Who were the kings of the Khmer Empire? BY OLIVIA CRAUS
Oxford Big Ideas ; Geography & History Chp 8 Pg 370
Information gathered from the text:
The kings were ranked number one in society and since Jayavarman || declared himself Chakravartin (‘ruler of the world’), in 802, the kings of the Angkor region served as political and religious leaders. The high leaders were said to have the great powers of kings and gods, as they were responsible for legal and religious rules, enforcement and practices. People with less social importance, particularly nobles and military leaders head to swear an oath of loyalty to the King, and were forced to live by the oath or else were in threat of eternal punishment. The king was expected to respect his people, no matter what social position and he also had to acknowledge the local leaders underneath him, in return for them abiding by his oath. The king had a big say on the creation of public buildings, and other large constructions and works. The projects that the king authorised were to guarantee the prosperity of Angkor and to prove just how powerful the king and his empire really are. The king was responsible for dedicating temples to Hindi gods, particularly Shiva and Vishnu, which supported his reputation and put him in good association with the respective gods.
What the text means:
-The king was the highest and most powerful person in the Khmer Empire.
-If people did not follow his rules, he could sentence them to death.
-The king had to okay all important structure however, the king did not design the architecture and finishes of the constructions, nor did he ever take partake in any manual labour.
-The king had the best clothes and best food.
-The kings were in charge of nobles and officials just as much as he was in charge of slaves and peasants.
-The people believed that the king was their ‘god on Earth’.
-The Khmer Empire had many kings however, they did not rule at the same time, there was only one king at any given time.
Questions developed due to the text:
How many kings did the Khmer Empire have in total? Who was the most influential king? How did the jobs/responsibilities of the kings of the Funan and Chenla Kingdoms vary to the ones of the Khmer Empire? Did the people always agree with the king’s laws? How were the kings chosen? Were they elected or did the honour pass through a family?
OPINION PIECE: Overall, Oxford proves that the kings of the Khmer Empire were not just figureheads who were praised by their people for no apparent reasons , the kings were religious and legal leaders who had the last say for all important decisions. It could be said that the kings were given a bit too much credit as being claimed ‘gods on Earth’ however, they were definitely important parts of the Khmer Empire. The kings were loyal to their subjects, if they abided by the oath that the king set out, which is fair. The Khmer kings had many privileges and luxuries compared to their lower subjects, but they were well deserved after all they hard work the kings put into making sure the Empire ran smoothly and stayed strong.
Analysis Of An Image: (By Olivia Craus)
The statue is of Jayavarman ||, the first king of the Khmer Empire. The stone statue is primary evidence of how kings work as leader was appreciated. The kings during the time were respected through sculptured statues made of them.
The image to the left, is a sculpture of Jayavarman ||'s face however, some sculptures were made of the upper body and t=some times full body. The kings were respected like gods, hence why gods and kings both had statues made of them, where people went to praise them.
https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Jayavarman+II+Cambodia
&view=detailv2&&id=AA7FF92F30CA2E5019887F6E43DA68ED8B4377D
D&selectedIndex=1&ccid=s5MREbf7&simid=608022084303982248&thid=O
IP.Mb3931111b7fb888a15a871abea75ec28o0&ajaxhist=0
who is jayavarman ll and what is his greatest achievement? - ALYSSA MONTALVO
Oxford pg 359
Jayavarman ll was the king for the Angkor empire. After establishing the Khmer empire, Jayavarman ll had himself declared at a special religious ceremony. This effectively made him the king of all regional hmer kings. At the
same ceremony, Jayavarman II declared that one Khmer god would become the king of all other gods. By doing
this, Jayavarman II created a system that ensured both political stability and religious stability. It enabled him
and future Khmer kings to rule over the empire with political and religious authority. All minor Khmer kings that controlled small parts of the empire now served Jayavarman II, the ‘king of kings’, and all minor Khmer gods who protected each of these kings now served the devaraja, the ‘king of the gods’. Many historians refer to this system as the devaraja cult. They believe that the devaraja was the Hindu god Shiva.At the same ceremony, all previous pledges or oaths of loyalty between smaller Khmer kingdoms and their kings were overturned. Evidence of this ceremony is carved on the temple at Sdok Kok Thom. Jayavarman II left no inscriptions himself. Around this time, Jayavarman II moved his capital once more, to Mount Mahendrapura near Tonle Sap Lake (now
known as Phnom Kulen). Here, he built a large temple and carved images of Hindu gods into the river beds to bless the water flowing into Angkor In addition to founding the Khmer Empire, Jayavarman II established a system of officials and courtiers (people who serve the king in administrative roles), who were
rewarded with land and political positions for their work. This system helped maintain the political and religious stability of the Khmer Empire – it was tied closely to the temples and was designed to control peasant workers in the rice fields by establishing a strict social hierarchy.Jayavarman II is believed to have died in 850 when his son (Jayavarman III) became the next king, followed by his nephe. How new kings were selected is unknown, but it was not necessarily by birth. More likely it was the man’s ability as a soldier that made him suitable as a leader.
what the text meaning
- it is the who the king of the empire
- the history of the king
-what were the victories he had
questions about the text
- who was the king of the empire
- how many kings did they have
- why do they have to have a king
-what were the laws of the king
-who was the king after jayavarman
- why was he king
-who made him king
opinion
overall my opinion is that oxford was a good reference for this part and that it tought me a lot more about him and every thing him was doing and how he become king.
Oxford Big Ideas ; Geography & History Chp 8 Pg 370
Information gathered from the text:
The kings were ranked number one in society and since Jayavarman || declared himself Chakravartin (‘ruler of the world’), in 802, the kings of the Angkor region served as political and religious leaders. The high leaders were said to have the great powers of kings and gods, as they were responsible for legal and religious rules, enforcement and practices. People with less social importance, particularly nobles and military leaders head to swear an oath of loyalty to the King, and were forced to live by the oath or else were in threat of eternal punishment. The king was expected to respect his people, no matter what social position and he also had to acknowledge the local leaders underneath him, in return for them abiding by his oath. The king had a big say on the creation of public buildings, and other large constructions and works. The projects that the king authorised were to guarantee the prosperity of Angkor and to prove just how powerful the king and his empire really are. The king was responsible for dedicating temples to Hindi gods, particularly Shiva and Vishnu, which supported his reputation and put him in good association with the respective gods.
What the text means:
-The king was the highest and most powerful person in the Khmer Empire.
-If people did not follow his rules, he could sentence them to death.
-The king had to okay all important structure however, the king did not design the architecture and finishes of the constructions, nor did he ever take partake in any manual labour.
-The king had the best clothes and best food.
-The kings were in charge of nobles and officials just as much as he was in charge of slaves and peasants.
-The people believed that the king was their ‘god on Earth’.
-The Khmer Empire had many kings however, they did not rule at the same time, there was only one king at any given time.
Questions developed due to the text:
How many kings did the Khmer Empire have in total? Who was the most influential king? How did the jobs/responsibilities of the kings of the Funan and Chenla Kingdoms vary to the ones of the Khmer Empire? Did the people always agree with the king’s laws? How were the kings chosen? Were they elected or did the honour pass through a family?
OPINION PIECE: Overall, Oxford proves that the kings of the Khmer Empire were not just figureheads who were praised by their people for no apparent reasons , the kings were religious and legal leaders who had the last say for all important decisions. It could be said that the kings were given a bit too much credit as being claimed ‘gods on Earth’ however, they were definitely important parts of the Khmer Empire. The kings were loyal to their subjects, if they abided by the oath that the king set out, which is fair. The Khmer kings had many privileges and luxuries compared to their lower subjects, but they were well deserved after all they hard work the kings put into making sure the Empire ran smoothly and stayed strong.
Analysis Of An Image: (By Olivia Craus)
The statue is of Jayavarman ||, the first king of the Khmer Empire. The stone statue is primary evidence of how kings work as leader was appreciated. The kings during the time were respected through sculptured statues made of them.
The image to the left, is a sculpture of Jayavarman ||'s face however, some sculptures were made of the upper body and t=some times full body. The kings were respected like gods, hence why gods and kings both had statues made of them, where people went to praise them.
https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Jayavarman+II+Cambodia
&view=detailv2&&id=AA7FF92F30CA2E5019887F6E43DA68ED8B4377D
D&selectedIndex=1&ccid=s5MREbf7&simid=608022084303982248&thid=O
IP.Mb3931111b7fb888a15a871abea75ec28o0&ajaxhist=0
who is jayavarman ll and what is his greatest achievement? - ALYSSA MONTALVO
Oxford pg 359
Jayavarman ll was the king for the Angkor empire. After establishing the Khmer empire, Jayavarman ll had himself declared at a special religious ceremony. This effectively made him the king of all regional hmer kings. At the
same ceremony, Jayavarman II declared that one Khmer god would become the king of all other gods. By doing
this, Jayavarman II created a system that ensured both political stability and religious stability. It enabled him
and future Khmer kings to rule over the empire with political and religious authority. All minor Khmer kings that controlled small parts of the empire now served Jayavarman II, the ‘king of kings’, and all minor Khmer gods who protected each of these kings now served the devaraja, the ‘king of the gods’. Many historians refer to this system as the devaraja cult. They believe that the devaraja was the Hindu god Shiva.At the same ceremony, all previous pledges or oaths of loyalty between smaller Khmer kingdoms and their kings were overturned. Evidence of this ceremony is carved on the temple at Sdok Kok Thom. Jayavarman II left no inscriptions himself. Around this time, Jayavarman II moved his capital once more, to Mount Mahendrapura near Tonle Sap Lake (now
known as Phnom Kulen). Here, he built a large temple and carved images of Hindu gods into the river beds to bless the water flowing into Angkor In addition to founding the Khmer Empire, Jayavarman II established a system of officials and courtiers (people who serve the king in administrative roles), who were
rewarded with land and political positions for their work. This system helped maintain the political and religious stability of the Khmer Empire – it was tied closely to the temples and was designed to control peasant workers in the rice fields by establishing a strict social hierarchy.Jayavarman II is believed to have died in 850 when his son (Jayavarman III) became the next king, followed by his nephe. How new kings were selected is unknown, but it was not necessarily by birth. More likely it was the man’s ability as a soldier that made him suitable as a leader.
what the text meaning
- it is the who the king of the empire
- the history of the king
-what were the victories he had
questions about the text
- who was the king of the empire
- how many kings did they have
- why do they have to have a king
-what were the laws of the king
-who was the king after jayavarman
- why was he king
-who made him king
opinion
overall my opinion is that oxford was a good reference for this part and that it tought me a lot more about him and every thing him was doing and how he become king.