The Siamese Siege of Angkor and Ponhea Yat's Flight

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the final days of Angkor through the lens of its last king, Ponhea Yat, and the Siamese siege that forced the Khmer court to abandon the ancient capital in 1431. They examine the military tactics of Ayutthaya's king Borommaracha II, the devastating use of cannon against Khmer fortifications, and the strategic errors that left Angkor vulnerable. The conversation also covers the controversial role of the Cham mercenaries, the disruption of the baray irrigation system, and the long-term shift of political power to Phnom Penh. Drawing on the Ming shi lu and Khmer inscriptions like K. 1050, the hosts piece together the chaotic final chapter of an empire that had dominated Southeast Asia for centuries, and ask whether the collapse was as sudden as it seems or the culmination of deeper cracks. #PonheaYat #Ayutthaya #BorommarachaII #AngkorWat #KhmerEmpire #SoutheastAsianHistory #MingShiLu #CambodiaHistory #HistoricalCollapse #SiegeWarfare #ChamMercenaries #Baray #PhnomPenh #MedievalWarfare #EmpireFall #K1050 #FexingoHistory #History Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo