Khmer-Cham Wars
The Khmer-Cham Wars refers to a series of intermittent conflicts between the Khmer Empire and the Champa Dynasty that spanned several centuries, particularly from the 11th to the 13th centuries. The Khmer Empire, at its height under King Suryavarman II, sought to expand its territory, often clashing with the Chams who inhabited the region that is now central Vietnam. Initial periods of peace were disrupted after the death of Suryavarman I in 1050, leading to a series of military engagements, including significant battles where the Cham forces, led by various kings, notably King Harivarman IV, achieved victories over the Khmer.
Throughout the 12th century, the Khmer launched multiple invasions into Cham territory and vice versa, with varying degrees of success. In 1177, a Cham fleet famously captured and destroyed the Khmer capital of Yasoharapura. However, the Khmer king Jayavarman VII later regained control through strategic alliances and military campaigns, managing to occupy Champa for nearly two decades. Despite these efforts, ongoing internal rebellions weakened the Khmer Empire and led to the Chams regaining their independence by 1223. The Champa state persisted until it was ultimately absorbed by the Vietnamese in 1471. The wars significantly influenced the political landscape of Southeast Asia, marking a complex history of conflict, territorial ambition, and cultural interactions between these two ancient civilizations.
On this Page
Khmer-Cham Wars
At issue: Khmer territorial expansion and political control over Champa
Date: 1050–1203
Location: Cambodia and Champa
Combatants: Cambodians vs. Chams
Principal commanders:Cambodian, Suryavarman II (r. 1113–1150) and Jayavarman VII (c. 1120-c. 1215); Cham, Harivarman IV (r. 1074-c. 1100)
Principal battles: Vijaya, Tonle Sap, Yasoharapura
Result: Khmer-Cham wars are inconclusive but do contribute to the eventual decline of both powers at the hands of the Thai and Vietnamese
Background
During the first half of the eleventh century, the Khmer Empire approached its zenith under Suryavarman I. The empire extended to the Burmese-Malay frontier, encompassed most of modern-day Thailand and Laos, and extended to the mouth of the Mekong River. In the east, meanwhile, the neighboring Champa Dynasty, located roughly between Hue and the northern border of the Mekong River delta, began a nearly five-hundred-year-long, intermittent conflict with its newly independent neighbor, the kingdom of Vietnam. Adding to Cham concerns, Cambodian forces launched a limited invasion against the Nha Trang region in 950. Suryavarman, however, anxious to expand Khmer authority in the Me Nam valley to the east, made peace with the Chams. With his death in 1050, however, the period of Khmer-Cham peace ended.
Action
From 1050–1066, during the reign of Udayadityavarman II, the loose skein of Khmer-Cham peace unraveled. Not until 1074, however, during the reign of the Khmer king Harshavarman III, did Champa attempt a major invasion of Cambodia. While the historical sources are incomplete, it is believed that the Cham, led by King Harivarman IV, defeated the Khmer forces. Meanwhile, the heir to the Cham throne also defeated the Khmer in the south and took the city of Sambor along the Mekong River. While this fighting went against the Khmer, it remained far from decisive, and it did not prevent the rival empires from briefly joining China in 1076 in an ill-fated campaign against Vietnam.
During the reign of ancient Cambodia’s greatest king, Suryavarman II, the Khmer Empire launched a series of wars against its western neighbors. In 1127, a 20,000-man Khmer army invaded Vietnam only to be repulsed. Three years later, the Cham joined their former Khmer enemies in yet another invasion of Vietnam. In a final attack against Vietnam, in 1150, Khmer forces struck deep into the heart of the Red River Valley. The Cham, however, who refused to support the Khmer after 1131, were themselves attacked by Cambodia in 1138. In 1145, yet another Cambodian invasion led to the capture of the Cham capital at Vijaya and Khmer occupation for the next four years. By the time of Suryavarman’s death in 1150, however, near constant warfare had begun to sap Khmer strength and contributed to rebellions in various parts of the empire. Perhaps distracted by Mon uprisings, the Khmer were unable to stifle a successful Cham revolt in 1158.
Between 1177 and 1203, Khmer-Cham fighting reached new heights. In 1177, a Cham fleet sailed up the Mekong and into the great Tonle Sap itself. There the victorious Cham took, then destroyed Yasoharapura, the Khmer capital. Under the leadership of a new monarch, Jayavarman VII, Khmer forces expelled the Cham. Jayavarman first recruited dissident Chams living in Cambodia, who along with Thai soldiers tipped the balance of power in Cambodia’s favor. In 1181, the Khmer navy bested its Cham opponents. Nine years later, Jayavarman’s forces began the first of many invasions of the Cham homeland. Finally, in 1203, organized Cham resistance collapsed.
Aftermath
For nearly twenty years, Champa remained under direct Khmer control. Jayavarman’s decision to permanently garrison Champa proved effective but draining for the empire as a whole. When continued Mon rebellions forced the withdrawal of Khmer forces from Champa, Cambodia quickly lost control over its vassal. In 1223, the Chams regained their independence. Champa continued to exist as an independent state until finally succumbing to the Vietnamese in 1471. Though more successful in maintaining their independence, Khmer decline also set in after 1220, accelerated by the rise of powerful Thai and Vietnamese states to the east and west.
Bibliography
Cady, John F. Southeast Asia: Its Historical Development. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1964.
‗‗‗‗‗‗‗. Thailand, Burma, Laos, and Cambodia. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1966.
Cœdès, G. The Making of South East Asia. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1969.
Jumsai, Manich. History of Thailand and Cambodia: From the Days of Angkor to the Present. Bangkok: Chalermnit, 1970.
SarDesai, D. R. Southeast Asia: Past and Present. Boulder, Colo.: Westview, 1997.