Cambodian, Malay, and Cham forces Spanish, Portuguese, and native Filipinos | ||
The Cambodian–Spanish War from 1593-1597 was an attempt by the Spanish to conquer Cambodia and install their own puppet king.
War
In 1556, Gaspar Da Cruz came to Phnom Penh.
Cambodia was attacked by the Thai leader Pra Naret in 1583 at the same time the Thai and Burmese were warring against each other. Cambodia was entered via Manila under Gregorio Vargas Machuca and Blas Ruiz de Hernan Gonzales in 1593 leading a Spanish expedition. Japanese, indigenous Filipinos and 120 Spanish participated in the invasion of Cambodia. The Christianization and conquest of Cambodia was attempted by the invading Spanish. Barom Reachea II was the puppet ruler installed by Blas Ruiz and Veloso in May 1597 in Srei Santhor, previously known as Chau Pnhea Ton. The Blas Ruiz and Veloso commanded Spanish expedition triggered Siam during a plot for Soryopor, brother of Satha, to replaced Barom Reachea II. The Thai conquered Lovek in July 1594. Cambodia was attacked by Thai ruler Naresuen in February 1593 so he could fight the Burmese. The Phnom Penh Christians were led by Sylvestre d'Azevedo, a Dominican.
Cambodia came under the dominance of the Thai after the July 1599 events in Phnom Penh where the Spanish were slaughtered by Muslim Malays and Cambodians. There were some Filipinos and one Spanish who survived the slaughter by the Malays in Phnom Penh. The planned Christianization of Cambodia failed due to the defeat inflicted by the Cambodians and Malays on Veloso and Ruiz. Dominican friars came along with the invasion to Cambodia. The massacre of the Portuguese and Spanish forces was done by a combination of Cambodians, Malays, and Chams. The expeditionary commander Diogo Veloso was Portuguese. Both Spanish and Portuguese took part in the invasion of Cambodia because King Philip II ruled both Spain and Portugal. Thai interference and the Spanish expedition was a result of a power struggle between rival factions in the government of Cambodia.
Territories in Asia were sought out for conquest by Portuguese. Cambodia almost fell to the Spanish and Portuguese in 1599.
The attack was taken by private individuals. Cambodia and China were both viewed as potential targets by some Spanish. Diogo Veloso was among the members of the Spanish expedition who were killed by the Malays and Chams.
The failed and disastrous Spanish invasion of Cambodia was supported by Luis Pérez Dasmariñas. China, Siam, Champa, and Cambodia were all suggested as invasion targets by Aduarte and Dasmariñas.
Their foe, the Malay Muslim Laksama opposed the Spanish expeditionary leaders Blas Ruiz and Belhoso.
The backing of Dasmarinas in 1599 compensated for the lack of support from the central leadership back in Spain. The expedition was supported by the Dominican order. The Laksama Malay's party was made out of Muslims and was powerful.
There was a departure of missionaries due to dissent by Buddhists after the first ones arrived in earlier of the 16th century. The invasion of the Spanish was halted by the Spanish being killed by the Malays in 1599. There were also slayings of the Dutch in the 1640s who came after the Spanish.
The Malays were helped by the Khmer once the Malays and Spanish started fighting when Barom Reachea was talking with the Spanish in 1599.
Lovek was taken by Siam after the slaughter in Phnom Penh of the Spanish in 1599 when their puppet ruler was slain. There was a slaughter in Phnom Penh of the Dutch in 1643 by the Malay and Javanese supported Muslim convert Rama Thupdey.
The Cham leader Po Rat participated in the events of 1599 along with the Malay Laksamana, both groups were Muslims and were called "Cām Jvā" in Khmer.
Cambodia was invaded by 100,000 Thai (Siamese) in May 1593.
In 1598 the invasion was launched by the Spanish governor of the Philippines after consulting for advice from a junta. The remaining Spaniards claimed they were subjected to unheard of cruelties after the invasion ended in catastrophe for the Spanish.
The pro-Spanish King was also known as Paramaraja II.
Some Japanese, 2 Spanish and some Portuguese amounting from 4-5 survived after the slaughter of nearly all the Spanish along with Gouvea after they participated in he Cambodia campaign.
In Canton the Chinese took Aduarte prisoner in 1599 when he ended up in Guangdong in the defeated forces of Dasmarinas. The Cambodia campaign included Gabriel de San Antonio and Diego Aduarte.
There was a water scarcity likely in both Cambodia and Siam in the agricultural rice sector.