents (although his followers (more often the pseudo-followers) often are badly received - sometimes justifiably). Most competition stems from those who take different meanings from his teaching.

Jesus has had an undeniably profound influence on history: we are not talking about a political figure who seized an open opportunity - pick any modern or recent dictator (even revolutionaries who had to fight adversity) and kill them at birth and you'd have someone else to take their place. Military leaders often suffer from similar questions - would the world have been different if tribe B won? Ideas remain, and their persuasion (in this case) has helped support institutions that don't necessarily follow their ideas - but the influence remains. Both his real messages of peace and brotherhood and his figurehead status have had countless chain reactions (I think that while a small handful are to be ignored, subsequent institutionalised religion is another question) as well as more overt products, and both have been an underlying constant for western civilisation for centuries.

[lowzeewee]

A two-way tie between Gavrilo Princip and Muhammad.