By 1204, the Byzantine Empire had crumbled, and its sole heirs, Nicaea, Epirus, and Trebizond, were still embroiled in infighting, completely forgetting their past grievances. In Constantinople, the Latin tyrant proclaimed himself emperor of the Romans, while in the north, the Bulgars were rampaging, greedily devouring the empire's legacy, and the Turks were also stirring, eager to gnaw at its flesh. Meanwhile, in the far east, a latent force, the Mongols, was quietly rising. The empire's collapse seemed utterly irreversible, but how would Justinian reverse the tide and raise the banner of revival once more?