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500
The first Khmer ruler.
The earliest Khmer ruler was Rudravarman. As with future Khmer kings, his throne name combines the name of Hindu god or powerful attribute with the suffix ‘varman’, meaning “protected by”. -
Mar 7, 611
The earliest known inscription
Date of the earliest known inscription, on a stone block in Anghor Borei. The Khmer script still used in Cambodia today, is an adaption of Brahmi, the Indian script used to write Sanskrit. -
Aug 24, 1011
Reign of Suryavarman I
Reign of Suryavarman I, who wins the throne after nearly a decade of warfare between rival fiefdoms. He expands the territory and starts constructing West Baray. -
Dec 29, 1113
Reign of Suryavarman II
Reign of Suryavarman II, builder of Angkor Wat. He wins new land for the empire and strengthens diplomatic relations with China. -
Sep 13, 1181
Reign of the greatest Khmer king.
Reign of Jayavarman VII, considered the greatest Khmer king. He repairs the empire that had been torn apart by internal fighting and battle losses to Champa, a kingdom in what is now known as Vietnam. -
Nov 23, 1207
The empire reaches its highest
The empire reaches its highest extent under Jayavarman VII. He builds a 3.5 square mile walled enclosure for Angkor Thom in the heart of the capital. -
May 21, 1412
Khmer decreasing in size.
Armies from neighbouring kingdoms—Champa to the east of Ayutthaya (Thailand) to the west-continue to win more and more Khmer land. -
Jun 2, 1528
Khmer Elite moves to Lovek
The official court of the Khmer Elite moves to Lovek, on the Tonle Sap River, a tributary of the Mekong, which flows to the South China Sea. -
The end of the Khmer Empire
Vietnamese armies repeatedly attack Khmer forces in Mekong River delta and defeat the Khmer. The approximate modern borders of Cambodia are determined. -
Reign of the founder of the Khmer Empire
Reign of the founder of the Khmer Empire, Jayavarman II. Declaird “universal monarch,” he unifies fiefdoms and, on the plain near where Angkor will later rise, places his capital, Hariharalaya. -
Angkor as the capital
Yashovarman I establishes Angkor as the capital
