Jayavarman I ()is considered by some to be the first king of the Khmer empire, as it evolved out of the Kamboja kingdom (also called Chenla in Chinese). He ruled from approximately 657 to 681. Over the course of his reign, and that of his predecessor Bhavavarman II, the Khmer kings' power was consolidated in the areas previously controlled by the Funan culture. However, Jayavarman left no male heirs, which led to the division of Cambodia and a return to earlier anarchic conditions.