Home › Campaign routes › The Attack on Longvek, Cambodia, 1593–1594
The Attack on Longvek, Cambodia, 1593–1594
While Ayutthaya was at war with Hanthawaddy, the Cambodian court at Longvek had sent armies into Siamese territory several times. Once the western front had quietened down after the elephant duel, Naresuan led a great army to attack Longvek. Thai, Khmer and Spanish sources all cover this campaign; sometimes they agree and sometimes they differ.
The ≈ sign marks an approximate location. Borders on the map are modern and shown for orientation only. Campaign routes are approximate lines drawn from the chronicles and modern studies, not the exact path taken. Dashed lines are enemy armies.
What sparked the war
Thai sources record that around 1574 a Khmer fleet pushed up as far as the area of Wat Phanan Choeng and Tambon Nai Kai near Ayutthaya. Later, Phraya Chin Chantu led a fleet to attack Phetchaburi in 1578, and around 1580 a Khmer army came in and carried off people from the eastern towns as far as the Saraburi area. The Thai side therefore regarded Longvek as having broken the peace.
Some Khmer scholars, however, see it the other way round: they argue that Siam broke the border agreement and used trickery to take the city.
An advance on several routes
Thai documents say Naresuan divided his army into three columns: one through Battambang, one through Siem Reap and one towards Banteay Meas, all converging on Longvek. The Khmer perspective likewise says Siam took Battambang and Pursat before laying siege to the city.
Accounts based on Spanish sources say the invasion began around February 1593 and that large numbers of Siamese troops arrived in May that year, while Thai documents say the city was besieged for about three months.
The fall of Longvek
Longvek fell before help from the Spanish in Manila could arrive. Spanish sources say that King Satha, known in the Thai chronicles as Phraya Lawaek (the lord of Longvek), had sent Diego Veloso to the Philippines to ask for troops as early as 1593. By the time Veloso returned in early 1594, Siam was close to victory, and he himself was taken prisoner.
Many English-language works say Longvek fell in 1594, and some specify July. Satha fled towards Laos and died there. The Thai side carried off large numbers of Khmer royals and ordinary people.
The story of the blood rite
Some versions of the Thai chronicles say Naresuan had the King of Longvek executed and then performed the pathommakam rite, washing his feet in the king's blood. Most historians today do not believe this, however, because both the Khmer chronicles and Spanish sources state that the King of Longvek escaped.
After the war, and Longvek today
Cambodia later fell into turmoil, and Khmer nobles asked Ayutthaya to send back a member of the Khmer royal family living in Ayutthaya to take the throne. The Spanish, meanwhile, tried to intervene in Cambodia several more times, without success.
Longvek today lies about 35 kilometres north-west of Phnom Penh, where parts of its earthen ramparts and moats can still be seen. Excavations have turned up Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, European and Thai ceramics, showing that it was once a busy trading city.
Reading the route on the map
The line on the map follows the Battambang and Pursat route, which Thai and Khmer sources both mention; the Siem Reap and Banteay Meas columns are not shown. The points in Cambodia are approximate positions of the present-day towns.
Waypoints along the route
| Waypoint | Coordinates | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ayutthaya | 14.348, 100.561 | |
| 2. Battambang | 13.100, 103.200 | Approximate location. Approximate coordinates of present-day Battambang town. |
| 3. Pursat | 12.540, 103.920 | Approximate location. Approximate coordinates of present-day Pursat town. |
| 4. Longvek | 11.820, 104.790 | Approximate location. Estimated from descriptions placing it about 35 km north-west of Phnom Penh, between Phnom Penh and the southern end of the Tonle Sap lake. |
Where historians still disagree
- The year Longvek fell: Thai chronicles and textbooks usually give BE 2136 (1593), but Spanish sources and English-language works say the city fell in 1594, around BE 2137. Part of the reason is that the campaign dragged on across the turn of the year, from the start of the invasion in early 1593 until the city fell.
- The pathommakam rite: some versions of the Thai chronicles say the King of Longvek was executed, but the Khmer chronicles and Spanish sources say he escaped, so most historians do not believe the story.
- Who broke the peace: the Thai royal chronicles say Cambodia broke it first, while some Khmer scholars say Siam broke the border treaty and used trickery to take the city.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Longvek?
In Cambodia, about 35 kilometres north-west of Phnom Penh. It was the capital of Cambodia until Ayutthaya's army captured it.
Did Naresuan really execute the King of Longvek?
Some versions of the Thai chronicles say so, but the Khmer chronicles and Spanish sources state that the King of Longvek fled to Laos, so most historians today do not believe the story of the pathommakam rite.
- The Archaeology of Longvek: Exploring the City Naresuan Once Attacked – THE STANDARD (in Thai)
- Naresuan Invades Cambodia, and the King of Longvek Sends Envoys to the Philippines – Silpa Wattanatham (LINE TODAY) (in Thai)
- The Siam–Cambodia Border Conflict in the Longvek Period, as Seen by Khmer Scholars – Silpa Wattanatham (LINE TODAY) (in Thai)
- Cambodian–Spanish War - Wikipedia
- Learning Materials on the Life of King Naresuan the Great – Naresuan University (in Thai)
- King Naresuan Captures Longvek in BE 2136 (1593) – Silpa Wattanatham (in Thai)
Last updated 10 November 2026