楚悼王 / King Dao of Chu
楚悼王 / King Dao of Chu appears in 《资治通鉴·周纪》06丨魏文侯选谁当宰相呢（2） as 楚声王’s son and successor after the latter is killed. The source uses him mainly as part of the succession notice.
《资治通鉴·周纪》08丨一代名将吴起惨死（2） develops his reign by making him the ruler who immediately recognizes and employs 吴起 after Wu Qi flees 魏国. Under Chu Dao Wang’s backing, Wu Qi pursues centralizing reforms that strengthen 楚国 but anger nobles, royal relatives, and idle officials, making Chu Dao Wang’s patronage central to Warring States Reform Backlash / 战国变法反噬.
《资治通鉴·周纪》08丨一代名将吴起惨死（3） turns his death into the trigger for Wu Qi’s fall. The episode says Wu Qi can survive only while Chu Dao Wang protects him; once the ruler dies, the nobles immediately attack. Chu Dao Wang’s corpse then becomes the final political shield in the 《资治通鉴》 account, because arrows that kill Wu Qi also damage the dead king’s body and expose the attackers to punishment under 楚肃王.
Connections
- 楚国 - state context.
- 楚声王 - predecessor.
- Posthumous Name Politics / 谥号政治 - naming frame attached to ruler labels.
- 吴起, 楚肃王, and Warring States Reform Backlash / 战国变法反噬 - reform, death, and backlash branch added by Zhouji 08.