The year is 1204. The crusaders conquer and plunder Constantinople. Many Byzantines escape; among them is Michael Komnenos Doukas, the illegitimate son of sebastokrator Ioannis Doukas, and first cousin to emperors. Michael founded the Despotate of Epirus, an independent state whose capital was Arta and then Ioannina. A century later, the emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos offered many privileges to the people of Ioannina in exchanged for their loyalty. Ioannina are no longer a small town but a populous and rich city. Among the privileges bestowed on its citizens is the exception from the obligation to guard the Castle or pay for the garrison.