Huh! War! What is it good for? Absolutely nothing!

The idea of conflict as the cause of the Khmer Empire's collapse originated in 1951 in Brigg's 'The Ancient Khmer Empire', but it has always been debated. Very few contemporary articles promote this theory. Having said that, Chachavalpongpun, 2012 plainly states that the Khmer Empire fell into decline after it was invaded by an army in 1431. He proposes that this was the cause behind the demise of Angkor and marked the point in time when the Khmer Empire fell and its structures were absorbed by the new emperor, Siam. He argues that this form of struggle has persisted throughout the history of conflict between Thailand and Cambodia. An article for the Ancient History Encyclopaedia by Plubins, 2013 (mentioned in a previous post) also asserts that the invasion of the Thai army was the key factor that led to collapse. 

Several blogs, such as Angkor History, The Angkor Empire, Environment and Conflict and The Warfare Historian, argue that conflict played an important role throughout the Khmer Empire's history and in its demise.

A wall carving from Angkor Wat, depicting the Khmer army marching into battle against the Chams from Vietnam. Source: Photo bucket

It may be that this theory deserves more attention from contemporary academics. As mentioned in my first post on the Khmer empire, few historical records exist after 1300s which may make this difficult. On the other hand it could be that there is little evidence to support it.

It would not come as a surprise to me that following a period of instability, the heart of the Khmer empire, Angkor, was attacked. Alternatively in combination with other factors such as environmental change and a lack of food and water, conflict within the empire may have occurred. I do not doubt that this civilization experienced a long history of conflict, however I do not believe it was the main cause of their demise. In my next few posts I’ll have a look at some other possible triggers, such as changes in trade.

Stay tuned!