The capture of Angkor by Ayutthaya in 1431 ended the Khmer Empire's dominance in mainland Southeast Asia and marked the start of the Post-Angkor period.
Key Facts
- Conventional date of capture
- 1431
- Siege duration
- Approximately seven months
- Siege start
- 1430
- Attacker
- Ayutthaya Kingdom
- Defender
- Khmer Empire (capital Angkor Thom)
- Post-fall Khmer capital
- Chaktomuk (present-day Phnom Penh)
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The Khmer Empire, long the dominant power of mainland Southeast Asia, faced growing pressure from the expanding Ayutthaya Kingdom to its west. Ayutthayan forces launched a military campaign against the Khmer capital at Angkor, initiating a siege of Angkor Thom that began in 1430. The precise political and military tensions precipitating the assault are not fully detailed in surviving sources.
Ayutthayan forces besieged Angkor Thom for approximately seven months, beginning in 1430. The siege concluded in 1431 with the capture and looting of the Khmer capital. Thai chronicle traditions record this event as a decisive military victory that brought the great Angkorian capital under Ayutthayan control.
Following the fall, the Khmer court relocated its political centre southward, with Ponhea Yat associated with moves first to Basan (Srey Santhor) and then to Chaktomuk, present-day Phnom Penh. This transition conventionally marks the beginning of the Post-Angkor period. Despite the political shift, major Angkorian temple sites continued to be occupied and used for religious purposes beyond the 15th century.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent