Cambodia is the land of the Khmer, the dominant ethnos within the area stretching from the present deep into prehistoric culture. The Angkorian era Khmer Empire focused close to Siem Reap dominated the region from the 9th-13th century AD, at its peak the Empire stretched across most of mainland Southeast Asia. But by the fifteenth century the Empire was in a decline both politics and territories and under encounter from the rising Thai kingdom of Ayutthaya in today’s Kingdom of Thailand. By the fourteenth century Ayutthaya was staging regular incursions, culminating with the sack of Angkor in 1431-32. Shortly thenceforth the Khmer court of King Pohea Yat left the Angkorian capital and established a replacement capital at Phnom Penh. With an awfully temporary exception, the capital would never come back to Angkor.
The choice to maneuver the capital to Phnom Penh at the confluence of the Mekong River was most likely not only a strategic response to Ayutthaya’s aggression but may have additionally reflected a tectonic economic shift. The fifteenth century was the start of a general rise in international commerce throughout the region and Phnom Penh was a perfect location for a trade center. The move may have mirrored the country dynamical focus from the old Angkorian agricultural economy primarily based within the country’s interior to a trade orientating economy based during a riverine port city.
During the first Royal occupation of Phnom Penh in the mid fifteenth century, King Pohea Yat set the foundations of city, establishing many pagodas and laying out the city along moats/rivers that approximate the realm and layout of contemporary central Phnom Penh. Wat Ounalom on the riverfront close to the Royal Palace might even slightly pre-date King Pohea Yat, making it the oldest well-known Buddhist foundation within the city.
Phnom Penh
Trade with China and different Asian kingdoms was well established within the Angkorian-era long before Phnom Penh was the capital. Boats traveling upstream to Angkor would pass Chaktomuk (Phnom Penh) that, thanks to its favorable location, was most likely an energetic settlement at the time. Once the capital moved from Angkor to Phnom Penh in the mid fifteenth century, the city remained the capital only in short. Before the century was out, the capital had been resettled to Longvek 46km upstream. Although it moved a couple of more times within the consequent centuries (primarily between Longvek and Oudong,) the capital always remained inside a number of tens of kilometers of the Chaktomuk area.
Maritime trade inflated dramatically throughout the region within the late fifteenth century, with international players from as far as Japan. Although the capital had stirred from Phnom Penh, the city remained the center of international commerce for Cambodia. Sixteenth century Spanish and Portuguese records paint an image of little however cosmopolitan port of trade hosting vital populations of Chinese, Malay, Cham, Japanese and a few Europeans, all living in separate camps in and around the Phnom Penh area. Structures of wood and bamboo packed the West Bank of the Tonle Sap stream and also the nice stupa on the Hill of Wat Phnom was visible from the stream, marking the city to inbound visitors.
Arriving in the early sixteenth century, the Portuguese and Spanish were the first Europeans to create contact with Cambodia, causing missionaries, establishing trade and eventually turning into deeply concerned in the affairs of the Cambodian court.
In the 1580s they ingratiated themselves to the Cambodian King, served him as a kind of Praetorian guard, were captured then escaped the Siamese, retuned and murdered the new Khmer leader, fled to Laos, put in a replacement Khmer king in Cambodia, and amidst rising tensions, each died in 1599 coming back to the help of their compatriots during a battle between the Malay and Cambodians against the Spanish in Phnom Penh. The battle resulted during a massacre of the Spanish, bringing Spanish influence in Cambodia to an abrupt and permanent end.
In the seventeenth century, Phnom Penh continued to prosper and also the Dutch East India Company became the dominant European mercantilism partner, but this relationship also came to a dire finish in Phnom Penh.
During a tale less colourful than the Spanish adventure, after a drawn-out trade and diplomatic dispute between the Dutch and also the King of Cambodia, negotiations came to violence. a corporation embassy was killed and captives taken. The corporate sent war ships to force the problem with the King at Longvek. Once the ships had passed Phnom Penh on their way up the Tonle Sap, the Cambodians designed 2 bridges across the stream behind them, effectively interference the stream.
When passing downstream, the Dutch were surrounded by the bridges at Phnom Penh and enclosed by fire from both banks. They fought their means through in a day long battle but suffered very significant losses.
Although the first British and French explorers would arrive in the middle seventeenth century, European interest in Cambodia waned till the French effective came back in the late nineteenth century.
The Smilling Tower of Bayon Temple