Far East Kingdoms

Post-Angkor Middle Period (Khmer Empire) (Cambodia)
AD 1432 - 1863

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The fall of the Khmer empire dramatically reduced a state which at one time had controlled most of South-East Asia. Founded out of the early kingdom of Funan and its rebellious Chen-La successor, it had continued to expand until around AD 1200. By that time it had controlled nearly all of South-East Asia, including the isthmus of Kra and part of northern Malaysia.

The empire's decline began when the Mongol invasion of India in the thirteenth century cut off regular contact with that region. The rise of the Thai state of Sukhothai accelerated the empire's decline. Defeat by Lan Na in 1431 forced a move southwards for the capital. It arrived in Phnom Penh in 1434, but as a vassal of Ayutthya. The great complex at Angkor Wat was abandoned to the jungle and the seeds of modern Cambodia were sown.

During the post-Angkor 'Middle Kingdom' period in Kambuja (Cambodia), territory consisted of modern Cambodia itself and a small part of southern Vietnam which was an intrusion into Cham territory. Ayutthya lay on its western border, while to the north was Lan Xang (now in Laos), and to the east was Champa. Its coast, which constituted its south-western boundary, ran along the Gulf of Thailand.

Very little is known about Cambodian history after the fall of Angkor. For most of its existence the kingdom was under the control of one of its more powerful neighbours, either the Thais or the Vietnamese. Both of these powers tended to allow the continuation of a figurehead Cambodian monarchy. The French took control of the state in 1863, ending the 'Middle Kingdom' period.

Several versions of the Annals of Ayutthaya and the Royal Cambodian Chronicles, as well as Chinese works and inscriptions at Angkor Wat, all help to provide names and the dates of kings and events. It should be noted, however, that these sources are not always reliable and are sometimes contradictory. Furthermore, inscriptions at Angkor Wat abruptly stop in 1431 when the site was abandoned.

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(Information by Peter Kessler, John De Cleene, & Ben Lawne, with additional information from the John De Cleene Archive, from Southeast Asia: A Historical Encyclopaedia, from Angkor Wat to East Timor, Keat Gin Ooi (ABC-Clio, 2004), from Early Mainland Southeast Asia, C Higham (River Books Co, 2014), from Encyclopaedia of Ancient Asian Civilizations, Charles F W Higham (Facts on File, 2004), from The Khmer Empire (National Geographic (Supplement), July 2009), from Historical Atlas of the World, R R Palmer (Ed, Rand McNally & Company, 1963), from the two-part BBC documentary series, Jungle Atlantis (first screened on 25 September 2014), from The Birth of Vietnam, Keith Weller Taylor (University of California Press, 1983), from Times Atlas of World History, Geoffrey Barraclough (Ed, Maplewood, New Jersey, 1979), and from External Links: Ancient Chinese farmers sowed literal seeds of change in south-east Asia (Science News), and Cambodia (Encyclopaedia Britannica), and Cambodia (Rulers.org), and Cambodia (World Statesmen), and Siamese Attacks on Angkor Before 1430, Lawrence Palmer Briggs (The Far Eastern Quarterly, Duke University Press, 1948, available via JSTOR).)

1434 - 1463

King before the fall of Angkor (1405-1434).

1434 - 1434

The Khmer have been defeated by Lan Na (in 1431) and, the following year, the capital had been moved southwards. In 1434 it arrives in Phnom Penh to begin the post-Angkor 'Middle Kingdom' period in Kambuja.

Angkor Wat is abandoned to the jungle and the seeds of modern Cambodia are sown. For the next hundred and sixty years, Phnom Penh's kings are vassals of Ayutthya, although Phnom Penh itself is temporarily abandoned in 1505.

1463 - 1486

Alternative dates in confused period are 1476-1504.

1486 - 1512

Son. Alternative dates are 1504-1512. Murdered?

1512 - 1516

Brother-in-law & usurper. Excluded from some lists of rulers.

1516 - 1566

Brother of Sri Sukonthor. Excluded from some lists of rulers.

1516 - 1590s

Having removed from the throne Ney Khan, his usurper brother-in-law, Ang Chan I takes advantage of weakened Ayutthya after its debilitating wars with the Burmese. He briefly reoccupies Angkor Wat, and he and his immediate successors restore some of the temples, and add inscriptions and bas-reliefs.

Declining during the fourteenth century, around 1431 Angkor Wat was abandoned, leaving few clues to help modern historians understand how and why the city was left so completely to the jungle

1593 - 1597

Ayutthya regains its strength, invades and occupies Cambodia between 1593-1595, and destroys the new capital of Longvek (Lovek) in 1594 which is located to the north of Phnom Penh.

1566 - 1576

Son. Continued attacks against Ayutthya.

1576 - 1594

Son. Started losing the battle against Ayutthya. Removed.

1583 - 1589

Catholic missionaries reach Cambodia, principally through contact with Portuguese traders. The missionaries deliver the first impressions of the region to Europeans.

1593 - 1595

Ayutthya regains its strength, invades and occupies Cambodia between 1593-1595, and destroys the new capital of Longvek (Lovek) in 1594 which is located to the north of Phnom Penh.

1594

With Cambodia greatly weakened and under occupation, the abandoned Phnom Penh is captured by Lan Na. The city will not be inhabited again until 1865.

The Lan Na people of today's northern Thailand arrived from even farther north during the ninth and tenth centuries, before forming a cohesive state in the thirteenth century

1594 - 1596

Related. Secured throne. Died and throne seized.

1595 - 1603

Ayutthya briefly loses its command over Cambodia until 1603. The state is reduced to a permanently weak partner with respect to its neighbours, a status which remains relevant to this day. Kings and their families will constantly be at odds with each other and their masters, each family member seeking allies amongst the Thais and Vietnamese.

1596 - 1597

Son & usurper. Assassinated.

1597

Rebel and usurper. Killed with Spanish intervention.

1597 - 1599

Relationship uncertain.

1599 - 1600

Nephew. Killed.

1600 - 1603

Nephew. Son of Satha I. Forced to abdicate.

1603 - 1618

Son of Barom Reachea II.

1603 - 1618

Despite having one of the longer reigns in this period, Barom Reachea IV faces local rebellion after local rebellion, insurgents and attacks by Ayutthya. The country is deeply unsettled, but the king does manage to reunite much of the country during his reign. One rebel commander, Ponhea Nu, is given the position of district governor and will go on to be king himself (in 1630).

Ayutthaya took on influences from many external players, including Sukhothai and the Khmer, as well as China, Japan and - later - several European countries, with that influence being seen in Wat Chaiwatthanaram

1618 - 1627

Son. Ended the threat from Ayutthya. Died.

1621 - 1622

Late in his reign, Chettha moves the capital to the better-defended location of Udong and ceases to pay tribute to Ayutthya now that he has an alliance through marriage with the Dai Viet royal family under its figurehead king, Lê Thần Tổng.

Songtham of Ayutthya swiftly invades with three armies, all of which converge on Udong. With Dai Viet military support during a desperate defence, the Thai armies are fought and repulsed but Songtham returns in 1622 to continue his attack. Again he is defeated but Dai Viet forces the handover of two areas for its military bases.

1628

Son. Killed by his uncle, Outey.

1628

Brother of Chettha II. Formerly forced to live in Ayutthya.

1630 - 1640

Brother of Ponhea To. Previously an insurgency commander.

1630 - 1640

Continued as regent, with Ponhea Nu dying suspiciously.

1640 - 1642

Cousin of Ponhea Nu, and son of Outey. Executed.

1640 - 1642

Still regent. Assassinated by a displaced heir.

1642 - 1658

Cousin of Ang. Son of Chettha II. Converted to Islam.

1658

The conversion by Ramathipadi I to Islam has evoked a good deal of distrust and dislike in Cambodia's majority Buddhist population. Elements seek support from the Nguyễn of Dai Viet who invade, depose and imprison the king, and then (probably) kill him. The country now faces years of renewed instability.

Female dress within the Revival Le nobility would undergo several revisions from this starting point before being banned entirely in 1744 in the south and in 1830 in the north

1659 - 1672

Cousin. Son of Outey. Killed and throne usurped.

1672 - 1673

Nephew & son-in-law. Assassinated just 5 months later.

1673 - 1674

Cousin. Son of Barom Reachea V. Killed as a rebel 1677.

1674 - 1689

Seized throne with Nguyễn support as their vassal.

1675 - 1689

Ang Non is a vassal, or vice-regent, to the Nguyễn who have helped him onto the throne. With two branches of the same royal family fighting for supremacy since Outey's seizure of royal controls, neither wants to give a centimetre.

Ang Non invites Southern Ming refugees to his court in 1682 as a source of further military assistance. He, they, and the Nguyễn launch a fresh attack on Chettha IV in 1689 but Ang Non dies before anything can be achieved.

While some in Dai Viet were refusing to give up dreams of ruling a united Viet country, their Ming overlords were being replaced by the intruding Manchu

1675 - 1687

Son of Barom Reachea V. Opposed Ang Non from Longvek.

1687

Mother and short-term queen when Chettha stood down.

1687 - 1689

Resumed rule from Longvek. Defeated Ang Non.

1689 - 1695

Sole Cambodian king from 1689. Abdicated for Outey I.

1695 - 1696

Son of Prea Keoh II. Installed and died within a year.

1696 - 1699

Resumed governance after Outey's death.

1699 - 1701

Vice-king. Son of Ang Non. Surrendered to the Nguyễn.

1701 - 1702

Restored for second time after Ang Em removed. Abdicated.

1702 - 1703

Son. Stood down for now.

1703 - 1706

Restored for a third time, by the Nguyễn. Died about 1725.

1706 - 1710

Restored after his father's final abdication.

1710 - 1722

Restored. Died 1730.

1710 - 1720

Dai Viet - and especially the Nguyễn - asserts its suzerainty over Cambodia in a period of internal internecine warfare in which few rulers can hold on to power for too long. However, this lasts only until 1720 when Ayutthya again assumes dominance. The country is wracked by conflict, with rulers frequently claiming power and then losing it.

Occasionally a royal capital, Phnom Penh became important and was greatly developed during the French colonial period, with the Moonlight Pavilion within the Royal Palace being shown here

1722 - 1738

Son. Driven out by Thommo Reachea II.

1738 - 1747

Restored for the second time. Died.

1747

Son. Struggled against Ang Tong & Ang Hing. Murdered.

1747 - 1749

Brother-in-law. Removed by the Nguyễn.

1749

Restored by the Nguyễn but died in the same year.

1749 - 1755

Brother-in-law. Son of Ang Non.

1755 - 1757

Restored. Died.

1758 - 1775

Grandson. Ruled with Nguyễn protection. Abdicated.

1765 - 1768

The Burmese again invade the city of Ayutthya and, this time, they succeed in taking it. However, after two years the Burmese find they cannot hold onto the kingdom in the face of attacks by Phaya Taksin and they withdraw, leaving Siam in a power vacuum.

General Phaya Taksin of Ayutthya pronounced his own state at Krung Thonburi, although it would only be short-lived

1769

General Phaya Taksin of Ayutthya flees to Krung Thonburi where he promotes himself as king to lead the resistance against the Burmese and re-establish Thai independence.

1775 - 1779

Son of Chetta V. Killed Outey in 1777?

1779 - 1782

Son of Outey II. Fled to Siam.

1782

Phaya Taksin is executed by his ministry at Krung Thonburi, allegedly because he is psychotic. Rule of the Siamese passes to the Chakris. The new king, Rama I, raises new laws to govern the country, and extends Siam's territory to encompass all of Vientiane, and parts of Burma, Cambodia, and the Kedah province in Malaysia.

In the same year the Tay Son lords of Dai Viet attack and defeat the Nguyễn lords and, at the same time, the Viet lose their hold over Cambodia.

1794

Rama I of Siam agrees to restore Ang Eng to the Cambodian throne. However, Ang Eng has to cede the provinces of Battambang and Siem Reap, provinces which are not regained until 1907.

The Tay Son dynasty was founded by three Nguyễn brothers (who were not connected to the lords of the same name) who rebelled against all of the major parties in Dai Viet's confused political situation, sweeping two of them away and almost destroying a third

1794 - 1796

Restored by Siam. Died.

1796

When Ang Eng dies in 1796 his son, Ang Chan, is too young to be installed. The country is placed under the regency of Pok until 1806, when Ang Chan is finally crowned.

1796 - 1835

Son of Ang Eng. Later a Vietnamese puppet.

1796 - 1806

Regent until Ang Chan reached maturity.

1806 - 1817

Once he becomes his own man Ang Chan begins to defy the Siamese. He makes friendly overtures to the Vietnamese, although he pays tribute to both sides. Siam attempts to overthrow him in 1811, but he is saved by Nam Viet.

Vietnamese brutality during the construction of a canal in 1817 sparks anti-Vietnamese rebellions, while the king remains an affiliate of the Vietnamese.

This photo shows a floating dock on the River Chao Phraya in Thailand's Bangkok around 1900, over a century after the city's founding by King Rama I

1831 - 1834

The Siamese-Vietnamese War has the alternative title of the Siamese-Cambodian War. Following Ang Chan's recapture of the Cambodian throne in 1813, the Siamese have been moving into northern Cambodia and then advancing towards the south in support of their own claimant. The Cambodians are routed at the Battle of Kompong Chang in 1832, and Ang Chan is forced to flee to Vietnam.

Siam is soon distracted by a revolt by the Cambodians at the same time as the Vietnamese-controlled Laos revolts. A Vietnamese army of 15,000 advances towards the Siamese in 1833, forcing the latter to withdraw. Ang Chan is restored, albeit as a Vietnamese puppet.

In 1835, Chan dies, and his eldest daughter and heir being pro-Siamese, the Vietnamese install his second daughter Ang Mey as queen. They gain control of most of Cambodia.

The Mỹ Sơn Hindu temple was indicative of Champa's religious inclinations in the fourteenth century, and also of its Indian influences, which were prevalent across much of South-East Asia

1835 - 1840

Dau. Queen. Installed by Vietnam. Overthrown.

1841 - 1845

The 'Siamese-Vietnamese War in Cambodia', as it is known, has seen increasing Vietnamese influence in Cambodia during the reign of Queen Ang Mey. Nam Viet dethrones the queen and hauls her, her two sisters, and the royal regalia, to Nam Viet, while the country is annexed. The Cambodians rebel in 1841, overthrowing the pro-Vietnamese elements and appealing to Siam.

The Siamese-chosen candidate is Prince Ang Duong, and he is duly installed by force in 1841. Nam Viet and Siam now face strike and counter-strike by their respective armies while the Cambodians rebel against the same Siamese heavy-handedness which had started the war in the first place.

In 1844, the Vietnamese take Phnom Penh, and Siam is forced to withdraw. Ang Mey is restored. Finally, in 1847, during peace negotiations, both parties endorse Ang Duong, and the Vietnamese return the royal regalia. Cambodia is placed under joint Siamese-Vietnamese protection.

A colourised version of a photograph of Cambodia's female monarch, Ang Mey, whose long life and service witnessed great change in the country

1841 - 1844

Uncle. Installed by Siam.

1844 - 1845

Restored.

1847 - 1860

Restored.

1858 - 1863

In April 1858 a young French explorer, Henri Mouhot, sails from London to South-East Asia. For the next three years he travels widely, discovering exotic jungle insects that still bear his name. Today he would be all but forgotten were it not for his journal, published in 1863, two years after he dies of fever in Laos, aged just 35.

Readers are gripped by his vivid descriptions of vast temples consumed by the jungle: Mouhot introduces the world to the lost medieval city of Angkor and its romantic, awe-inspiring splendour.

'One of these temples, a rival to that of Solomon, and erected by some ancient Michelangelo, may take an honourable place beside our most beautiful buildings. It is grander than anything left to us by Greece or Rome,' he writes. The largest of these buildings is Angkor Wat, constructed around 1150, which remains the biggest religious complex on Earth, covering an area four times larger than Vatican City.

The French colonial presence in Laos built the Bureau de la Residence in 1915 (today it serves as the offices of the country's Ministry of Information and Culture)

1860 - 1863

Son. Vassal of Siam. From 1863 'Colonial Cambodia'.

1863

Norodom requests that France establish a protectorate over Cambodia, ending joint Siamese-Vietnamese protection. Siam voluntarily recognises the French 'Protectorate of Cambodia' while the Viet have their own problems with creeping French colonial activities. 'Colonial Cambodia' is established.