Life

King Wu married a daughter of the ruler of Deng called Deng Man (邓曼) and installed Dou Bobi (鬬伯比), son of Ruo'ao as Prime Minister and his son Qu Xia (屈瑕) as Mo'ao.

With the power of Chu growing by the day, King Wu became dissatisfied with the title of Viscount (子) and sought to better himself. In the summer of the thirty-seventh year of his reign, 704 BCE, at the time of King Huan of Zhou, he invited the leaders of the other vassal states to a meeting at Shenlu (沈鹿). The states of Ba, Pu (濮), Deng, Jiao (绞/絞), Luo (罗/羅), Zhen (轸/軫), Shen, Er (贰/貳), Yun (鄖) and Jiang (江) all sent representatives with only the States of Huang and Sui (随/隨) not in attendance. King Wu's minister Wei Zhang (蒍章) was dispatched to Huang to criticize their non-attendance whilst the King and Qu Xia led an army to attack the State of Sui. Sui was overthrown at the Battle of Suqi (速杞之战). The state's leader fled whilst Chu Minister Dou Dan (鬬丹) captured the Marquess of Sui's chariot along with the chariot division military commander. Thereafter, Sui did not act rashly again. Xiong Che declared himself 「King」, marking Chu's formal independence from the Zhou Dynasty. Subsequent rulers of Chu would all style themselves 「King」, heralding the start of the vassal kingdoms』 usurpation of Zhou supremacy and the decline of the House of Zhou.

In 700 BCE, the forty-first year of his reign, the Chu army defeated the State of Jiao which subsequently became a vassal of Chu. The following year, King Wu sent his son Qu Xia to attack the State of Luo. Qu Xiao underestimated the enemy and became trapped between Lu Nomads (卢戎) and the Luo army on the borders of the state. Qu Xia suffered a major defeat and fled with his remaining troops to Huangyu (荒谷) where he hanged himself. King Wu took responsibility for the defeat and pardoned all remaining soldiers who had taken part in the battle, although he already ordered the amputation of their right feet. In 690 BCE, King Wu led his troops on a punitive expedition into the State of Sui. After crossing the Han River and arriving on the eastern bank, he was suddenly taken ill. He sat down under a tree and died not long afterwards. The Chu Prime Minister Dou Qi (鬬祁), son of Dou Dan did not hold a funeral, but instead led the Chu army on the advance westward as originally planned. When the Chu army arrived at the capital of the State of Sui, its rulers capitulated and swore allegiance to Chu. The Chu army withdrew across the Han River where they held a funeral for the late king. Thereafter, his son Xiong Zi ascended the throne as King Wen of Chu.

Issue

• Qu Xia (屈瑕)

• King Wen of Chu

• Prince Ziyuan (子元)

生平

熊徹殺兄蚡冒（一說蚡冒之子霄敖），成為楚國子爵（《史記》記載有誤，武王之前並非蚡冒，而是霄敖）。楚子徹娶鄧侯女鄧曼為妻，以鬬伯比為令尹，屈瑕為莫敖（相當於中原各國的大司馬），國力日增，認為楚國子爵地位低微，謀求進爵。周桓王十六年、楚子徹三十七年（前704年）夏天，邀請諸侯到沈鹿（湖北鍾祥縣東）會盟，與會者有巴、庸、濮、鄧、絞、羅、軫、申、貳、鄖、江諸國，只有黃、隨二國國君未到。楚子徹派大夫蒍章去責備黃國、莫敖屈瑕去攻伐隨國，隨國大敗，隨侯逃逸，戎右少師為鬬丹俘獲，自此不敢造次。楚子徹自立為「楚王」。自此，楚君皆稱「王」，開諸侯僭號稱王之先河，方時周室衰微，故無可奈何。

楚武王四十一年（前700年）楚師大敗絞人，訂立城下之盟。楚武王四十二年（前699年）用屈瑕伐羅國，屈瑕輕敵，秩序混亂，至羅境，遭到羅人與盧戎兩軍夾擊，楚軍大敗。屈瑕率殘部逃到荒谷（今江陵縣境），最後自縊。武王承擔此戰敗之責，下罪責己，餘軍皆予以赦免。

相傳卞和獻和氏璧，被楚武王所疑，王怒刖卞和之右足。

前690年伐隨國，行經漢水東岸，心疾猝發，坐在一棵樹下病逝。楚令尹鬬祁（鬬丹之子）與莫敖屈重，秘不發喪，率楚師仍按原計劃東進。楚軍兵臨隨國城下，隨國臣服。楚師撤還，濟漢水而後發喪。而後子楚文王繼位。

家庭

父母

• 父霄敖熊坎

妻妾

• 鄧曼

子女

• 楚文王熊貲

• 公子常