Khmer Kingdom

  General Description   This polity covers the post-Angkor period of Cambodia’s history from the early 15th to the end of the 16th century CE. In 1432, the magnificent city of Angkor was sacked by the forces of King Trailok ‒ of the increasingly powerful Thai Kingdom of Ayutthaya ‒ who carried off the Khmer royal regalia as a symbol of their victory. ^{[1] [2]} A Khmer royal presence continued at Angkor in reduced form until around 1504, when the rulers retreated to a site near Phnom Penh on the Mekong River, southeast of Tonlé Sap Lake. ^{[3] [4]} However, Thai strength in the region continued to grow at the expense of the Khmer court, and in 1594 the then-capital Lovek was also attacked by the Thais, forcing the Cambodian king to flee to Laos. ^[5]
Due to the Angkor kings’ waning fortunes and endemic warfare with Ayutthaya, ^[6] it is difficult to identify the ’peak’ of this polity. Indeed, the post-Angkor period is sometimes referred to somewhat dismissively as the ’Middle Period’ of Cambodian history, ^[7] but it should be noted that this term tends to also encompass the span of time between 1594 and the establishment of the French Protectorate in 1863. ^[8]
Population and political organization
Although centralized Khmer power was much weaker than in former centuries, and very few inscriptions survive to throw light on political organization, ^[9] Khmer royals did still rise up periodically to assert their authority. For instance, historical accounts indicate that a king called Ang Chan reconquered Angkor in the 16th century and built a golden palace. ^[3] Meanwhile, the new capital on the lower Mekong was international in outlook, with quarters for Malay, Chinese and Japanese traders, ^[3] and some post-Classic Khmer kings had Japanese and Portuguese guards in their entourage. ^[10]
More generally, this period was characterized by increasing commercial, religious and political connections within mainland Southeast Asia and greater integration into global trade networks, ^[11] especially after the arrival of the Portuguese in 1511. ^[12] Wars between mainland Southeast Asian rulers did not preclude the development of a common, ’hybrid’ culture among the wider population. ^[11] Likewise, one reason for the relocation of the Khmer capital (in addition to Thai attacks and drought coupled with ’intense monsoons’) ^[13] was likely ’a desire for greater participation in seaborne trade’. ^[14]

[1]: (Stark 2006, 146, 164) Miriam T. Stark. 2006. ’From Funan to Angkor: Collapse and Regeneration in Ancient Cambodia’, in After Collapse: The Regeneration of Complex Societies, edited by Glenn M. Schwartz and John J. Nichols, 144-67. Tucson, AZ: University of Arizona Press.

[2]: (Hall 2011, 233) Kenneth R. Hall. 2011. A History of Early Southeast Asia: Maritime Trade and Social Development, 100-1500. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.

[3]: (Coe 2003, 208-09) Michael D. Coe. 2003. Angkor and the Khmer Civilization. New York: Thames & Hudson.

[4]: (Andaya 1992, 402-59) Barbara Watson Andaya. 1992. ’Political Development between the Sixteenth and Eighteenth Centuries’, in The Cambridge History of Southeast Asia, Vol. I: From Early Times to c. 1800, edited by Nicholas Tarling, 137-82. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

[5]: (Coe 2003, 210) Michael D. Coe. 2003. Angkor and the Khmer Civilization. New York: Thames & Hudson.

[6]: (Andaya 1992, 421) Barbara Watson Andaya. 1992. ’Political Development between the Sixteenth and Eighteenth Centuries’, in The Cambridge History of Southeast Asia, Vol. I: From Early Times to c. 1800, edited by Nicholas Tarling, 137-82. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

[7]: (Thompson 1997, 22) Ashley Thompson. 1997. ’Changing Perspectives: Cambodia after Angkor’, in Sculpture of Angkor and Ancient Cambodia: Millennium of Glory, edited by Helen I. Jessop and Thierry Zephir, 22-32. Washington, DC: National Gallery of Art.

[8]: (Coe 2003, 195) Michael D. Coe. 2003. Angkor and the Khmer Civilization. New York: Thames & Hudson.

[9]: (Thompson 1997, 22-23) Ashley Thompson. 1997. ’Changing Perspectives: Cambodia after Angkor’, in Sculpture of Angkor and Ancient Cambodia: Millennium of Glory, edited by Helen I. Jessop and Thierry Zephir, 22-32. Washington, DC: National Gallery of Art.

[10]: (Jacq-Hergoualc’h and Smithies 2007, 98) M. Jacq-Hergoualc’h and M. Smithies. 2007. The Armies of Angkor. Bangkok: Orchid Press.

[11]: (Andaya 1992, 411-12) Barbara Watson Andaya. 1992. ’Political Development between the Sixteenth and Eighteenth Centuries’, in The Cambridge History of Southeast Asia, Vol. I: From Early Times to c. 1800, edited by Nicholas Tarling, 137-82. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

[12]: (Hall 2011, 35-36) Kenneth R. Hall. 2011. A History of Early Southeast Asia: Maritime Trade and Social Development, 100-1500. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.

[13]: (Buckley et al. 2010, 6748) Brendan M. Buckley, Kevin J. Anchukaitisa, Daniel Penny, Roland Fletcher, Edward R. Cook, Masaki Sano, Le Canh Nam, Aroonrut Wichienkeeo, Ton That Minh and Truong Mai Hong. 2010. ’Climate as a Contributing Factor in the Demise of Angkor, Cambodia’. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 107 (15): 6748-51.

[14]: (Andaya 1992, 410) Barbara Watson Andaya. 1992. ’Political Development between the Sixteenth and Eighteenth Centuries’, in The Cambridge History of Southeast Asia, Vol. I: From Early Times to c. 1800, edited by Nicholas Tarling, 137-82. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.