Euphemios 1 was a tourmarches in Sicily during the reign of the emperor Michael II (Michael 10) (κατὰ τὴν Σικελίαν τουρμάρχης τελῶν: Theoph. Cont. II 27, p. 81); he married a nun (Anonyma 19) against her wishes; her brothers (Anonymi 37) then appealed to the emperor Michael II (Michael 10), who ordered the strategos (Anonymus 193) to examine the affair and punish Euphemios 1 by mutilation, if found guilty, according to the law; when the strategos came to punish him, Euphemios 1 fled with his own men and some of the other tourmarchai in Sicily (τινας τῶν συντουρμαρχῶν: Theoph. Cont. II 27, p. 82) to the emir of Africa (Ziyadat-Allah 1); he promised to subject Sicily to the emir and to pay him tribute if the emir gave military aid for the capture of Sicily and proclaimed him emperor; the emir agreed, Euphemios 1 was proclaimed emperor and Sicily was captured by the Arabs; shortly afterwards, while parading in imperial robes through Syracuse, Euphemios 1 was attacked and murdered by two brothers: Theoph. Cont. II 27 (pp. 81-83), cf. Zon. XV 24. 22-27 (ἀνὴρ γάρ Εὐφήμιος λαοῦ κατάρχων τινὸς). See also Konstantinos 231, with references.

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