The Siege of Angkor: Ayutthaya's Brutal Sack in 1431

While previous episodes explored the environmental and economic strains on the Khmer Empire, this episode examines the violent final chapter: the siege and sack of Angkor by the Siamese kingdom of Ayutthaya. We trace the rise of King Ramathibodi I and his successors, who shifted power from the Mekong basin to the Chao Phraya river. The narrative focuses on the military campaigns of the early 15th century, culminating in the 1431 attack that forced the Khmer court to abandon their stone capital for Phnom Penh. Through the accounts of Zhou Daguan and later chronicles, we reconstruct the chaos of the siege, the collapse of the baray irrigation systems, and the political maneuvering that allowed Ayutthaya to dominate the region. This story is not just about destruction, but about a decisive shift in Southeast Asian geopolitics that redefined the balance of power for centuries. #Angkor #Ayutthaya #KhmerEmpire #ThaiHistory #SoutheastAsia #RamathibodiI #ChaoPhraya #TonleSap #SiegeOfAngkor #ZhouDaguan #IndravarmanIII #JayavarmanIX #Baray #MekongRiver #PhnomPenh #Bayon #TheravadaBuddhism #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo