Gaius Licinius Stolo facts for kids

Gaius Licinius Stolo was an important leader in ancient Rome. He was one of two tribunes who helped open up the position of consul to the plebeians.

In ancient Rome, a tribune was an official who protected the rights of common people, known as plebeians. The consul was the highest elected official, like a president. For a long time, only wealthy, noble families called patricians could be consuls. Gaius Licinius Stolo worked to change this.

Gaius Licinius Stolo: A Champion for Plebeians

Gaius Licinius Stolo was a plebeian himself. He served as a tribune from 376 BC to 367 BC. During this time, he worked with another tribune, Lucius Sextius, to pass important laws.

The Licinian-Sextian Laws

The most famous laws they passed were called the lex Licinia Sextia. These laws brought big changes to Rome:

• They made sure that at least one of the two consuls each year had to be a plebeian. This was a huge step for equality!
• They also set limits on how much public land one person could own. This helped share resources more fairly among Roman citizens.
• The laws also helped manage debts, making things easier for people who owed money.

Protecting Religious Texts

Gaius Licinius Stolo also helped pass a law about the Sibylline Books. These were important religious texts that Romans used for guidance. The new law said that ten officials, called decemviri, would look after these books. Half of these officials had to be plebeians. This was to make sure that the patricians couldn't change the books to only benefit themselves.

The patricians did not like these new laws, but they were eventually passed. After his work as a tribune, Licinius Stolo was elected consul himself in 361 BC. This showed how much things had changed!

Later Challenges

Later in his life, Gaius Licinius Stolo faced a challenge. He was found to have not followed the rules he helped create about owning public land. Because of this, he had to pay a penalty.

Family Life

Gaius Licinius Stolo was married to the youngest daughter of Marcus Fabius Ambustus. There's a story that says his wife encouraged him to fight for plebeians to become consuls. She was supposedly a bit jealous because her sister's husband, Servius Sulpicius Praetextatus, was a patrician and had many honors. While this story is often told, historians are not sure if it is completely true.

See also

In Spanish: Cayo Licinio Estolón para niños