History

The mediaeval history of Cambodia starts roughly in the 10th century, when the Khmer Empire had established its strong foothold in Cambodia, and ended in the 19th century, when Vietnamese attacks started happening in Cambodia.

The mediaeval history of Cambodia is mainly split into two parts: Khmer Empire and the Post-Angkor period.

Under the Khmer empire, Cambodia reached its zenith and established its rule in neighbouring countries, including Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, etc.

This was also the period when Hindu culture grew to a great extent and then declined, giving rise to Buddhism in this region. The most important city in this empire was Angkor.

The Khmer Empire was active until the 15th century. After the 15th century, the Khmer empire started to decline. The period from the 15th century to the late 19th century is called the Post-Angkor period.

Many factors, including pressure from neighbouring regions of Ayutthaya, ecological hazards, and cultural breakdown, led to the decline of this empire.

Khmer empire

The Khmer Empire is considered to be the most powerful empire in Cambodia. It was named so because of the Khmer ethnicity of the rulers of this empire. 

Its most prosperous region was Angkor. Due to this, the Khmer empire is also called the Angkor empire.

It started in 802 CE under its ruler, Jayavarman II. The empire lasted till 1431 CE. The notable rulers of this empire are Jayavarman II, Yasovarman II, Suryavarman II, Jayavarman VII, and Ponhea Yat.

In his self-proclaimed role as a Chakravartin, he performed coronations in Hindu rituals. He was declared a universal monarch through this ceremony.

Indrapura, which is said to have been located in today’s Kampong Cham, founded by Jayavarman II, was the first capital of the Khmer empire.

After some time, he shifted his capital to Mahendraparvata, which was located in the northwest region of Cambodia.

The most popular religion was Shaivite Hinduism, with small proportions of Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism.

Sanskrit was still the language of the court, and it was mainly used for religious purposes. Khmer was the common language.

In 889, Yasovarman I became king. He founded the city of Yasodharapura, the first city in the Angkor region. The main temple in this city was Phnom Bakheng, a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva.

In 1113, Suryavarman became king. Under his reign, the golden age of the Khmer empire started.

He built the most famous and most important temple in Cambodia, which was the Angkor Wat temple. It was dedicated to Lord Vishnu.

In 1181, Jayavarman VII became king and adopted Buddhism as the core religion of the Khmer. Under his reign, Hinduism started declining and Buddhism gained the majority.

He built many famous Buddhist temples, such as Preah Khan, Banteay Kdei, Neak Pren, etc.

In the 15th century, the Khmer empire declined as a result of the conversion of the masses to Buddhism, which resulted in social and political unrest and also some natural hazards that took place, such as the plague of the 14th century.

Post-Angkor Period

Until the 13th century, Buddhism had become the majority religion in Angkor, and today, it is the state religion of Cambodia.

The Post-Angkor period saw many military invasions from neighbouring kingdoms, which led to the decline of prosperous Angkor City.

The Sukhothai kingdom and the Ayutthaya kingdom of Thailand attacked the city of Angkor in the mid-14th century.

Also, the Chams, or Champas, attacked repeatedly in the region of Angkor.

By the 17th century, Vietnamese kingdoms had also started invading the Khmer empire and conquering the Mekong river.

In 1555, Gaspar Da Cruz, a Portuguese religious preacher, started sending Christian missionaries to Cambodia. It was also the period when Islam was also introduced to Cambodia by Arab merchants.

Introduction to History of Cambodia

Cambodia is a beautiful landscape country located in the mainland of Indo-China and borders Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos.

As it was an important trade route between India and China in the past, it possesses a rich cultural and religious heritage.

The history of Cambodia is mainly divided into prehistoric age, ancient kingdoms, mediaeval empires, modern occupations, and present history.

The Grand Angkor Wat temple, Preah Vihear temple, Roman Catholic Church of Bokor Hill, Bayon Temple, and Choeung Ek Killing Fields are some of the best historical locations in Cambodia.

Prehistoric Age

The earliest existence of humans in Cambodia can be traced back to 6000-7000 BCE, which is at least 8000-10000 years ago.

Archaeological findings at the Laang Spean cave in the Battambang province of the Northwest region date back to at least 6000-7000 BCE. Many human skulls and bones were found in these excavations.

In several caves of Battambang province, pottery and human bones were found, which dated back to the Neolithic age.

Ancient Kingdoms

The Funan Kingdom was the oldest established kingdom that dated back to at least the 4th century, and it ruled in the Southern part of Cambodia.

According to Legends, it was established by Kaundinya (Sanskrit) or Preah Thaong (Khmer).

As trade routes had been established between India and China in this region, Hinduism deeply impacted this kingdom and its rulers.

People used local languages such as Khmer along with Sanskrit. After the Funan kingdom, the Chenla kingdom established its rule in Cambodia.

Initially, it was a vassal state under the rule of Funan, but later it conquered Funan and established its kingdom under King Chitrasena Mahendravarman.

After Chenla, the Khmer Empire established its rule under Jayavarman II in Cambodia, which became the foundation of present-day Cambodia’s Buddhist culture.

Mediaeval Empires

The Mediaeval empires of Cambodia mainly consist of the Khmer empire and the Siamese (Thai) occupations of Cambodia.

Khmer Empire was the first kingdom responsible for introducing and spreading Theravada Buddhism actively in Cambodia.

The Khmer empire rose in power following the decline of the Chenla empire as a result of various political instabilities.

Jayavarman II founded the empire. The empire ruled from the 8th century to the 15th century. Initially, it followed Shaivism (a sect of Hinduism), but after the reign of Jayavarman VII, it became a Buddhist kingdom.

After the 15th century, the Khmer empire declined, and the Post-Angkor Period came to Cambodia.

The Post-Angkor period dates between the 15th and the 19th century. During this period many Siamese and Vietnamese invasions happened in Cambodia.

Modern Occupations

Between 1811 and 1845, Vietnamese armies started invading and capturing the territories of Cambodians under the Vietnamese ruler Ang Chan II.

To save the kingdom of Cambodia from Vietnamese invasions, the Norodom (king) of Cambodia signed an agreement with French colonisers to give protection.

This treaty between Cambodians and the French-led to the rise of French colonies in Cambodia.

As the French power increased, Cambodia fell into the hands of the French. The French rule lasted from 1845 to 1953.

Present History

In 1953, Cambodia, with the help of the Japanese army, gained independence from the French under the ruler, Norodom Sihanouk.

Sihanouk assumed an independent kingdom of Kampuchea after the Japanese occupation of Cambodia.

Phnom Penh was declared the capital of Cambodia, and the First Kingdom of Cambodia was established.

As the tensions grew between North Vietnam and South Vietnam in 1969, the United States intervened and led to a destabilisation of governments which affected Cambodia as well.

After a series of various political shifts and different governments came to power finally, Present-day Cambodia was formed in 1953.