This was probably a response to the Arab invasion. According to the "Continuations" of Theophanes, the Emperor Michael II (820–829) appointed Photeinos "to govern the affairs of Crete", probably around 828. He was probably the first "strategos", although his authority would have been limited by the Arab conquests. With the failure of the campaign of Theoktistos in 843, the theme of Crete ceased to exist.