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Khmer Empire

Type Object Region Southeast Asia Time c. 802–1431

The Khmer Empire was a Southeast Asian polity ruling present-day Cambodia and much of mainland Southeast Asia from 802 to 1431, centered on Angkor, w…

Timeline

  1. c. 802–900Hariharalaya · CambodiaJayavarman II ended the period of division, integrating the vassal polities through linga worship and the Devaraja title, and established a centralized framework using temples as administrative nodes; the Khmer Empire formally took shape as a cross-regional political organization.
  2. c. 1002–1050Angkor and the lower Mekong · CambodiaSuryavarman I conquered neighboring city-states, extending the empire's territory northeast into present-day Laos; in the 1020s, construction of the Angkor capital and the international trade tax system were strengthened in tandem, with the organizational hierarchy and standing military forces expanding significantly.
  3. c. 1113–1300Angkor · CambodiaThe empire proclaimed royal authority through massive projects such as Angkor Wat; a network of provincial temples and a tribute system covered the core agricultural zones of mainland Southeast Asia, Mahayana Buddhism gradually stood alongside Hinduism, and the administrative–religious organization became highly integrated.
  4. c. 1350–1431Phnom Penh (new capital) · CambodiaMilitary pressure from Siam's Ayutthaya kingdom intensified; after Angkor fell in 1431, the empire lost its regional hegemony, the political center shifted south to the lower Mekong, and the former empire-level military–tribute system disintegrated into smaller Khmer kingdoms.

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