At the time, he was military governor (strategos) of the Anatolic Theme, and was entrusted by Emperor Michael II the Amorian (reigned 820–829) with recovering the island.
[1] Despite this failure, he was soon entrusted with another important mission, being sent to Sicily as its strategos to counter the rebellion and defection of the local tourmarches Euphemius to the Aghlabids of Ifriqiya.
He was probably the successor of the strategos Constantine Soudas, whom Euphemius had killed, but some scholars equate the two men.
[2] Greek historian Christos Makrypoulias on the other hand estimates that this is highly unlikely, and that he must have been appointed strategos in Sicily before the expedition to Crete.
[1] Photeinos was also the great-grandfather of Zoe Karbonopsina, the fourth wife of Emperor Leo VI the Wise (r.