What was the most powerful empire in Southeast Asia?

File: 330px-Majapahit.png (40KB, 330x220px) Image search: [Google]

40KB, 330x220px

Majapahit for sure.

File: Bayinnaung's Empire in 1580.png (1MB, 950x1121px) Image search: [Google]

1MB, 950x1121px

Probably this, but it didn't last very long. Angkor if you include how long it lasted. Maritime empires were more hegemonic, so I wouldn't count them.

File: 1457728688687.jpg (120KB, 720x540px) Image search: [Google]

120KB, 720x540px

The Netherlands

>>2113890
Now that I think about it, the Dutch would be the right answer, but I'm guessing you're talking about native empires.

>>2113862
Vietnamese here. I think we never had an empire (or we did?), only kingdoms, but i guess we wuz pretty stronk.

We mostly faced Chinese, although we invaded Champa (which by themself also invaded the Khmer Empire a few times). Lan Xang (present-days Laos) is "kind of" our tributary state, we mostly left them alone.

Thais and Burmese were killing each other until Burma annexed by the Bongs.

File: La Naval De Manila.png (48KB, 312x656px) Image search: [Google]

48KB, 312x656px

>>2113900
>Be Netherlands.
>Expand in SEA
>BTFO by Chink Merchant Confederacies, Spaniards, and their Christian Filipino Tribalnigger allies, and Japan.

File: Srivijayan_Expansion.gif (568KB, 362x369px) Image search: [Google]

568KB, 362x369px

in the mainland is probably khmer and burmese empire during their respective golden age

on maritime was the majapahit and the srivijayans who had ports as far as champa and madagascar

>>2113862
Japan

>>2115136
>SEA
>Japan
?

File: 220px-Carte_royaume_de_Siam.png (46KB, 220x376px) Image search: [Google]

46KB, 220x376px

Thailand

Thailand was the only Kingdom not defeated by Europoors

Also if the Bu*mese didnt destroy Ayuttaya Thailand would still be powerful today

>>2115149
Philippines didn't do shit they got colonized by Spain and that's it.

>>2115165
but theyre the strongest race

>>2115165
He was being sarcastic

Phillipines was literally only major land area in Southeast Asia where civilisation didnt flourish.

They had small hindu-buddhist kingdoms that were being kickstarted and would have grown if the Spics didnt come

Basically savage version of great Malay kingdoms

>>2115149
is this true

>>2115160
only because they functioned as an useful buffer between the british and french colonies

also the southern parts were conquered by the brits and cambodia would be annexed by the french to form french indochina

File: Why_Dutch_Never_had_an_Indian_Colony.png (665KB, 582x1318px) Image search: [Google]

665KB, 582x1318px

>>2114988
Don't forget the Indians.

The Dutch got JUST'd a lot.

>>2115177
They would have probably gotten Muslim'd, instead of Christian'd if the Spaniards didn't show up.

>>2113890
wew, i didn't know about this empire.

>>2113862
Japan.

>>2115136
>>2116324
This. Not only was Japan the first empire to truly dominate the region, they are directly responsible for its existence because of their hegemony:

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2000/01/18/books/book-reviews/southeast-asia-creature-of-japan/

>>2116338
>Le WWII occupation = modern Southeast Asia.
Wow, this is utter shit.

>>2116353
I don't think you've even understood the article.

File: 14402_1.jpg (218KB, 800x600px) Image search: [Google]

218KB, 800x600px

>>2116338
This is really stupid, by this definition SEA doesn't exist prior to 1942, yes, Japan do leave a lasting legacy but saying they create SEA is too far fetched, SEA has always been united and defined by a shared Hindu-Buddhist civilisation since at least the first century, the cultural sphere is akin to socio-political construct of China, India, and Europe where you got different states and ethnics with common culture

>>2117049
>SEA has always been united
Man, stop drinking the kool-aid.

SEA shared many things as an interconnected regiuon, but never united. The Japs never unite SEA either, they just kickstarted our independence.

What unite SEA was the fear of communism in 70, strangely enough eventually we let those pseudo-commie states to join the community.

>>2113900
>Be Waffle-faffer
>Lose to muslims

>>2117090
read my post again, I never said it to be nationally united, but more of common Civilisational ground, akin to Sinosphere (China, Japan, Korea, having the same civilisational root) in the east or Eurosphere in the west

>>2117090
>What unite SEA was the fear of communism in 70
wrong, ASEAN is more of economic cooperation akin to EU, its a really a new thing and has nothing to do with communism

>>2117090
>What unite SEA was the fear of communism in 70
SEATO was a complete and utter failure.

Burma was asshurt that Thailand is in it. Not to mention does weird shit like supporting China. Muslim states such as Indonesia and Malaysia was asshurt that USA supports Israel, along with contentious issues between the two. South Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos cant join due to triggering Domino Effect. Singapore is the neutral fencesitting pussy it always was and still is. Literally the only two members of SEATO was the Kingdom of Thailand and the Philippine Republic.

>>2117049
>SEA has always been united and defined by a shared Hindu-Buddhist civilisation since at least the first century
Yeah? What did they call it back then?

>>2117090
>What unite SEA was the fear of communism in 70
So no one talked about SEA as a region before the 70s?

I know what you both are saying, but David Williams and Benedict Anderson meant something quite different here.

File: COLLECTIE_TROPENMUSEUM_Studioportret_van_een_Dajak_in_krijgskleding_TMnr_60033041.jpg (51KB, 510x700px) Image search: [Google]

51KB, 510x700px

>>2117049
Vietnam has almost nothing to do with the rest of Southeast Asia, but even the Hindu-Buddhist parts didn't share some kind of unified history. Maritime Southeast Asia and Indochina, for example, had completely different histories and their only commonality is that they both adopted Indian civilization. Indian influence isn't enough to say that the region was culturally united though, because then it leaves you with nothing to differentiate Southeast Asia from India itself or other regions affected by Indian influence.

Aside from that influence the two regions have mostly separate histories. Indochina was populated by agriculturalists originating in southern China who developed the Mon-Khmer languages, which were then replaced in most areas by other languages coming from southern China. They adopted Indian civilization and developed very different civilizations in Angkor/Siam and Burma, but after the 12th century achieved a kind of cultural (not political) unity as they formed a common Theravada civilization distinct from that of both India and Maritime Southeast Asia, which eventually gave rise to the modern Thai, Burmese, Lao and Cambodian states. They had more in common with Sri Lanka than they did with Java in this period.

Maritime Southeast Asia on the other hand was populated by Austronesian agriculturalists from Taiwan. Many of these Austronesians were never influenced by India, and thus had more in common with other Austronesians like Malagasy or Polynesians than they did with Indochina. Those who did, like the Javanese and Malays, rather than following Indochina in its Theravada civilisation, converted to Islam following a more general trend of conversion throughout the Indian Ocean coasts. Indonesians were thus following Indian, rather than Indochinese, trends.

File: Manuscript chest with mythical animals 2.jpg (911KB, 1200x900px) Image search: [Google]

911KB, 1200x900px

>>2117370
So in the end, Southeast Asia only really had a common civilization after around 300 AD (when Indian civilization reached Indonesia) and before the 13th century (when Indochina went Theravada), and that's only because they also shared a common civilization with India, so even then it wasn't really a distinct region and both regions actually interacted with India more than they did with each other. And even then, this common Indianised culture was mostly limited to the elite and mixed heavily with native customs, which again were different in Indochina and Indonesia.

The Chams are the only real exception here, since they were were a kind of mix of both regions.

PHILIPPINO MOST POWERFUL RACE

>>2117372
>both regions actually interacted with India more than they did with each other
this is wrong though, Interaction with India is almost exclusively for religious purposes while they've interact with each other quite a lot, either thorough alliance, trade, or war

File: Bagan 3.jpg (482KB, 2500x833px) Image search: [Google]

482KB, 2500x833px

>>2117391
>alliance, trade, or war
Trade between India and China was far more important to both regions than trade with each other was. I can't think of any alliance between states in the two regions, and unless you count the Cham (who as I said were a part of both regions) I can't think of any significant wars between them either. I can think of wars between both regions and Indians though, such as the Chola invasion of Srivijaya and Burmese wars with Assam.

And culturally interaction with India was far more important than interaction with each other. You can't just handwave religion, it was a hugely transformative influence which changed they way Southeast Asians organised their states and societies and developed their elite literary cultures. There are countless aspects of Indochinese and Maritime Southeast Asian cultures derived from India, both at an elite and popular level, as well as countless aspects which are native to their respective regions, but there's little in either region that can be attributed to influence from the other.

File: large_spd_2006080245047_b.jpg (103KB, 640x919px) Image search: [Google]

103KB, 640x919px

>>2117370
Vietnam main cultural influence is Sinitic, but their root is south east asians, their language is still part Austroasiatic group and is closer to Cambodian than to Chinese, in their interaction, they interact with SEA as much as with China

It is also to be noted that the Malays prior to Islam did follow the Indochina trend, being the early ancient ethnic group in Indochina along with Mons, Khmers, and Chams, up until 15 century Northern Malay kingdoms such as Langkasuka and Nakhon Si Thammarat are still Theravada Buddhists and share common culture with the Thais until they converted to Islam in 16th century

the general divide of the region itself is not as smooth as you describe it to be, the Khmer empire for example, started out as a Javanese colony which later gained independence, their cultural influence can still be seen in the mainlands, such as in folklore like the Inao (Panji Semirang) and similar architectural forms, further, mainland Indochina did almost succumb to the same Islamisation as the maritime SEA, at the time, Chams are already Islamised, Malays and Thais are constantly at war on their peninsula border, and there are Muslim preachers of Chinese and Indian descent with strong influence in Thais, Burmese, and Cambodian courts, so much that at one time the Cambodians had converted to Islam and had a Muslim king before they're deposed by the Viets: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambodian-Dutch_War

Religious interaction with India is important, but you overestimate its importance and underestimate the local cultural influence and interaction as well as Chinese influence in SEA, looking at overall, Indian influence is only important at first, latter not so much, akin to the Greeks in Europe but more detached

>>2117610
>they interact with SEA as much as with China
Vietnam is mini China that tried to Sinicize their neighbors.

As much as they want to deny it today they had no problem identifying with the Sinitic world.

KHMER TOO POWERFUL FOR SHITTY THAI TO HANDLE
GET FUCK THAI FAG BOI

>>2113862
Either Burmese or Thais, Viets are strong but didn't really expand

>>2115420
And the Ming, who were able to repel Dutch expeditions that attempted to force the Chinese to accept Dutch trade deals in the early 17th century

>>2120301
Speaking of which, it should be said that the answer to OP's question should be, at least for a large portion of history, the Chinese Empire and the tributary system.

are phillipines really the strongest race

>>2113862
The British Empire.
Prove me wrong.