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Angkor's Last Siege: The Fall of Yasodharapura
Description
In this episode, Lucas and Luna revisit the final days of Angkor — not the slow decline from climate stress or religious conversion, but the violent end: the 1431 siege by Ayutthaya that forced King Ponhea Yat to abandon Yasodharapura. They examine the battle itself, drawing on the little-known stele of Wat Phnom and Chinese records from the Ming dynasty, and discuss the role of Tai mercenaries, the collapse of the Khmer navy, and the fate of the royal family. Lucas explains how the attack exploited Angkor's overstretched water defenses and why the city was never reoccupied as a capital. The episode also touches on the subsequent move to Phnom Penh and the lasting trauma that shaped Khmer identity. No rehashing of prior episodes — this is the military and political coup de grâce.