AMH-6146-NA Bird's eye view of Eauweck, Cambodia

Longvek or Lavek ( km, លង្វែក, or , ; meaning "intersection" or "crossroads") was a city in

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand ...

. It was the second capital city during the Cambodia's Post-Angkor period which began after the Angkor era. The city was known to early European traders as "Cambodia". The city used to serve as a center of the country's military. It was a gathering point for people of knowledge including scholars and martial artists. Longvek was chosen by King

Ang Chan I Ang Chan I or Chan Reachea ( km, ចន្ទរាជា, ; 1486–1566) was a Cambodian king who reigned from 1516 to 1566. He was regarded as one of the most illustrious Cambodian kings of the post-Angkor era. He was appointed the '' oupara ...

after the sacking of Angkor by the Siamese as a new capital because of its more readily defensible terrain. As a result, there was a time when Cambodia was often referred to as Longvek by foreign travellers. It was considered one of the greatest cities in Cambodia. After Ang Chan I defeated

Sdach Korn Sdach Korn (), also known as Srei Chettha II (, ), or Srei Chetha Thireach Reameathiptei (, ), was the King of Cambodia from 1512 to 1525. Korn dethroned the king and attempted to establish a new dynasty. Though little is known about his life as ...

he moved the capital city from

Chaktomuk Phnom Penh (; km, ភ្នំពេញ, ) is the capital and most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since the French protectorate of Cambodia and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its economic, indus ...

to Longvek in 1528. This new city was the capital of the Kingdom of Cambodia from 1528 to 1594. King Ang Chan I ordered his palace to be built in Longvek in 1553.

History

During the 14th and 15th centuries, Cambodia was in a state of eclipse. Following the almost total destruction of Angkor, Longvek was chosen as the new capital of the now minor state of Cambodia. Longvek was located halfway between

Phnom Penh Phnom Penh (; km, ភ្នំពេញ, ) is the capital and most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since the French protectorate of Cambodia and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its economic, indus ...

and the southern end of the Tonlé Sap and it was chosen by King

Outey Reachea III Ang Chan II ( km, ព្រះបាទអង្គចន្ទទី២; 1791 – 7 January 1835) was King of Cambodia from 1806 to his death in 1835. He reigned under the name of Outey Reachea III ( km, ឧទ័យរាជាទី៣). Ang ...

(1516–1566) as his official capital. Longvek became the nation's capital in the 16th century after the

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polici ...

between King Ang Chan I and Sdach Korn. After Ang Chan's I victory, he became the new king of Cambodia. Spanish and Portuguese adventurers and missionaries, like Blas Ruiz de Hernán González from

Ciudad Real Ciudad Real (, ; en, "Royal City") is a municipality of Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile–La Mancha, capital of the province of Ciudad Real. It is the 5th most populated municipality in the region. History It was founded ...

, first visited the kingdom during this period. Blas became a friend of King Satha of Longvek, who was well-disposed towards foreigners, and while in the kingdom got to know Portuguese adventurer Diogo Beloso from Amarante. The

Iberians The Iberians ( la, Hibērī, from el, Ἴβηρες, ''Iberes'') were an ancient people settled in the eastern and southern coasts of the Iberian peninsula, at least from the 6th century BC. They are described in Greek and Roman sources (amon ...

referred to

as "Churdumuco" and to Srei Santhor as "Sistor". Not long thereafter Longvek was invaded by the Siamese ruler of Ayutthaya.Miguel de Jaque de los Rios Manzanedo ''Viaje de las Indias Orientales y Occidentales (Año 1606)''
/ref> King Naresuan of Siam conquered Longvek in 1593.Rajanubhab, D., 2001, Our Wars With the Burmese, Bangkok: White Lotus Co. Ltd., This conquest marked a downturn in the kingdom's fortunes. In the historical period that followed Cambodia became a pawn in a power struggle between its two increasingly powerful neighbours,

Siam Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

and

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making ...

. In 1618, the capital of Cambodia was once again relocated and was moved to

Oudong ( km, ឧដុង្គ; also romanized as Udong or Odong) is a former town of the post-Angkorian period (1618–1863) situated in present-day ''Phsar Daek'' Commune, Ponhea Lueu District, Kandal Province, Cambodia. Located at the foothill of t ...

Notes

References

Bibliography

*Ben Kiernan, ''Blood and soil'' *Sanjay Subrahmanyam & Marie-José Capelle, '' L'Empire portugais d'Asie, 1500–1700; Histoire politique et économique''. Maisonneuve & Larose (1999)

External links

Cambodia in the Writings of Diego Aduarte and Gabriel Quiroga de San Antonio
{{coord, 11, 51, 53, N, 104, 45, 14, E, source:frwiki_region:KH_type:city, display=title Former populated places in Cambodia