# Ayutthaya Captures Angkor (1352–1353)

URL: https://allhistories.com/cambodia/timeline/1353-ayutthaya-captures-angkor
Location: Angkor, Cambodia
Themes: main-event

In 1352 King Ramathibodi I of Ayutthaya besieged Yasodharapura (Angkor), and in 1353 he took the city and placed one of his sons on the throne. The campaign began with a failed attack led by Prince Ramesuan, then a combined force captured Nakhon Thom without annexing it. The attack was the first major Siamese conquest of the Khmer capital. Ramathibodi's foreign policy aimed to secure regional dominance through military campaigns, and Angkor's weakened state following religious change and a shortage of strong rulers made it vulnerable. Contemporary sources are scarce, and the Siamese and Cambodian accounts differ. The Khmers regained Angkor in 1357, ending the occupation. Even so, the episode established a pattern of Siamese raids and puppet rule that continued into the fifteenth century, and Ayutthaya carried off Khmer officials, Brahmins, and artisans, spreading Khmer culture to the Siamese court. The pattern continued. At this point in the timeline (1353), no individual ruler is securely recorded for this period: Chronicle kings of late Angkor (1336 – 1394).

## Why it matters
The 1353 capture marked a turning point in the balance between Khmer and Siamese power.

Ruler at the Time: [Chronicle kings of late Angkor (1336-1394)](https://allhistories.com/cambodia/rulers/chronicle-kings-of-late-angkor-1336-1394)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Ramathibodi I](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramathibodi_I)
- [Wikipedia — Ayutthaya Kingdom](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayutthaya_Kingdom)