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In the year A.D 802, King Jayavarman 2nd came into rule. He declared himself devaraja (God-king) and strengthened the monarchy. He made Hinduism more important and renamed Chenla Kambuja (origins of Cambodia). He is recognised as the founder of the Khmer Empire and he established the new capital in Mount Kulen. Before Jayavarman 2nd, there was conflict between local overlords and the people. They were not unified under one ruler.
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The Khmer Empire lasted for 792 years.
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King Yasovarman 1st came to the seat of power in 889 and established the Khmer Capital in Yasodharapura, which was named after him. Yasovarman was a very capable ruler but he was not very modest and he wanted to be worshipped.
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Under the rule of King Suryavarman 2nd, more than 20,000 slaves were forced to work on the construction of Angkor Wat. King Suryavarman 2nd saw Angkor Wat as "Heaven on Earth." Angkor Wat was dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu.
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In 1177, the Cham Kingdom of Central Vietnam had invaded and sacked Angkor, which created a sense trauma and crisis for the Khmer. Jayavarman 7th rose to the throne in response to the action. Returning to the capital, Jayavarman 7th found it in complete disarray. He put an end to the disputes and was crowned king himself in 1181.
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Jayavarman 7th came into rule in the year A.D 1181. He expanded the Khmer Empire to its greatest limits, thus creating war with the Chams (Muslims in Vietnam) and Thais. The oficial decline started with the rule of Jayavarman 7th.
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During the rule of Jayavarman 7th, the Empire started to decline. This was because the Khemr had over-engineered their empire. Their irrigation system was too complicated and it had failed. The cost of war was too high as soldiers had to be fed, clothed, transported and their families look after. The nobles had a very lavish lifestyle and had to pay for guards, servants and concubines. Materials like cloth, marble, gems, and even slaves were not traded for things that the empire needed.
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Angkor Thom was established by King Jayavarman 7th. It was the last and most enduring capital city of the Khmer Empire. In the middle of Angkor Thom stood the Bayon, the lasty of the great Khmer Empire temples to be constructed.
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The Khmer Empire, being so large, was facing wars on two fronts. The Thai army attacked Angkor, the capital of the Khmer Empire, in 1431 and forced the Khmers to abandon their capital. The Khmer rulers relocated their capital to Phnom Penh, which is the modern day capital of Cambodia.
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The Siamese (Thai) kings attacked and defeated the last Khmer king.
